Nigerian Catholic Reporter Magazine Vol. 12

SPECIAL EDITION

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...turning lives to Christ

Vol. 4 No.112, October - November, 2018

Catholic Church Won’t Pay Ransom for Kidnapped Priests The First Fruit: What a Catholic Priest Did

We are all called to promote the body of Christ – Chief Emeka Asoegwu

The incoming president must be a team player

Vertican Specialist Hospital 143, Idimu Road by PAB B/Stop, Ikotun, Lagos Tel: 08033301626 Eye Clinic

Multidisciplinary Specialist Centre

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Contents

Vol. 4 No.112, October-Novmber, 2018

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Publisher/Editor-in-Chief Njoku Remigius Chukwuemeka Phone: 08023165432; 07080129333 E-Mail: njokundii@yahoo.co.uk Editorial Cosultants Eric Okeke Emma Onwumere Simon Njoku Editorial Advisers Robert Ogbuagu Anikwe Isaac Okorafor Stanley Egbochukwu Chinedu Anamelechi Onyekachi Nwosu Rev. Fr. (Dr.) Peter Onyekwelu Okafor Graphics/Designs Kelechi Okoro Emmanuels Marketing Reginald Onwuchuruba Andrew Kelechi Njoku Romanus Egbulefu Hilary Agu

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Online Editor Owotoke Bamidele Francis Contributors Mark Oguh Dr Patrick Ijewere Dr Eze Godwin Chidi Nduka Ajah Prof. Michael Ogunu Most Rev. Lucius I. Ugorji Very Rev. Msgr. (Dr) John Asuqor Aniagwu Very Rev. Msgr. Livinus Ukah Very Rev. Msgr. Francis Ogunmodede Rev. Fr. Innocent Ikazobor Opogah Rev. Fr. Anthony Mario Ozelle Rev. Fr. James Mary Chiemenem Rev. Fr. Anthony Nwosu Rev. Fr. Anthony Eboh Rev. Fr. Iuvenis Iheme Rev Fr. Dayo Jenfa Rev. Cyriacus Nnadozie Onwuhara Rev. Fr. Bournaventure Ashibi Rev. Fr. Kingsley Idaewor Rev. Fr. Michael Afrifa Rev. Fr. Kenneth Eze Rev. Fr. Benedict Okolo Rev. Fr. Nicholas Ibeneme Valentine Agwulonu Romanus Egbulefu Rev. Sr. Eunice Ikufisile Rev. Sr.Philomena Ezeji Rev. Fr. Charles Uganwa Ambruse Njoku Rev. Fr. Protase Anyanwu

The incoming president must be a team player PAGE 14-15»

How open offices kill teamwork

PAGE 10-11»

Be conscious of your faith, identity and personality PAGE 17»

Legal Advisers Barr. Maurice Nnadi

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Personal Finance

Building the New Nigerian Tribe PAGE 20-21»

Hope In The Midst Of Suffering PAGE 22» Nigerian Catholic Reporter

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Vol. 4 No.112, October-Novmber, 2018

Editorial Suite

…As elections approach

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Remigius Emeka Njoku

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Nigerian Catholic Reporter

he last quarter of 2018 is very critical in the life of the Catholic Men Organization (CMO) in many respects. First, Catholic Men Organization Nigeria (CMON) has scheduled her National Conference and Annual General Meeting (AGM) for October 26th – 27th. During these two days, the organization will review her activities in the last 12 months, elect new national officers who will pilot the affairs of the body in the next four years and make projections for the future.

Second, the Lagos Archdiocesan Catholic Men Organization (LACMO) has also fixed its general elections for November, just a few weeks after the national elections – an event that has thrown up excitement and anxiety among the parishes and deaneries in the Archdiocese.

This edition is therefore focused on these two bodies – CMON and LACMO – featur-

ing exclusive interviews with the National Chaplain of Catholic Men Organization, Rev Fr. Peter Astewe; The outgoing National President of Catholic Men Organization, Chief Emeka Ernest Asoegwu; and the two-time Planning Committee Chairman of the Annual Convention and Inductions of the Lagos Archdiocesan Catholic Men Organization, Ogbueshi Sir Emmanuel Ngozi IwehaOnukwu (FCA) KSJI. Also featured in this edition are our regular columnists, Mark Oguh and Chidi Nduka Aja. Mark Oguh, a Fellow of Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria and a Financial Management expert has this time raised critical issues at the heart of men’s roles as Christian fathers and nation builders – “Building the New Nigerian Tribe”. Chidi Nduka Aja in his career column reveals how open offices stifle face-to-face interactions – exactly the opposite of their intended purpose.

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Letters

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hank you Nigerian Catholic Reporter for the two revealing interviews

by Mr. John Aigbokhaode, President, Catholic Men Organization (CMO) of the Catholic Archdiocese of Lagos; and Chief Chukwudi Boniface Okparaku, Coordinator, Isolo Deanery CMO, which you published in your last edition (August-September 2018) edition.

Mr. John Aigbokhaode talked elaborately on the general growth of the organization; system of administration; membership strength; accountability during his regime; the CMO Skills Acquisition Centre located in Isolo Deanery; and welfare of members. He also talked on the challenges of leading the CMO of the Archdiocese of Lagos; the character of the man

As you contribute towards the growth of the Church and the work of evangelization, may God grant success to the work of your hands.

With every good wish and prayers.

Yours Faithfully, Alfred Adewale Martins Archbishop of Lagos.

Vol. 4 No.111, August - September, 2018

Pope revises catechism to say death penalty is ‘inadmissible’ The Church in Ahiara will Continue to Move Forward – Bishop Ugorji

Our 4-point Agenda Generates Membership Growth – John Aigbokhaode

Lagos Archdiocesan CMO Yearns for Refocusing

who would succeed him as president of the organization; and how he would be remembered when he leaves office.

Great interview, great revelations.

However, of special interest is his comment on system of administration where he stated as follows: “We have tried to instill accountability into our affairs. The era of impunity and secrecy in the affairs of CMO is over.”

This is a deep revelation and I hope this era is really over. No wonder at a certain point, many priests lost regards for the CMO as an organization in many parishes and deaneries in the Lagos Archdiocese. I hope the incoming administration after the November 2018 elections will do better.

Also of interest is Chief Boniface Okparaku’s argument on the current plan and method of execution of the de-

May God grant success to the work of your hands

laud the efforts you are making to help promote the Catholic faith especially within the Archdiocese of Lagos. May God reward you accordingly.

I believe the Parish Priests will be ready to support your initiative as appropriate.

Kindly engage them in discussion of the areas you wish to ask for collaboration.

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LACMO of Impunity and Secrecy?

Skills Acquisition Centre, a White Elephant Project?

