{"id":158328,"date":"2023-02-09T14:03:42","date_gmt":"2023-02-09T13:03:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/carfundacion.roymo.info\/?post_type=testimonios&#038;p=158328"},"modified":"2024-06-06T10:36:43","modified_gmt":"2024-06-06T08:36:43","slug":"simon-seminarista-de-tanzania-de-ingeniero-a-sacerdote","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fundacioncarf.org\/en\/simon-seminarista-de-tanzania-de-ingeniero-a-sacerdote\/","title":{"rendered":"Simon, Tanzanian seminarian: from engineer to priest"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"et_pb_section et_pb_section_153 et_section_regular\">\n<div class=\"et_pb_row et_pb_row_846\">\n<div class=\"et_pb_column et_pb_column_1_5 et_pb_column_2385 et_pb_css_mix_blend_mode_passthrough et_pb_column_empty\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"et_pb_column et_pb_column_3_5 et_pb_column_2386 et_pb_css_mix_blend_mode_passthrough\">\n<div class=\"et_pb_module et_pb_text et_pb_text_903 post-excerpt et_pb_text_align_center et_pb_bg_layout_light\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"et_pb_module et_pb_video et_pb_video_13\">\n<div class=\"et_pb_video_box\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"HE WAS A CIVIL ENGINEER but he knew that GOD WOULD FINALLY CALL HIM : Simon John Muhangwa from Tanzania ????????\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/cN_6H2xo10s?feature=oembed\" width=\"1080\" height=\"608\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"et_pb_column et_pb_column_1_5 et_pb_column_2387 et_pb_css_mix_blend_mode_passthrough et-last-child et_pb_column_empty\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"et_pb_row et_pb_row_847\">\n<div class=\"et_pb_column et_pb_column_1_5 et_pb_column_2388 et_pb_css_mix_blend_mode_passthrough et_pb_column_empty\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"et_pb_column et_pb_column_3_5 et_pb_column_2389 et_pb_css_mix_blend_mode_passthrough\">\n<div class=\"et_pb_module et_pb_text et_pb_text_904 et_pb_text_align_left et_pb_bg_layout_light\">\n<div class=\"et_pb_text_inner\">\n<div class=\"page\" title=\"Page 1\">\n<div class=\"layoutArea\">\n<div class=\"column\">\n<h2><strong>Simon, Tanzanian seminarian<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/fundacioncarf.org\/colabora\/pon-cara-a-tu-donativo\/simon-john-muhangwa\/\">Simon John Muhangwa<\/a> is a Tanzanian seminarian who resides at the Bidasoa International Seminary in Pamplona. He belongs to the diocese of Mwanza, in the northeast of the country, on the shores of Lake Victoria. After graduating as a civil engineer and working for two years, he left his profession to become a priest.<strong>\u00a0Simon tells us about his vocation.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\"I was born on January 20, 1992 in Magu district, in the Mwanza region. <strong>I come from a very Catholic family and I am the second of five children: three boys and two girls.<\/strong> I studied primary and secondary school in the Mwanza region. In 2010, I was selected to join advanced secondary education at Kibiti School in Pwani region, and in 2012 I finished. I enrolled at Mbeya University of Science and Technology, where I studied a Bachelor of Civil Engineering and graduated in 2016. Two years later, I started working at Tanzania Urban and Rural Roads Agency (TARURA) in Dodoma town as a civil engineer. Because of my skills, I was appointed as a Professional Engineer.\"<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Attraction to the priesthood<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>\"I don't remember exactly when I first considered becoming a priest, but it's true that from a young age I was attracted to the priesthood and admired religious people. Praying with my family was something that also moved me. Little by little, a voice inside me told me that I could be a priest someday.<\/p>\n<p>When I was at the advanced school in Kibiti, I belonged to a <strong>group of young catholic students<\/strong> and I was selected to be the leader of the group. At that time, some of my friends were telling me that I was going to be a priest. Over time, that sense of attraction and enthusiasm for the priesthood begins to take its toll on me.\"<\/p>\n<h3><strong>The spiritual help of priests<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>\"Because of all that, I began to look for information about the priesthood and I asked for spiritual help from the pastor of my school, Father Christian Lupindu, whom I thank for all his advice. Christian Lupindu, whom I thank for all his advice. And after finishing my secondary studies, which I did in a boarding school a thousand kilometers away from my city, I returned home. I continued my discernment and shared this concern with my parish priests, Father Bartazar Kesi and Father Andrea Beno, both missionaries. However, when I told my parents about my concerns, they advised me to study at the university first\".<\/p>\n<h3><strong>From engineer to priest\u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>\"There at the university I joined a Christian youth community where I was also made a group leader. I was also elected as the zonal president of my university. My restlessness for the priesthood was growing and I met with a university chaplain, Father Fidelis Damana, also a missionary. His spiritual help was instrumental in my discernment.<\/p>\n<p>After finishing my university studies, I returned to my parish and was invited to continue reflecting on my vocation to the priesthood. After two years of professional work as a civil engineer, in 2020, I was admitted as a seminarian in the diocese of Mwanza. Subsequently, my bishop sent me to study <strong>to the Bidasoa Seminar in Pamplona\".\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"et_pb_column et_pb_column_1_5 et_pb_column_2390 et_pb_css_mix_blend_mode_passthrough et-last-child et_pb_column_empty\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"et_pb_row et_pb_row_848\">\n<div class=\"et_pb_column et_pb_column_1_5 et_pb_column_2391 et_pb_css_mix_blend_mode_passthrough et_pb_column_empty\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"et_pb_column et_pb_column_3_5 et_pb_column_2392 et_pb_css_mix_blend_mode_passthrough\">\n<div class=\"et_pb_module et_pb_text et_pb_text_905 et_pb_text_align_left et_pb_bg_layout_light\">\n<div class=\"et_pb_text_inner\">\n<div class=\"page\" title=\"Page 2\">\n<div class=\"layoutArea\">\n<div class=\"column\">\n<h2><strong>Catechesis for youth<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>\"In my country, the main and most necessary are <strong>catechesis for youth. <\/strong>It is one of the tasks I am most excited about doing when I return to my country. I hope to put at the service of the Church all the experience I gained as a leader of the Catholic youth groups I served as a student both in high school and university.