{"id":219821,"date":"2025-08-11T09:31:35","date_gmt":"2025-08-11T07:31:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/staging.fundacioncarf.org\/?p=219821"},"modified":"2025-07-28T11:09:20","modified_gmt":"2025-07-28T09:09:20","slug":"courageous-vocation-elias-mniko-tanzania","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/staging.fundacioncarf.org\/en\/courageous-vocation-elias-mniko-tanzania\/","title":{"rendered":"Elias, the hope that comes from Tanzania"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Elias Emmanuel Mniko is 22 years old and has a look that conveys peace and conviction. He was born in the region of Mwanza, in northern Tanzania, on the shores of Lake Victoria. He grew up in a home full of harmony and faith, where his father Emmanuel and his mother Miluga raised their four children with love.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"FROM TANZANIA TO PAMPLONA : THE COURAGEOUS VOCATION OF EL\u00cdAS\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/15h5f0dsGRw?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"un-deseo-que-el-senor-le-puso-en-su-corazon\">A vocation that the Lord put in his heart<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Since high school, he began to feel a deep desire: to be a priest. He could not fully explain it, but something inside him would light up every time he saw the priests at school: dedicated, serene and close. He was fascinated by the seminarians in their white cassocks, elegant and discreet. \"It was a desire that the Lord put in my heart,\" he says now with simplicity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Although he did not enter the minor seminary, Elias was not discouraged. He spent a year of formation at the vocation house. <a href=\"https:\/\/staging.fundacioncarf.org\/san-juan-pablo-ii-y-su-fe-infinita\/\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/staging.fundacioncarf.org\/san-juan-pablo-ii-y-su-fe-infinita\/\">St. John Paul II<\/a>in his native diocese. There, in the silence of prayer and the joy of service, he matured his vocation. <strong>He understood that, in Tanzania, being a priest is not just a life choice: it is an urgent necessity.<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"384\" height=\"510\" src=\"https:\/\/staging.fundacioncarf.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Elias-Tanzania.webp\" alt=\"Elias Mniko wearing a sacertodean cassock in a Tanzanian village during his training.\" class=\"wp-image-219888\" title=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/staging.fundacioncarf.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Elias-Tanzania.webp 384w, https:\/\/staging.fundacioncarf.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Elias-Tanzania-226x300.webp 226w, https:\/\/staging.fundacioncarf.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Elias-Tanzania-113x150.webp 113w, https:\/\/staging.fundacioncarf.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Elias-Tanzania-9x12.webp 9w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 384px) 100vw, 384px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"la-comunidad-crece-y-hay-pocos-sacerdotes\">The community is growing and there are few priests<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The diocese of Mwanza, to which Elias belongs, faces great challenges. Although Catholics represent about 30 % of the population - some 1.2 million people - priests are scarce and communities are growing rapidly. In many villages, Mass is celebrated only once a month, and some faithful walk more than 10 kilometers to attend. Priestly vocations are a blessing awaited with hope and faith by all the people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In spite of everything, the Church in Mwanza is alive. The faithful are enthusiastic, the young people are proud of their faith, and the diocese is working hard to promote educational and health projects. Many schools and hospitals are run by the Church. There, in the midst of simplicity and sometimes precariousness, hope is sown every day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>\"I am living a wonderful experience.\"<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>Currently, Elias resides in the <a href=\"https:\/\/seminariobidasoa.org\/\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/seminariobidasoa.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Bidasoa international seminar<\/a>in Pamplona. He has finished his first course of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.unav.edu\/web\/facultad-de-teologia\" target=\"_blank\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.unav.edu\/web\/facultad-de-teologia\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Philosophy<\/a> and his face reflects amazement and gratitude. \"I am living a wonderful and fraternal experience,\" he says. He is excited about sharing daily life with seminarians from all continents, learning from the formators and getting to know other cultures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Europe is teaching me many things,\" he says. Europeans are very loving. But I also believe that you Europeans can learn from us Africans about the importance of family life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"la-vida-sacerdotal-exige-sacrificios\">The priest's life demands sacrifices<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Elijah speaks calmly, but his every word is charged with inner fire. He knows that priestly life demands sacrifices. He knows that when he returns to Tanzania, a demanding mission awaits him: to care for many souls, to accompany scattered communities, to console the suffering and to be the living presence of Christ among his people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Sometimes he thinks of his family, his land, the joyful songs at Mass and the ground corn that accompanies almost every meal. He also remembers his friends, his parish catechists and the bishop who encouraged him not to be afraid to say \"yes\" to God.