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Vol. 4 No.112, October-Novmber, 2018

Empowering our Children for Financial Independence

velopment of the Skills Acquisition Centre in Idimu. I have heard lots of members condemning his proposition that if given the purported N50million that has been sunk into the project he would have had a functional skill acquisition centre by deploying N10m to the required structure for the take-off, while the remaining N40m will have gone into the purchase of equipment.

This, I think is the way to go. Let the centre have a humble kick-off, further expansions can come later.

Matthew Ibukun Esq. Lekki, Nigeria

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Nigerian Catholic R Reporter

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Vol. 4 No.112, October-Novmber, 2018

News

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he Catholic Bishop of Awka Diocese, Most Rev. Paulinus Ezeokafor, has said the Catholic Church will not pay ransom, and has never done so to free any kidnapped priest.

Ezeokafor, who was reacting to the recent kidnap of a priest, Rev. Father Christopher Ogaga, in Aragba, OviriOkpe, Delta State, and the eventual demand for

Catholic Church Won’t Pay Ransom for Kidnapped Priests - Bishop Ezeokafor N15million ransom, said it would be foolhardy and unimaginable for the ‘Universal Church’ to pay for the release of any abducted priest.

The prelate, who spoke at St. Patrick’s Catholic Cathedral, Awka, emphatically said the reason the ‘Mother Church’ did not pay ransom

to kidnappers was because the church relied solely on people’s benevolence and goodwill for survival.

He wondered why anyone in their right senses would ever think of kidnapping a priest of God, let alone, requesting ransom from the Church.

JDPC cautions youths in Edo against irregular migration T

he Justice Development and Peace Caritas Commission (JDPC), Archdiocese of Benin City, has warned youths on the dangers of irregular migration among other social vices.

The assistant director of JDPC, Rev. Fr. Benedict Onwugbenu, gave the warning during a rally/ sensitization campaign on anti-human trafficking and irregular migration, organised by the body in Benin City, Edo State.

Onwugbenu said: “It is in this light that the Catholic Caritas Foundation of Nigeria (Caritas Nigeria) in conjunction with JDPC, is carrying out a campaign on antihuman trafficking and safe migration in three local government areas of Edo – Esan North East, Estako West and IkpobaOkha.

Onwugbenu, who

decried the alarming rate of irregular migration in Edo, said the state has been labelled as the most endemic source of human trafficking in Nigeria and as a result of this negative label, a number of international organizations and nongovernmental organizations have intervened to combat human the menace.

He said despite these interventions, human trafficking is still rife in Edo, adding that political, economic, religious, social and cultural factors contribute to the difficulties in curbing human trafficking in the state. “To eradicate it, a joint effort between government, traditional leaders, religious institutions, NGOs and members of the public is needed,” Onwugbenu said.

Nigerian Catholic Reporter

L-R: Mr. Michael Unegbu, CMO Secretary, St Stephen’s, Catholic Church , Igando; Chief Chinedu Ezike, CMO Chairman, St Stephen’s; Chief Boniface Okparaku, CMO Coordinator, Isolo Deanery; Mr Paul Ahuyan; Church PPC 1st vice-Chairman; and Mrs Rose Ekezie, CWO Chairperson at the Church CWO Awards Day, recently.

Photo: (L - R) - Mark Oguh, Head-Financial Control, Diamond Bank Plc.; Mrs Rose N Ekezie, Chairperson, CWO, St Stephen Catholic Church, Igando; Chief Felix Njoku, Director, Finance, Nigerian Railway Corporation; and Chief Joseph Ekezie, CMO member, at the Church’s CWO Awards Day, recently.

Vol. 4 No.112, October-Novmber, 2018

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Chief Emeka Ernest Asoegwu is an engineer and a farmer by profession. He is currently the National President of the Catholic Men Organisation, Nigeria (CMON). He started his involvement in the activities of the CMO in 1996 at St. Michael Catholic Church, Ketu , where he served as PRO, 1st vice-Chairman and Chairman. He was later elected as the third president of Lagos Archdiocesan CMO where he also served from 2010 – 2015. In 2017 he was presented by the Lagos Province to serve out the tenure of the late National President, Dr Basil Adedeji Adebajo which will expire by October, 2018.

In this interview with NCR, Chief Emeka Asoegwu speaks on the planned national conference and his experience in offices.

We are all called to promote the body of Christ – Chief Emeka Asoegwu Nigerian Catholic Reporter

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Vol. 4 No.112, October-Novmber, 2018

About the 2018 National Conference and Annual General Meeting scheduled for October

The Annual Conference goes along with the Annual General Meeting (AGM). The conference usually brings together CMO members from all the archdioceses and dioceses across the country. This year’s conference is being hosted by Lagos Province in Ijebu-Ode Diocese, Ogun State, Nigeria. The conference provides executive members the opportunities to render account of their yearly activities and to make projections towards the next year. Normally the financial year ends in September.

Attendance

Attendance to the conference is opened to every CMO member but because of the risks and costs involved, archdioceses and dioceses are mandated to send five delegates each to represent them, while attendance is mandatory for provincial executives (president and secretary). Participants in this year’s conference are expected to be more in number because this is an election year.

Theme

The theme for this year’s conference is “Catholic Men in Contemporary Nigeria and Social Transformation”.

Men in the church are the salt of the earth and the light of the world as Jesus admonished, “You are the salt of the earth and the light of the world”.

So the theme is built around this admonishment to bring to manifestation, what God said we are.

Major activities lined up for the conference

The conference will hold from the 25th to 28th of October, 2018. The national officers will be expected to arrive Ijebu-Ode on October 25th and hold the executive meeting later that evening. On the 26th morning, there will be a courtesy call on the Bishop of Ijebu-Ode Diocese. By noon the national executive council meeting will be expected to commence. There will also be seminars on “Better way of collaboration among officers. Two guest speaker will be featured - “The Catholic Men in Contemporary Nigeria and Social Transformation”; and “Christians in Politics as the Salt of the Earth and Light of the World” to be presented by Bishop Emmanuel Adebajo of Oyo Diocese and Prof. Pat

Nigerian Catholic Reporter

Utomu, respectively. In between these activities, our annual reports and accounts which are very crucial for the growth and development of the organisation will be presented. We also want to use this opportunity to encourage CMO members to start participating in Nigerian politics. We may not be able to present candidates now, but we are looking towards 2023 when we will take a shot at the presidency.

Election of officers for the National Executive Council is one of the major activities of this year’s national conference, what is your idea of the man who should be the

next president?

He should be humane, understanding; mature, articulate and noble.

CMON has a system of electing a national president and other members of the executive. For the office of the national president, the province that is expected to take over from the incumbent national president provides the 1st vice-president to understudy the serving president while they are in office; when it gets to their turn the vice-president will seamlessly step in as the national president. We are hoping that the next president will come from Kaduna Province whose turn it is to produce the national president.

