Among the new students at Montreal Dio this fall, the college welcomed Fr. Linus Buriani, a priest from Montreal’s partner diocese, the Diocese of Masasi in Tanzania. Fr. Linus’s presence in Montreal is a sign of the long-standing connection between these two dioceses, which have both been raising funds to support his education and time in Montreal.
Fr. Linus is studying for a Bachelor of Theology degree at McGill University and participating in the general life of the college and diocese to gain knowledge and resources that he can bring back to St. Cyprian’s Theological College and Junior Seminary in Rondo, Tanzania where he works as the director.
“I am like a seed planted in the middle of these two dioceses so that each community can benefit from the same tree,” he says. “Whatever resources I get here, it benefits the community of the Diocese of Masasi. I am learning the way you work, the way you develop programs, the way you engage with different cultures. And I am here to see if there is any possibility of linking together these two institutions.”
Fr. Linus grew up in a farming family in Lumesule, a remote village near the border of Mozambique. His father, grandfather, and grandmother were all Anglican priests. However, it was not his original intention to follow in their footsteps. After secondary school he moved to Dodoma, the capital city of Tanzania, to study for a degree in Development Studies.
Throughout his time at university, the bishop encouraged him to pursue ordination, but it was not until his final year that Linus felt ordination was the right path for him. “The bishop called me in the middle of the night and said ‘if you say no, I will stop asking. But I am thinking it is a good idea for you to be a priest.’ And from that day my heart was in it. I said, ‘Okay bishop, give me maybe three or four days and then I’ll get back to you.’
But it did not take three days, it only took until the morning when I woke up. I called the bishop to say okay and he said ‘Your ordination is the 15th of February’ which was only a month away. This was not normal.”
Fr. Linus had expected to finish his degree then go to school for theology the following June before being ordained, but the bishop had another plan in mind. “He said, ‘We have discussed, we have assessed you, we know you, we understand your capacity. The first and most important thing for us is to ordain you to the diaconate and other things will come’.”
He recounts the somewhat miraculous story of his
ordination weekend. The date of his ordination conflicted with his final examinations for university, and it was past the deadline to request a different exam time. Linus had to decide: “Miss the ordination or go to the ordination and be disqualified from my program.” So, he called a friend for advice. “He said ‘Go to the ordination, if God calls you for that purpose, he knows how things will be.’ So, I went to the ordination and while traveling back to University my friend called me to say the timetable for the exams has been changed – instead of starting Monday, I would start on Wednesday… I will never forget that.”
Fr. Linus is approaching the tenth anniversary of his ordination to the priesthood. For the last several years, he has been the director of St. Cyprian’s where he is in charge of training and overseeing the programming for ordinands, and teaching teenage students in the Junior Seminary.
He is passionate about ensuring the work of the college has a positive impact on the wider community as well as on those who are studying. Since 2015 he has been working on a tree-planting initiative to address deforestation in the Rondo area. “In 2015 we planted about 10,000 trees in Rondo and in 2022 we planted about 30,000 trees of various varieties. The main plan has been implemented by students from the Junior Seminary. We are focused on encouraging them to be champions for environmental protection and conservation as advocated by the Sustainable Millennium Goals.”
Linus is adapting more each day to life in Montreal. Though he misses his family back in Tanzania, he already feels at home in the community at Dio. “I am meeting new people, but we are living as if we have been together for five or ten years. We come from different cultures, but we all respect each other. The college adopts and accommodates everyone in this place.”
He speaks with gratitude of the beauty of Montreal and of the support he feels from the faculty and staff at Dio. “Montreal is one of the most beautiful cities I have ever seen. As for Dio, the college has extraordinary staff who can help you get anywhere. They invite people from different cultures. English is my third language, which can be very challenging, but the staff … give me instructions on how I can adapt, and I see myself improving day after day.”
The Partnerships Committee is committed to supporting Fr. Linus for the two years of his Bachelor of Theology degree at McGill University. During this time, it is hoped Fr. Linus can be introduced to many aspects of life in the Diocese of Montreal.
