I have experienced the abiding presence of God
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I am the first amputee in the Catholic Church to be ordained a priest
...turning lives to Christ
Youths Dare Mass ‌ as indecent dressing divides the Church
Pope Francis lambasts Catholic Bishops who help cover up child abuse Diabetes and hypertension in children The Family Of Jesus, Mary And Joseph: A Perfect Model For The World Today
Vol. 1 No.102, 2014
47 Kalejaiye Street Mafoluku Oshodi, Lagos
Contents
Vol. 1 No.102, 2014
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Publisher Remi Emeka Njoku 08023165432, 07080129333, Editorial Advisers Robert Ogbuagu Anikwe Isaac Okorafor Chinedu Anamelechi Prince Cookey Onyekachi Nwosu Barnabas Eke Editor-in-Chief Chris Okeke Ag-Editor Victor Onwochei Graphics/Design Kelechi Okoro Admin Tim Etoh Marketing Reginald Onwuchuruba 08033672751 Kelechi Andrew Ifunanya Okafor
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Online Editor Owotoke Bamidele Francis Contributors Mark Ogu Chidi Ajah Dr. Eze Godwin Monsignor Francis Ogunmodede Rev. Fr. Anthony Mario Ozele Rev. Fr. Anthony Nwosu Mark Ogu Rev. Fr Iuvenis Iheme Rev. Fr. Bonaventure Ashibi Rev. Fr. Kingsley Idaewor Rev. Fr. Michael Afirifa Rev. Fr. Innocent Ikazobor Opogah Rev. Fr. James Mary Chiemenem Rev Fr Adedayo Jenfa cm Rev. Fr. Melvis Mayaki Rev Fr. Samuel Umanah Rev. Fr Benedict Okolo Valentine Agwulonu Okechukwu Nwobu
Dressing to Win At Job Interviews PAGE 14-15»
Start Your Own Small Business PAGE 12-13 I have experienced the abiding presence of God
- Most Rev. Dr. Alfred Adewale Martins
PAGE 26-27»
...turning lives to Christ
©Copyright all rights reserved
Published by Economic News Associates Ltd Suite B2, Glory Shopping Complex, 229 Ikotun- Idimu Road, Council Bus Stop Idimu, Lagos, Nigeria. Phone: 07080129333 e-mail: info@nigeriancatholicreporter.com Website: nigeriancatholicreporter.com
Vatican Roundup PAGE 16-17»
Pope Francis lambasts Catholic Bishops who help cover up child abuse
Diabets and hypertension in children PAGE 29 Why We Held the Catholic Praise Concert - Peter Egbumokei PAGE 30-31 Nigerian Catholic Reporter
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Vol. 1 No.102, 2014
Editorial Suit
Indecency in the House of God
Remi Emeka Njoku
T
he drive for an identity with vogue from the Western World has pasted a fashion statement on the Nigerian youths and teenagers that run counter to societal mores. While some churches condemn this craze that points to a total negation of scriptural connotation, others see nothing wrong with the dress-indecency since one who looks at the provocative nature of indecent dress would always fantasize the immoral passion. With the advent of the sleeveless blouses called the spaghetti, the simple top-brassiere, body-hug, mini-gown and mini-skirt, the low-waist jeans that exposes the buttocks of a girl, knickerbuckers and the use of other fashion credentials for the girls, the boys see themselves in the opposite camp with provocative boxers that do
not actually pack their personal zones appropriately and ensure that its use must bring out the natural curiosity from the opposite sex. One could continue to list out the inexhaustible pool of fashion tags that dot the world of the contemporary youths. While some churches have put in place, measures to ensure this trend does not consume the church, others have accepted it as a vogue that will fizzle out with time. Yet some have failed to see anything worrisome about the trend. Is there a consensus on what constitutes indecent dressing? How are churches handling this “serpent� that is quietly crawling into the house of God? Find out from the cover story written by our Editor, Victor Onwochei. Following this very closely is a testimony from the first Nigerian amputee to be ordained a priest and Pope Francis’ vehemence over child abuse.