Vol. 4 No.112, October-Novmber, 2018 plans from one administration to another, resulting to lots of confusion, bickering, why is it so and how do you think this can be resolved?

What challenges did you face as the national president of CMON? I grew through the ranks and have acquired a lot of experience in managing CMO affairs. Also by being part of the formation of CMO in many parishes, I didn’t have many challenges.

Moreover, all the national officers are highly experienced men from their various provinces. Rather than seeing whatever that I encounter as challenges I take them as another level of education. I kept learning every day, it is an experience that nobody can take away from me and I really enjoyed it.

In most of the parishes, deaneries and dioceses there are no succession

This has to do with the nature of the persons in office, the way they think and reason. Any right thinking person that finds himself in a position of leadership should see it as an opportunity to serve and it is an opportunity that rarely comes twice. The first things that should occupy the minds of leaders are - why are they in office and what legacies they would leave behind. A leader who leaves office should be remembered for the right reasons.

But most times what is noticed is that many leaders when they are about leaving offices would want to impose their friends on the organisation as leaders, many of whom would not be able to perform creditably. But if an incumbent allows the people to choose the best among them, some of those challenges will not be there. All the bickering – wrangling, backbiting, squabbling – that go on with elections are natural. It happened even among the apostles of Christ when they talked about who was the greatest. Every leader must remember that verse of the Bible that admonishes that to be a leader one must be a servant.

Any leader who sees himself as a servant would not want to do anything wrong or commit any fraud while in office. Fraud does not always have to do with misappropriation of funds alone, it may also involve stepping on toes, breaking of laws, amending the constitutions to favour preferred candidates etc. All these are fraudulent acts/activities. Hastily amendment of the constitution on election guidelines when a leader is about leaving office is a fraudulent act. A leader who is leaving office can draw his guidelines and make recommendations on constitution amendment in his hand over notes to the incoming administration to consider, but not hastily implementing it. Any leader who sees that there is the need for constitution amendment while in office should start the process early enough and not at the tail-end of his administration. That leads to suspicion and confusion.

In the deaneries and parishes credible leaders who are ready to work for the growth of the church and project the good image of the organisation do not fight for positions. They are often approached and begged to come and serve.

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My track records and achievements speak and justify my person and the offices that I have been occupying. I am not boasting, but this is a fact. It can be verified. In LACMO, the records are there. The records of achievements are also available in the two years that I have spent as national president of CMON. I am not claiming that I am the one that did all, but as the head I take responsibility from all successes and failures of my administration.

My advice to the men is that we should always endeavour to choose the right candidates for any given position. A man who cannot move himself cannot move others. A good leader must have the drive to create programmes that will positively touch the lives of members. Ones record of achievements at the parish level is what should be considered when selecting him for an office at the deaneries; and up to dioceses and provinces.

Why are allegations of misappropriation of funds common at different levels of the organisation?

As far as I know, leaders of the organisation at all levels are not the custodians of the treasury. Funds that are generated by the organisation should go through the right channels, and before spending funds, the right approvals should be secured.

We must always ensure that there are timely notifications and approvals of proposed projects, and their cost implication approved by the chaplains and parish priests who are in charge.

Insincerity and lack of accountability of some leaders have been causing a lot of challenges for the body across all the levels. We are all involved in CMON activities as part of the quest for salvation, which is basically,’how to secure spiritual ticket to Heaven”, neither for Church recognised organisations like CMON positions nor for pecuniary gains. Candid belief, acceptance, faith, fear and appreciation of God should be our watch words.

Tenure elongation and misappropriations of funds by some of the Church recognised organisations, like CMON, made the Catholic Bishops Conference, Nigeria (CBCN), to introduce a single 4-year tenure, which her body also practises too. A good example of leadership by example and continuity is in place, the former vice-presidents of CBCN take over from outgoing president too.

Nigerian Catholic Reporter

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Vol. 4 No.112, October-Novmber, 2018

Career

Chidi Ajah

most accounts, very few have moved back into traditional spaces with offices and doors. In Nigeria, the media, banking, telecoms are some of the sectors that have adopted the open office concept. But research that staff are 15 per cent less productive, have immense trouble concentrating and are twice as likely to get sick in open working spaces, has contributed to a growing backlash against open offices.

Indeed, an innovative new study has found that employees in open-plan offices spend 73 per cent less time in face-to-face interactions. Email and messaging use shot up by over 67 per cent.

The study is the first to track the impacts of open-plan offices using objective measures of communication.

It used electronic badges and microphones to monitor interactions among employees and tracked changes in email use.

The findings build on previous research, which has found, for instance, open-plan work environments compromise employees’ ability to focus and concentrate on their work.

social support.

The design of the workplace significantly influences this, by supporting or detracting from interdependent work.

Building a strong sense of community has been a key factor in the success of the co-working space provider WeWork. This has been largely achieved through the physical work environment – clean spaces, narrow hallways, communal kitchens and the like.

Privacy and concentration are critical But despite the pursuit of collaboration in workplaces, the need for concentration and focused individual work is also increasing.

And research shows that when employees can’t concentrate, they tend to communicate less. They may even become indifferent to their colleagues.

Knowledge work requires employees to attend to specific tasks by gathering, analysing and making decisions using multiple sources of information. When

How open offices kill teamwork

M Chidi Nduka Aja

Why go open-plan?

Theoretically, there are good reasons odern workplac- to move to an open-plan office. Our soes were designed cial environment plays a big role in our to make it easier ability to be proactive and motivated. to communiAnd success in modern workplaces cate. But new is often driven by how well individuals research finds interact with each other and with the they stifle faceorganization. to-face interacResearch has shown that the time tions – exactly the opposite of their employees spend on “collaborative acintended purpose. tivities” has “ballooned by 50 per cent Open-plan offices have taken off beor more” in the past two decades. cause of a desire to increase interaction Workplaces that facilitate more and collaboration among workers. frequent and higher-quality contact Numerous companies have embraced with others have been shown to have the open office — about 70 per cent of improved communication and collaboUS offices are open concept — and by ration on tasks, job satisfaction and

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any of these cognitive processes are interrupted, inefficiency and mistakes increase.

Being able to focus on a task without interruption or distraction is an essen-

Vol. 4 No.112, October-Novmber, 2018 tial foundation for effective work.

But research suggests that poor design can have unintended consequences – increasing the cognitive load on workers through high density or low privacy, both of which increase distraction.

Why open-plan doesn’t necessarily lead to collaboration In many open-plan offices, the drive for increased interaction and collaboration comes at the expense of the ability to focus and concentrate.