<\/p>\n<p>In addition to being well trained to be able to answer questions about the Catholic faith, I would also like to help with my engineering knowledge and be able to bring the faith into the modern world, whether in technology or environmental sectors.\"<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Characteristics of Tanzania\u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.consolataamerica.org\/es\/la-iglesia-catolica-en-tanzania\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Tanzania<\/a> has an area of 945,087 square kilometers and is bordered by the Indian Ocean, Burundi, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Uganda, Rwanda and Zambia. The country has numerous local languages, predominantly Swahili and English. Its capital is Dodoma.\u00a0<strong>The fertility rate is 4.59 children per woman.<\/strong> Life expectancy is 59.3 years. The urban population is 36.45 %. The ethnic composition is 95 % Bantu from 130 different tribes. The country is rich in gold and diamond mines. There are currently 63,341,000 inhabitants, out of which <strong>19,192,000 of which 19,192,000 are Catholics, or 30.3 % of the population.<\/strong>according to statistics published by the Holy See.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"et_pb_column et_pb_column_1_5 et_pb_column_2393 et_pb_css_mix_blend_mode_passthrough et-last-child et_pb_column_empty\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"et_pb_row et_pb_row_849\">\n<div class=\"et_pb_column et_pb_column_1_3 et_pb_column_2394 et_pb_css_mix_blend_mode_passthrough et_pb_column_empty\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"et_pb_column et_pb_column_1_3 et_pb_column_2395 et_pb_css_mix_blend_mode_passthrough\">\n<div class=\"et_pb_module et_pb_text et_pb_text_906 frase-destacada et_pb_text_align_left et_pb_bg_layout_light\">\n<div class=\"et_pb_text_inner\">\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong><em>\"In my country the main and most necessary thing is catechesis for the youth. This is one of the tasks I am most looking forward to doing when I return to my country\".<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"et_pb_column et_pb_column_1_3 et_pb_column_2396 et_pb_css_mix_blend_mode_passthrough et-last-child et_pb_column_empty\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"et_pb_row et_pb_row_850\">\n<div class=\"et_pb_column et_pb_column_1_5 et_pb_column_2397 et_pb_css_mix_blend_mode_passthrough et_pb_column_empty\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"et_pb_column et_pb_column_3_5 et_pb_column_2398 et_pb_css_mix_blend_mode_passthrough\">\n<div class=\"et_pb_module et_pb_text et_pb_text_907 et_pb_text_align_left et_pb_bg_layout_light\">\n<div class=\"et_pb_text_inner\">\n<div class=\"page\" title=\"Page 2\">\n<div class=\"layoutArea\">\n<div class=\"column\">\n<h2><strong>Experience in Bidasoa<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>\"When I arrived in Bidasoa I found a very friendly atmosphere. At first it was difficult because of the language and also getting used to the Spanish culture. But I have received a lot of help to learn Spanish and now I can communicate with my brothers. Now I am enjoying a lot with so many seminarians from different countries. It is wonderful. I am very happy to be here, and I thank God for giving me this precious opportunity to study at the Ecclesiastical University of Navarra and to meet with these good people and fellow Catholics.\"<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Thanks to benefactors\u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>\"I would like to say a big thank you to our benefactors at CARF for the tremendous support they provide us in our training, especially the <a href=\"https:\/\/fundacioncarf.org\/testimonios-sacerdotes\/mathias-seminarista-de-tanzania-que-estudia-en-roma\/\">Tanzanian seminarians<\/a>. God bless you.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"et_pb_column et_pb_column_1_5 et_pb_column_2399 et_pb_css_mix_blend_mode_passthrough et-last-child et_pb_column_empty\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"et_pb_row et_pb_row_851\">\n<div class=\"et_pb_column et_pb_column_1_5 et_pb_column_2400 et_pb_css_mix_blend_mode_passthrough et_pb_column_empty\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"et_pb_column et_pb_column_3_5 et_pb_column_2401 et_pb_css_mix_blend_mode_passthrough\">\n<div class=\"et_pb_with_border et_pb_module et_pb_text et_pb_text_908 elemento-firma et_pb_text_align_left et_pb_bg_layout_light\">\n<div class=\"et_pb_text_inner\">\n<p><strong>Marta Sant\u00edn\u00a0<\/strong><br \/>\nJournalist specializing in religious information.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"et_pb_column et_pb_column_1_5 et_pb_column_2402 et_pb_css_mix_blend_mode_passthrough et-last-child et_pb_column_empty\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Simon John Muhangwa is a Tanzanian seminarian studying at the Bidasoa International Seminary and an engineer. He comes from a very Catholic family and is the second child of five children: three boys and two girls. He tells us about his vocation. <\/p>","protected":false},"author":719,"featured_media":168884,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"give_campaign_id":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[109],"tags":[121],"class_list":["post-158328","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-historias","tag-seminarista"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/fundacioncarf.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/158328","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/fundacioncarf.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/fundacioncarf.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fundacioncarf.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/719"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fundacioncarf.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=158328"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/fundacioncarf.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/158328\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":169797,"href":"https:\/\/fundacioncarf.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/158328\/revisions\/169797"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fundacioncarf.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/168884"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/fundacioncarf.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=158328"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fundacioncarf.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=158328"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fundacioncarf.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=158328"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}