INTELLECTUAL ACTIVITIES
 Academically, Seat of Wisdom Seminary has soared high qualitatively. The first set of seminarians to sit for Bachelor’s Degree examinations in Philosophy (B.Phil.) did so in June 1989 at the Temporary site under the aegis of St. Joseph’s Major Seminary Ikot-Ekpene – an affiliate of Pontifical Urban University, Rome. The same year too, our seminary affiliated her Philosophy Department to the Pontifical Urban University Rome. Sequel to this, the second set of B. Phil. candidates of our Seminary sat for their first degree examinations in Philosophy under the academic tutelage of Pontifica Universitas Urbaniana. The bourgeoning Theology department was to take its turn in the affiliation exercise to the Urban University Rome, in 1993. In line with the Universal Church’s concept of adapting to the local needs and culture of the people, the seminary needed to be affiliated to a local university. That is why Seat of Wisdom Seminary got affiliated to the Imo State University, Owerri – Nigeria in the two departments of Philosophy and Religious Studies in 1998. The first group of student – affiliates to Imo State University from our seminary had their Matriculation on the 22nd day of November 1999. They have since obtained their first Bachelors of Arts (B.A.) degrees in their respective disciplines of Philosophy and Religious Studies. Furthermore, the seminary has continually hosted numerous academic seminars, conferences, and colloquia so many of which have borne fruits locally and internationally. For instance, on the 13th of November 2003, a provincial assembly of the clergy and the laity rubbed minds together in a timely seminar on the theme “The Challenges of Pastoral Ministry in Nigeria” which addressed the phenomenal abuse of liturgical activities in and around Owerri Ecclesiastical Province due to the menaces of Pentecostalism and Syncretism prevalent in the area. This seminar drew together all the proprietors of this institution namely the six bishops of the dioceses in the Province (Archbishop Anthony J.V. Obinna of Owerri, Bishop Gregory Ochiagha of Orlu, Bishop Anthony Ilonu of Okigwe, Bishop Victor Chikwe of Ahiara, Bishop Lucius Ugorji of Umuahia, and Bishop V. Ezeonyia of Aba). In attendance also were over six hundred priests, four hundred religious, about a thousand lay members of Christ’s faithful. Also from 22nd to 24th March 2006 the Wisdom Family engaged her academia in an International Philosophical Conference on the theme: Crises in Africa at the Beginning of this Millennium: The Response of Philosophy, Science and Religion. The conference fielded such intellectual heavyweights as Most Rev. Dr. A.J.V. Obinna (Archbishop of Owerri, Nigeria), Msgr. Theophilus Okere (Whelan Research Institute, Owerri, Nigeria), Prof. Kelbesser Workineh (University of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia), Ass. Prof. R.C. Onwuanibe (Seat of Wisdom Seminary, Owerri, Nigeria), Prof. B.O. Eboh (University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Nigeria), Prof. F.U. Okafor (University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Nigeria).
|
|