When distraction makes it hard for employees to focus, cognitive and emotional resources are depleted. The result is increasing stress and errors, undermining performance.

When employees can’t concentrate on their work, their desire to interact and collaborate with others is reduced.

In addition, new research suggests that increased crowding in the workplace and low levels of privacy lead to defensive behaviours and Other aspects of workplace design, such as views of nature or access to

daylight, can replenish cognitive resources even in the presence of distractions.

An aesthetically pleasing environment may provide an experience that is restorative.

Additionally, research has shown that aesthetically pleasing workplaces can help create trust within organizations.

Getting the balance right Emerging research has shown that individuals view similar work environments differently. Rather than a one-size-fits-all approach, as is traditional in open-plan design, work environments should provide various options that support employees working effectively.

Evolving models of workplace design are seeking to achieve this, by providing different zones for different types of work and different needs.

However, the effect of shared desk arrangements in these types of environments requires further investigation.

Many employers are heavily focused on driving collaboration and interaction at the expense of privacy and concentration. This has negative outcomes for both productivity and work relationships.

“People do talk to each other more, but they don’t talk to each other more about work-related things,” says Sally Augustin, an environmental and design psychologist in La Grange Park, Illinois. Think about it: if you work in

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an open office, you’ll book a meeting room to brainstorm. It’s still an act that requires some level of planning and privacy.

And it turns out our best work is done when we have total focus, says Augustin. We can work in a busy space, but the final product won’t be as good as if we are in a quiet locale. “[It’s] inefficient,” she says. “It’s a shame to waste people by not giving them a place that supports what they actually do.”

Of course, she says, it’s important for us to bond and to get to know each other. But there are plenty of ways to bond in closed offices.

Organisations, therefore, should focus on providing workplaces that support the requirements for privacy and focus, as well as interaction and collaboration.

To achieve this, greater emphasis needs to be placed on both visual and auditory privacy, particularly the use of acoustic treatments, as well as the layout and appearance of the workplace as a whole.

With additional material from Libby Sander, assistant professor of organizational behaviour at Bond Business School, Bond University.

AN INNOVATIVE NEW STUDY HAS FOUND THAT EMPLOYEES IN OPEN-PLAN OFFICES SPEND 73 PER CENT LESS TIME IN FACE-TOFACE INTERACTIONS. EMAIL AND MESSAGING USE SHOT UP BY OVER 67 PER CENT.

Nigerian Catholic Reporter

2018 Annual Convention and 16th Anniversary of Catholic Men Organisatio Vol. 4 No.112, October-Novmber, 2018

John Aigbokhaode, Fr Iheanacho and Fr Daniel at the seminar

Homily b Arc. Bishop Ade

Archbishop of Lagos, Most Rev. Alred Adewale Martins

Otiono Vincent and another at the seminar

(L-R) – CMO Archdiocesan President, John Aigbokhaode; CMO ADC Chaplain, Rev. Archbishop of Metropolitan See of Lagos, Most Rev. Alfred Adewale Martins; CMO Emeka Asoegwu; and Chairman, Convention Planning Committee, Sir Emmanuel N

Most Rev. Alfred Adewale Martins flanked by Rev. Chief Emeka Asoegwu taking the Reading at Fr. Emmanuel Ayeni and Rev. Fr. Daniel Nwankwo at Induction Mass. the 2018 Induction Mass.

Thanksgiving

Cross section of members at the Lecture

Fr Daniel Nwankwo with Campfire

Dr. Pat Utomi, Cief Vincent Umeh and Sir Emmanuel Iweha at the lecture.

on, Archdiocese of Lagos (LACMO), Friday 10th – Sunday 12th, August 2018 Vol. 4 No.112, October-Novmber, 2018

ewale Martins

Fr. Daniel Nwankwo; O National President, Chief Ngozi Iweha-Onukwu.

Cross section of CMO executives.

Ide Robert Okolie and other Deanery Coordinators.

Cross section of members at Mass.

Henry Chizoba KSM being presented EXEMPLARY LEADERSHIP AWARD.

John Aigbokhaode; Fr Iheanacho and Fr Danniel at Opening Mass.

Pro Pat Utomi and CMO executives at the workshop.

members at the

Cross section of CMO members.

Mr & Mrs John Aigbokhaode; & Most Rev. Alfred Adewale Martins.

Lighting the Campfire

Opening Mass celebrated by Rev. Fr. Daniel Nwankwo.

INTERVIEW

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Vol. Vo ol.l. 4 N No.112, o 11 o.

112, 2 O October-Novmber, ctob be err-N -No ovvmb vmb mbe err, 20 2018 018 18

The incoming president must be a team player Ogbueshi Sir Emmanuel Ngozi Iweha-Onukwu (FCA) KSJI, is the immediate past chairman of the Planning Committee of the Annual Convention and Inductions, Lagos Archdiocesan Catholic Men Organization (LACMO). He served as a member of the Planning Committee for five consecutive years - as ordinary member for 2014 and 2015; and as chairman from 2016 to 2018. In this interview with NCR, he talks about his experience while serving in the committee, the support he enjoyed from members as committee chairman, the successes recorded; and sets agenda for the man who would be the next LACMO president after the elections coming up in November 2018.

Nigerian Catholic Reporter

Vol. 4 No.112, October-Novmber, 2018 From your experience as a member of the Planning Committee of LACMO for five consecutive years, would you say the Annual Convention and Inductions is achieving its aims and objectives?

I would tell you that serving in that committee has been a rewarding experience. I have observed that the last convention and inductions (2018) which I reluctantly accepted to serve as the chairman, was one of the easiest.

How we achieved it effortlessly was as a result of my experience in the past four years of active participation in the planning of these events.

I call it effortlessly because we had established procedures in place, policies had been made in the previous years and we just implemented them, and we had competent CMO members heading the various sub committees. These were people who had been in such positions before and that was the beauty of experience both for me heading the committee and the other members of the sub-committees. They delivered on the mandate. Going further, whosoever that is coming in after me will be in a position to handle it much better.

Combining you private business with serving the CMO, how has it been?

I earlier mentioned that I am into auditing, accounting, taxation etc., with these types of engagements, having to handle it with my job, I would tell you, is a big sacrifice. However, because my audit job doesn’t come every time of the year, or the clients that I service; I have this window which comes up within that convention period that enables me to give more time to it.

From experience, it can only be possible for someone who is self-employed, who can take off time on his own. But so far as you are engaged as an employee to someone else, it becomes difficult for you to even do things as simple as attending the meetings.

I thank God that I have that job that I am doing on my own which gives me the latitude to plan my work and at the same time attend to CMO functions.

You have enjoyed huge followership and support from CMO members during the years you served as the chairman of the CMO Convention and Inductions Planning Committee, what do you think is responsible for this?

