Friday, August 02, 2013

Tanzania: Vatican Envoy Stresses Good Manners

http://www.dailynews.co.tz/images/PADILLA.jpgVATICAN Ambassador to Tanzania, Archbishop Francisco Montecillo Padilla, has urged schools in the country to mould responsible and law abiding citizens.

"Christ taught us to be good and love neighbours. Are our schools producing good citizens. Do we love our neighbours," the Archbishop said at a fund raising ceremony for St Maximilian Secondary School in Dar es Salaam.

Some 3.69m/- was raised in cash and pledges totaling 24.87m/- were made by parents and other well wishers. The target is to raise 40m/-.

Archbishop Padilla told the staff at the school to strive at building the culture of helping other people among students. "We need people who love others, as opposed to greedy and selfish individuals," he stressed. Archbishop Padilla noted that parents, guardians, brothers and sisters were part of the school.

"This school cannot function without them," he said. "Today young people need models to mould their lives. A consistency of faith and life is very important," said the Vatican envoy, adding that "consistency must run from family to the school authorities, to the teachers and even to the local workers at the school."

The headteacher, Sister Bertha Chileshe said completion and furnishing of the secondary dinning school hall and the sports grounds as the biggest challenges they were facing. She said at times of sports they normally go to Segerea Seminary grounds.

Sister Chileshe noted that the school was expected to begin pre-form one in October, this year, with 90 students, adding that all of them would be day scholars.

The school which currently has 548 pupils and 27 teachers had developed into nursery, primary and secondary school, started in January, 2008 with 39 pupils and three teachers. 

The school is under the patronage of St. Maximilian Kolbe, a Franciscan priest from Poland who died in the concentration camp.