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Life at the Bidasoa International Seminary seems to him to be a gift. There are times for prayer, study, sports, service and also parties. \"Here we learn to be brothers,\" he explains. Although at first it was difficult for him to adapt - the cold of Navarre, the language, the food - today he feels at home. His Spanish improves day by day and, when he smiles, he does so with that African warmth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"los-jovenes-de-tanzania-tienen-mucha-esperanza\">\"The young people of Tanzania have a lot of hope.\"<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Elias is not naive. He knows the problems of the Church, both in Europe and in Africa. In his country, in addition to the shortage of priests, there are social challenges: poverty, lack of access to education in rural areas and the risk of religious syncretism. But he also knows that there is a fire that will not go out. \"Young people in Tanzania have a lot of hope. They know they are <a href=\"https:\/\/staging.fundacioncarf.org\/legado-testamento-solidario-ayuda-iglesia\/\" target=\"_blank\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/staging.fundacioncarf.org\/legado-testamento-solidario-ayuda-iglesia\/\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">the future of the Church<\/a>. That's why they want to be well trained, serve with joy and give their lives if necessary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Mwanza, his diocese, has seen the birth of vocations like his. The local major seminary is unable to train all the candidates, so the diocese sends some, like Elias, to formation centers outside the country. It is a brave investment, in the hope that these young men will return to bear fruit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"volver-a-su-pais-para-servir\">Return to your country to serve<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Elias looks to the future without fear. \"I want to go back to my country and serve my people. I want to be a good pastor, like Jesus. And, if I can, I also want to help other young people hear the voice of God\". He says this with a peace that moves, because there is nothing stronger than a heart that is surrendered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>His story, like that of many African seminarians, is a song of hope for the whole Church. In a world where it sometimes seems that faith is fading, voices like his remind us that the Gospel is still alive, sowing in fertile lands like Tanzania.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Marta Sant\u00edn<\/strong>Journalist specializing in religious information. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-rank-math-toc-block\" id=\"rank-math-toc\"><h2>Table of Contents<\/h2><nav><div><div class=\"\"><a href=\"#un-deseo-que-el-senor-le-puso-en-su-corazon\">A vocation that the Lord put in his heart<\/a><div><div class=\"\"><a href=\"#la-comunidad-crece-y-hay-pocos-sacerdotes\">The community is growing and there are few priests<\/a><\/div><div class=\"\"><a href=\"#la-vida-sacerdotal-exige-sacrificios\">The priest's life demands sacrifices<\/a><\/div><div class=\"\"><a href=\"#los-jovenes-de-tanzania-tienen-mucha-esperanza\">\"The young people of Tanzania have a lot of hope.\"<\/a><\/div><div class=\"\"><a href=\"#volver-a-su-pais-para-servir\">Return to your country to serve<\/a><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/nav><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Elias, a Tanzanian seminarian, lives his vocation in Spain with hope and commitment, representing the living faith of Tanzania.<\/p>","protected":false},"author":719,"featured_media":219887,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"give_campaign_id":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-219821","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging.fundacioncarf.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/219821","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging.fundacioncarf.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging.fundacioncarf.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging.fundacioncarf.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/719"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging.fundacioncarf.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=219821"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/staging.fundacioncarf.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/219821\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging.fundacioncarf.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/219887"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging.fundacioncarf.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=219821"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging.fundacioncarf.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=219821"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging.fundacioncarf.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=219821"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}