God has blessed me with that qual-

ity of organising people and talking to people and they listen. There is no place that I have served that people would say that I have talked to them rudely. I owe it to that ability that I have. I see everybody as contributing to my success as the chairman or head of whatever that I am doing or a people that I am leading. I know I cannot run anything on my own without the support of others. Therefore, I am mindful of that and try to carry everybody along. This is easily noticeable in the way we organise our meetings. It is open meeting that we normally have. There is no member of the convention committee that you will meet and ask question and he will give you a different answer from what we are doing. All members are given equal opportunities to contribute meaningfully. That, to a great extent has assisted in securing the support of members of the committee, and I have never had any untoward incident.

What are some of the challenges you encountered in the process of leading the planning of the LACMO Annual Convention and Inductions?

The noticeable challenges were not caused by anybody but we tried as much as possible to navigate around any that came up. We rely on vendors to provide their services and it has not been so easy getting vendor who would abide by what you want. We try as much as possible to get vendors who would assist us in achieving the success of the convention, most especially by committing them to knowing what we expect from them. Most times, they would see is as ordinary provision of their service and they go. But we want a situation where they would see themselves as partners in getting the convention successful.

So far, we have gotten a cream of vendors who are delivering as expected, and that has resulted to the successes that we are enjoying. We all work as a team.

In November, LACMO would elect new executives, what qualities should the man who would be elected as president of the organisation possess?

The current president, Mr. John Aigbokhaode has set the platform on which any incoming president will operate. He has so simplified everything that as we are speaking now, LACMO a time table for 2019. So it behoves on whoever that will take that leadership position to be

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proactive to plan the activities of the CMO. The CMO now has accounting software that is being run. Those are some of the achievements of the current president.

Therefore, whoever that is coming in should have the accounting knowledge to interrogate the accounting software to get information from it. This is an era of internet. The person whoever is coming must be a friend to internet or be internet serve. You would have seen how information is being disseminated currently because we have a good PRO and a good president who is internet savvy. They get information across to people as soon as it breaks. That is one of the qualities the incoming president should have.

The other thing that I have observed is that all the members of the executive should see themselves as a team not as competitors. I think that the current president did not so much enjoy that in his cabinet, but has struggled along to get the CMO running. You can very well give it to him that he has done a lot to provide a platform for an incoming president. So, it is like coming in and trying to improve on what has been on ground. Definitely, there is something on ground to be improved upon. The incoming president must be a team player so that he can carry everybody along.

Could you please set an agenda for the incoming president? What would you recommend as his focus?

Talking about agenda setting, the late Dr Basil Adedeji Adebayo’s administration initiated a project - the development of the Skills Acquisition Centre in Idimu, Lagos. It is one of the projects where I expect that any incoming

GOD HAS BLESSED ME WITH THAT QUALITY OF ORGANISING PEOPLE AND TALKING TO PEOPLE AND THEY LISTEN.

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owned by the Catholic Church, other organisation will equally use such venue.

However, to make participants more comfortable in the next conventions and inductions, we should get enough matrasses to go round. The challenge now is getting the matrasses from a particular source.

We have recommended that the skills acquisition centre be completed and the CMO be engaged in the buying of some of the materials that we rent; establish a small rental outfit and employ some CMO members to be engaged in the renting. Through this enough money will be coming into the purse of the organisation. But we must first complete the centre to use it as a base so we can have a place to store the items. That is the only way we can finally take care of this problem.

president would make a mark. From all indications the development of the centre has gotten to a high level currently.

It would be in his place to ensure that it is completed and put into use.

Some of the things that I equally mentioned in one of my recommendations (in this year’s Convention Report) for the convention planning that may enable us complete it is to have a special programme to raise funds for the centre. It must not be the remnant of the proceeds from the convention that should be the major source of funds for the development of the

centre. We have a lot of our men who are not gainfully employed and as heads of their respective families there is always pressure on them. When this centre is completed and put into use, we can engage people who can teach and we can produce people who will also be gainfully employed in whatever they want to do. The skills acquisition centre should be given a priority by any incoming president because it if full of benefits for members of CMO and the public in general.

Adequate and comfortable accommodation has always been a major problem during the convention?

Yes, accommodation has been a challenge. We hold our convention every August when the students would have been on vacation.

Provision of lasting solutions to the accommodation should not be left to CMO alone.

It may be for the Lagos Archdiocese to have something like a retreat centre or a pastoral centre.

We do not have such facilities in Lagos.

Therefore, our programmes are always tailored towards when there is available space in the collage that we use.

If there is a big retreat centre

THE SKILLS ACQUISITION CENTRE SHOULD BE GIVEN A PRIORITY

BY ANY INCOMING PRESIDENT BECAUSE IT IF FULL OF BENEFITS FOR MEMBERS OF CMO AND THE PUBLIC IN GENERAL. Nigerian Catholic Reporter

The membership strength of CMO in Lagos Archdiocese is still low, what can be done to strengthen it?

The current membership based on those who have been inducted is close to 6,500. But it is nowhere compared to the men who attend the Catholic Church because every Catholic man is supposed to be a member. One of the things that I observed is that the “big men” hardly participate in CMO activities. This is because a lot of them are CEOs in companies where they don’t spend more than 30 minutes at crucial meetings and yet major decisions are taken. We do attend CMO meetings that last for more than four hours, and you ask yourself, what did we discuss or what did we gain? To attract such high calibre membership and other people who value their time, we have to cut down on time spent at our meetings.

Also the group insurance scheme which we have currently adopted is another plus. It is a very attractive incentive that the CMO has put in place which should attract membership.

Again when there exists a register of members that indicate what they do for a living, when they are out of jobs; where there are vacancies; like the current president is doing, it will be very helpful to CMO members who register on the platform as they could be easily referred to organisations where relevant vacancies exist. People complain so much about not having jobs and lacking the capability to contribute. The existence of such a list would provide the necessary information and data that would facilitate the empowerment of our needy members. If all these are done, we should get the organisation attractive to prospective members.

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Rev Fr. Peter Astewe is a priest of the Catholic Archdiocese of Abuja, and the Parish Priest of the Catholic Church of the Assumption, Asokoro. He was appointed the National Chaplain of Catholic Men Organization of Nigeria (CMON), in 2015. In this interview with Nigerian Catholic reporter, he speaks on his three-year experience as the CMON Chaplain; leadership tussles; allegations of financial malpractices in the organisation; and other related issues.

Be conscious of your faith, identity and personality - Rev Fr. Peter Astewe Men are difficult to lead

My experience is quite contrary to what you have said. This is because, as a man myself, I don’t find it difficult at that level to work with them. I am not their leader.

I am only their chaplain. Things work out as we plan but sometimes difficulties arise that may have to do with a particular leader. But once a good leader is in charge, things work out well. We have our constitution, our ideologies, and our objectives that have clearly defined all the things that the church wants us to do. I have a contrary view; men are not diffi-

cult to lead. It depends on the leadership.

Has CMO fulfilled its main objective of bringing all men in the church together under one umbrella?

It depends on the objective of the bringing them together that you are talking about. First, men can come together at the national level, at the diocesan level, deanery and parish levels. The first objective is that we are together now for our convention, our programmes and our meetings. That is something very impor-

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Vol. 4 No.112, October-Novmber, 2018

tant and when we meet we focus on what we are doing and what we want to achieve. To some extent, the aim is achieved but not completely. This means progress is being made.

Leadership tussles, allegations of financial misappropriation, and other issues

We have to establish that these things are there. The level of occurrence of the leadership tussles, allegations of financial misappropriation and other issues differ from one diocese, deanery or parish to another.

Therefore, it is difficult to subscribe one solution for the various places of occurrence. This is because a lot of factors are involved such as cultural differences, and other influences that are predominant in different places.

As dioceses, deaneries and parishes are peculiar, so also are the factors surrounding them, and therefore call for peculiar ways of handling issues arising in them. So there in no one way of handling issues when they arise. I am the national chaplain of CMON. Members come from different parts of this country. When we meet, we all know why we are there. At the national level, I will not say that the issues do not arise. They do, but they are checked and controlled. In the three years I have been the Chaplain, I have attended all programmes, and each time I notice anomalies or see things going wrong, I always intervene and make adjustments. I am always ready to explain what the church wants us to do and how they want us to do it, and members will always follow.

Handling financial misappropriations at any level

At any level and in church, I want the men to know that when we come together, we come together first of all as Catholic men. We are not coming because we are politicians; we are not coming because we are from a particular village. We are coming because one umbrella, the Catholic faith has united us. Therefore, in all our transactions, we must exhibit and encourage high level of transparency.

If financial transactions are to happen at the national, diocesan or deanery levels, the chaplains must be involved. If it is to happen at parish level, the parish priest must be involved; especially in the areas of being signatories to the accounts and

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approval of expenses. If you leave it open to members, there can be a cabal, and things can be hijacked. We must not lose sight of the fact that the same people who are in the church are the same people who are in the societies Sometimes they think that what they do in the world they can bring into the church.

As the chaplain, my advice to the priests is that wherever they are, they must get involved in the activities of the church organisations, be signatories to the organisations’ accounts; and be sure the major expenditures are approved by them, the priests. This will ensure that no one wakes up any day and starts taking unilateral decisions, and starting to approve unexplained expenditures. There must be checks and balances in the running of the affairs of the organisations. There must be approved lines of expenditure approvals. If payment is to be made for something like uniform that will run into millions of naira, it should not be left alone for the executive. The priests must be there and be part of such decisions and approvals. That is one way of ensuring transparency. There must be transparency in the execution of all projects.

Message to Members

We normally have a theme for the national conventions. For this one coming up in Ijebu-Ode in October 2018, we are looking at a theme that has to do with Catholic men and their impact in the political society. My message is that wherever they are as Catholic men, as a body or as individuals, they should not forget who they are. Catholic men wherever they are should always be conscious of their faith, their identity and their personalities.

We are called to be good Christians and a good Christian should not be a bad citizen. While a good citizen should not be a bad Christian. There are people who are deep into the life of the church - their spirituality, their piety - and are also good in the society. That is the standard and the kind of people we want. You cannot separate your faith from what you are outside.

Weather as a father, or as a teacher, let your identity go with you.

We have our civic responsibilities as citizens. We must vote according to our consciences. The church does not compel any member to vote for any candidate, but as citizens, we have our civic responsibilities to perform. We cannot change the society only by kneeling in the church, offering mass and praying.

People should take up responsibilities and vote in people who can effect positive changes in the world. They should listen to their spiritual leaders to counsel them as directors so our country will be blessed. That is very important.

Even those who are not into partisan politics, those who are technocrats and captains of industries, have a critical role to play in shaping our society. Our identity and faith has to come to bare in what we do. We have CMO members in all walks of life and at all levels of government. Let us not contradict our faith and do the right thing.

Membership Drive

CMO as a body is not old in Nigeria.

It is new at the national level. Many men are yet to feel the impact. But one thing that is certain is that it is an umbrella body for all Catholic men.

Men should therefore join the organisation. Even when they do not have the time to be active members, they should join, and from time to time try to identify with the body. CMO as a body should execute programmes that will interest other men in the church.

This will encourage such men to see the need to join the organisation. They should carry out programmes that touch lives so that people will see the beauty and join the organisation.

We are not coming because we are politicians; we are not coming because we are from a particular village. We are coming because one umbrella, the Catholic faith has united us.

Vol. 4 No.112, October-Novmber, 2018

Strictly Catholic

S

ome years back, after a Sunday morning Mass in Abuja, a young and a good looking lady walked up to me. She was holding a fat brown envelope. She handed the envelope to me and said I should please pray for her.

I asked her about the content of the envelope and what particular intention would I be praying for?

She told me that she started working just a month ago and that she came to thank the Lord and to offer the first fruit of her work for God’s blessings.

What was in the envelope was her salary for that month. Her first salary. The entire money! Everything!

In all honesty, I was speechless not for lack of words but for being unable to know where to begin. Inside me I was like: do people still entrust everything they have to God in a child-like simplicity like this? I was really moved.

In my heart, I said a prayer for her, that type of prayer that is deep down, it was as though it was the Holy Spirit Himself that was praying through me. I was feeling the answers to the prayers even before I finished praying.

Then she knelt down, I laid my hands upon her and blessed her and the money.

After prayers, I asked her to tell me how much was in the envelope. She said Eighty Thousand Naira.

Then I asked, “how much covers your transport to your work daily?”

She said “approximately N1,000 naira to and fro, Father.”

That means for 27 work days, it would be N27,000.

Then I spoke up again, “Sorry o, I am asking you too many questions, how much do you feed daily when you go to work?”

She answered “It depends. If I want to eat so well, I spend 800 naira with drinks, but mainly I spend just N500, and sometimes I carry food from home.”

So, I made the calculation in my head.

Let say she spends 500 naira daily, 27 work days would be 13,500 naira.

I went ahead to enquire about her accommodation and I discovered that she stayed alone in an apartment she just rented. We made the calculation by dividing the annual rent by 12 months and we discovered that if she was to pay rent monthly, it would be N12,500.

Her monthly electricity and water bill with other fees for house maintenance was put at N10,000. On phone calls and

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The First Fruit: What A Catholic Priest Did

data, we approximated it to be N5000 monthly. Her monthly DSTV subscription was around N3,600 for DSTV family bouquet.

When you put all the expenses together and subtract it from the N80,000, she would be left with N8,400 to buy food stuffs and other things in the house.

These are the expenses that she wss sure to spend every month. We had not even talked about other things like make up, doing her hair, clothes, gifts to family and even savings.

This is a huge sacrifice, in my judgement. I intentionally asked her those questions so as to ascertain the depth of her sacrifice.

I brought out the envelope, bless it for the second time and gave it to her. I looked at her countenance and I knew she was not too comfortable with my action. Then I took time to explain the Bible to her. That was when I discovered that so many people do not truly understand how God works.

When God asks us for first fruit or for tithe or for any sacrifice, it is not so that He will eat it. No! He has no need of our money. When He asked Abraham to sacrifice his only son, it was not because he liked seeing the blood of innocent children.

When He asked Abel and Cain to

make a sacrifice to Him, it was not because he ate fruit or even drank blood of rams. It is simply to test how committed we are, how willing are we to leave everything to Him. Do we, like Cain, select offerings that we no longer desire and give to Him or do we, like Abel, empty everything to Him? This lady that brought the first fruit began to understand for the first time. Right from when she put the money in the envelope to bring to God, God had already accepted her offering. The minister must not spend the money. It is just that most of us ministers are unfortunately greedy. And we use God’s name to cover it up. We often see the part of scriptures that favour our stomach.

Theologically, when you give to God, He transforms that gift and gives it back to you. The bread and wine people offer before mass are transformed to the body and blood of Christ and given back to the people to eat and drink.

The son Isaac that Abraham gave to God, was transformed to be a channel that would bring forth the fulfillment of God’s promise and given back to Abraham.

The offerings of bread and fish people brought were prayed upon and given back to them to eat and they were filled, still there was left over.

The water they filled at the wedding in Cana is given back to them as wine.

The Ugwu Kelvin that my parents offered to God, is given back to them as a priest.

The money that the young lady brought to me as her first fruit is blessed and given back to her as pure gift from heaven.

-- By Rev.Fr.Ugwu Kelvin.

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Vol. 4 No.112, October-Novmber, 2018

Personal Finance Mark Oguh

Building the New Nigerian Tribe W hen the publisher of Nigerian Catholic Reporter notified me of the forthcoming October edition of this magazine and solicited my contribution in the form of this article, I asked myself; what is it that I can share with my audience this time? The fact that this edition is focusing on the 2018 National Conference and Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the Catholic Men Organization of Nigeria made it even more difficult and at the same time ime more compelling to identify and raise critical issues at the heart of our roles as Christian fathers hers and nation builders. Let me congratulate the organizUNFORTUNATELY, NIGERIA ers and all participants in this year’s national IS A SOCIETY OF NUMEROUS convention; wishing all CHURCH GOERS. THE a fruitful deliberation and spirit-filled recolPREPONDERANCE OF lections.

Then to the subject of my essay.

RELIGIOSITY AMONG THE MEMBERS OF THIS TRIBE HAS NOT REFLECTED IN THE INDIVIDUAL AND COLLECTIVE CONDUCT OF HER PEOPLE

The Nigeria of today is at a cross road. Never in the history of this nation have we been this divided across ethnic, religious or tribal lines. The levels of mutual suspicion, ethic jingoism and nd inordinate pursuit of material al riches at the detriment of the collective tive interest of the citizens have reached all-time highs. We are witnesses to the unabated ethnic cleansing going on in Nigeria, motivated by a combination of heinous political desperation and disguised religious bigotry. The blood of the innocent (children, aged people, men and women) including the clergy

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has been shed for no just course. In fact, there is no course that is justified enough to take the life of a fellow human being.

Beyond all these, we are also faced with a tribe (generation) that is so desperate to acquire wealth at all cost.

We live in a nation where contracts are awarded, paid for in full but never executed. Even when the contractors execute any, such is shoddily done in a manner that cannot withstand the elements of nature beyond a cycle. All that matters to this present tribe is

Vol. 4 No.112, October-Novmber, 2018 personal convenience over and above the interest of the masses.

This current tribe is characterized by disdain for delayed gratification (or what I may call short-termism), dislike for orderliness, abhorrence for justice and is lacking in the spirit of sacrifice, patience and all other godly virtues. We are faced with a modern Nigerian society that thrives on quick fixes and short-cuts to prosperity.

This lack of patience manifests in the ever-increasing incidences of suicides caused by acute depression, especially among very young people. An average member of this tribe has an entitlement mentality. They always look for what the system should or can do for them, rather than what they can do

for the system – the system may be another member of the society, the church, the government, their employers, parents etc. They have no sense of self-giving and selflessness. In all

of these, where is our faith and good works? Is this generation not made up of people who call themselves followers of Christ?

Let’s not deceive ourselves. Every society is a product of its members.

The way we make our beds is the same way we lie on them. We can only create the new tribe of Nigeria when we decide to change the narrative, beginning from the foundation of the society – our families. As fathers, we have got a huge role to play.

Unfortunately, Nigeria is a society of numerous church goers. The preponderance of religiosity among the members of this tribe has not reflected in the individual and collective conduct of her people. This phenomenon has given rise to many analysts’ assertion that there is an inverse relationship between the prosperity of nations and the level of religiosity of the people. This is a consequence of the absence of unity of life and rectitude of intentions among many people who proclaim Jesus as their Lord and Saviour. If we love God, we must be His ambassadors in and outside of the four walls of the church. The current decadence in our society is an offshoot of our failure to uphold divine principles and the tenets of our faith in the middle of the world.

As fathers, we have to live exemplary Christian lives, beginning from our families. The first place to live out God’s call to holiness is in the family with our spouses, among our children.

In the Apostolic Exhortation of the Holy Father, Francis - Gaudete et Exsultate (9), Pope Francis teaches that “holiness is the most attractive face of the church”. In whatever condition or state we operate, the Church teaches that all the faithful are called by the Lord – each in his or her own way – to that perfect holiness by which the father himself is perfect.

This life of holiness will then naturally trickle out to our neighbors in the compound, on the street, in the market place, in our businesses and everywhere we ply our trades, at the bus stop, in the church and among our communities. We must be the light of the world (Matt. 5:14; Eph. 5:8). The validation of the fact that we Christians are the light of the world is manifested in bearing practical fruits of good deeds. Professor Finney reminded his audience in a lecture on August 12th 1840 that it was the fault of Christians if the world was not “en-

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lightened” - i.e remained in darkness.

That reality could not have been truer.

Christian fathers are the best placed to inspire the world. We occupy an influential position in our families, and the difference is in how best we use this position to raise children that will follow the Lord. Fathers should help their children to pick up success habits, positive character and a sense of responsibility. The new tribe we are looking for is characterized by a high sense of industry, self-reliance, creativity, openness, fortitude, trustworthiness, focus and vision. This tribe will thrive in solidarity which is a direct requirement of human and supernatural brotherhood. The absence of this sense of brotherhood is what breeds extreme selfishness and unbridled materialism, the consequence of which is the endemic corruption.

As part of the prayers of consecration during mass, the priest says after the Pater noster, “deliver us from every evil and grant us peace in our day.

In your loving forgiveness keep us free from sin and protect us from all anxiety as we wait in joyful hope for the coming of our savior, Jesus Christ”.

The world we live in suffers from the consequence of unnecessary anxiety about so many and everything, ranging from our health, jobs, the future of our lives and our families, the imaginary threats to our social standing etc. The Lord himself invites us to live each day with serenity and intensity entrusting into His almighty and loving hands the matters that are outside our control, including our tomorrows. But often times, we seem to worry about situations that are not here at present and for which God has not given us the grace to deal with, because He does not give us graces in advance of the situations for which those graces are needed (Matt 6:34).

We must endeavor to inculcate in our children, discipline and calmness of unconditional trusting in God and his divine will for us. We must teach them about societal values. The best way to make this happen is to live out the examples so that our procreations will see from our own lives the demonstration of the gospels.

Mark Oguh, a Fellow of Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria and a Financial Management Expert wrote in from St. Anthony’s Parish, Gbaja, Surulere, Lagos. Contact mark. oguh@gmail.com

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Prof. Michael Ogunu

Vol. 4 No.112, October-Novmber, 2018

Hope In The Midst Of Suffering Continued from LAST EDITION

I

n 2008, Pope Benedict XVI approved the decree of heroic virtue attributed to him.

Unfortunately, there are many who regard any form of physical suffering as an absolute evil. They have forgotten that suffering is the inheritance of the children of Adam. All the apostles, the martyrs and the saints have taught us by their lives that we cannot live in the love of Christ without suffering. “Unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains only a single grain; but if it dies it yields a rich harvest” (Jn. 12:24).

Throughout the history of the Church from the time of the Roman persecutions until the present, Christians have been called upon to suffer and die for their faith. All the apostles except John the beloved Apostle suffered martyrdom. The martyrdom of the apostles and their contemporaries is a proof of the historic reality of the Gospel story. For the apostles were willing to attest in their blood what they had seen, what they had heard and what they believed.

Benedict XVI cites Josephine Bakhita, a modern African Saint canonized by Pope John Paul II as a classical example of one whose faith and hope in the living God even in the midst of her suffering ‘redeemed’ her. The following account of her life are his words: She was born around 1869 - she herself did not know the precise date - in Darfur in Sudan. At the age of nine, she was kidnapped by slave-traders, beaten till she bled, and sold five times in the slave markets of Sudan. Eventually, she found herself working as a slave for the mother and the wife of a general, and there she was flogged every day till she bled; as a result of this she bore 144 scars throughout her life. Finally; in 1882, she was bought by an Italian merchant for the Italian consul Callisto Legnani, who returned to Italy as the Mahdists advanced. Here, after the terrifying “masters” who had owned her up to that point, Bakhita came to know a totally different kind of “master” - in Venetian dialect, which she was now learning, she used the name “paron” for the living God, the God of Jesus Christ. Up to that time she had known only masters who despised and maltreated her, or at best considered her a useful slave. Now, how-

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ever, she heard that there is a “paron” above all masters, the Lord of all lords, and that this Lord is good, goodness in person.

She came to know that this Lord even knew her, that he had created her - that he actually loved her. She too was loved, and by none other than the supreme “Paron”, before whom all other masters are themselves no more than lowly servants. She was known and loved and she was awaited. What is more, this master had himself accepted the destiny of being flogged and now he was waiting for her “at the Father’s right hand”. Now she had “hope” - no longer simply the modest hope of finding masters who would be less cruel, but the great hope: “I am definitively loved and whatever happens to me - I am awaited by his Love. And so, my life is good”.

Through the knowledge of this hope she was “redeemed”, no longer a slave, but a free child of God. She understood what Paul meant when he reminded the Ephesians that previously they were without hope and without God in the world - without hope because without God. Hence, when she was about to be taken back to Sudan, Bakhita refused; she did not wish to be separated again from her “Paron”. On 9 January 1890, she was baptized and confirmed and received her first Holy Communion from the hands of the Patriarch of Venice. On 8 December 1896, in Verona, she took her vows in the Congregation of the Canossian Sisters and from that time onwards, besides her work in the sacristy and in the porter’s lodge at the convent, she made several journeys round Italy in order to promote the missions: she felt she had to extend to others, to the greatest possible number of people, the liberation that she had received through her encounter with the living God, the God of Jesus Christ. The hope born in her which had “redeemed” her she could not keep to herself; this hope had to reach many to reach everybody.

The Passion of Christ shows us the enormous contribution which holy suffering can make to the sanctification of the

President of the Executive Board of the World Apostolate of Fatima in Africa world. By His words and example Christ taught men; by His miracles He helped them but it was by His passion and crucifixion that he saved the world. If we can

The Passion of Christ shows us the enormous contribution which holy suffering can make to the sanctification of the world. unite our sufferings with the passion of Christ and offer them for the salvation of souls, we might say with St. Paul: “What is lacking of the sufferings of Christ, I fill up in my flesh for His body, which is the Church” (Col. 1:24).

The Blessed Virgin Mary revealed to Lucia, Jacinta and Francisco at Fatima, Portugal in 1917 that many souls go to hell because there are none to sacrifice themselves and pray for them. After having promised to take the three children to heaven, she asked: “Are you willing to offer yourselves to God to bear all the sufferings He wills to send you as an act of reparation for the sins by which He is offended and of supplication for the conversion of sinners?”

“Yes, we are willing”, they replied.

“Then, you are going to have much to suffer, but the grace of God will be your comfort... I will never forsake you. My Immaculate Heart will be your refuge and the way that will lead you to God”.

The examples of heroic courage in adversity and resignation to divine providence shown by the men and women cited in this article teach us all that “it is not life that matters but the courage we put into it”.

Life is like a voyage on the sea of history, often dark and stormy, a voyage in which we watch for the stars that indicate the route. The true stars of our life are the people who have lived good lives. They are lights of hope. Certainly, Jesus Christ is the true light, the sun that has risen above all the shadows of history. But to reach him we also need lights close by; that is, people who shine with his light and so guide us along our way. Who more than Mary could be a star of hope of us?...

So we cry to her: Holy Mary, Mother of God, our Mother, teach us to believe, to hope, to love with you. Show us the way to His kingdom! Star of the sea, shine upon us and guide us on our way! (Saved in Hope, 49-50).

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