While some churches have put in place measures to ensure this trend does not consume the Church, others have accepted it as a vogue that will fizzle out with time. Yet some have failed to see anything worrisome about the trend.
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Dear Sir, Congratulations on your project – Nigerian Catholic Reporter - hitting the newsstands. May God continue to empower you in His work, Amen. My family and I are regular readers of the Nigerian Catholic Reporter. I have drawn a lot of inspiration from this magazine since 1982 when it debuted as a newsletter. I am sure that a lot of other families have also benefited much from reading this magazine. Your cover story in the May, 2014 edition “The future of humanity depends of the family” was a great resource material in one of the conferences that I attended in Rome, recently. I have equally read your Volume 1, Number 101 with “Clamour for indigenous bishops” as cover. But I must tell you, I felt like leaving the Catholic Church after reading this story. I never realized how messy the crisis was till I read the story. I have since then read a lot more materials on the web on the crisis. It is really a shame. What is happening in my Catholic Church? A few days ago when I met your UK correspondent, he told me you were doing a follow-up story on that cover story. Among the materials he told me you were going to publish in the follow-up were: the letter from the Pope requesting personal apologies from Ahiara priests; His Eminence, John Cardinal Onayikan’s letter to the Ahiara
Letters
Ahiara Diocese: Stay away, the crisis is messy priests; Bishop Opkalaeke’s address to the 300 Catholic’s that recently paid him a visit at Awka, recently etc. I remember putting a call across to you immediately after my meeting with your correspondent, enjoining you not to go ahead with further publication on the crisis. I am once more appealing for your withdrawal from further publications on the crisis. I have read much of the publications being circulated about the crisis, and would tell you that they are outright lies and halftruths. There is no one to believe, again. However, I believe that now is the time to bury the hatchet. Both the Vatican and Ahiara should put into consideration what becomes of the faith and souls of the lay faithful in Ahiara and elsewhere, who are watching this drama. To the 500 priests that trace their origin to Ahiara Diocese, I would say they have made their points. It is now time to bury the hatchet. Let them shield their swards. To the lay faithful, I say, be calm and faithful. The Lord has not abandoned you. At His appointed time, peace shall come. Martin Luther King told the Negros, “We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline. We must not allow our creative protest to degenerate into physical violence.” Also like one writer on the crisis in Ahiara Diocese rightly advised, “It is important to
May God grant success to the work of your hands
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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.
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.
bear this in mind because our bishops are still our bishops, even if we are in disagreement with them. They are still the heads of the “Household of God.” No matter how forceful our arguments have been; no matter how rapturous and rancorous the situation has been; no matter how windy or how rollercoaster the journey has been; no matter how pointed and how poignant the debate has been; it is still important to bear in mind that THE BISHOPS ARE OUR BISHOPS. Even when they have expressed dissatisfaction with our “delivery system,” they are still our bishops. Even when our argumentation has been too prophetic to their liking, and intensely concentrated in the way they have been formulated, they are still our leaders. Once more, let us bear in mind that this is just a family feud and in the end, reconciliation is awaiting all of us. This means that we must once more come back around the table of the Lord to say to each other: Peace be with you. Shalom must be our watchword in the end. Hatred and recrimination must eventually be absent in our vocabulary.” Congratulations once more. My family and I wish you the best. Major Benjamin Ilo.
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Vol. 1 No.102, 2014
The Question
Yes:
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar: “The West Africa Examination Council (WAEC) has just released the results of the May/June 2014 senior school certificate examination. As was the case last year, mass failure was
Is government responsible for the dismal performance of students in the 2014 WASSCE? recorded by Nigerian students. Only 31.28 percent of the students who sat for the 2014 exam obtained credits in five subjects and above, including Mathematics and English Language. “No one who has been observing the ongoing attitude towards education in Nigeria will be surprised by this. In the past year alone, industrial action by teachers dominated the news headlines. Primary school teachers in Benue State, for example, embarked on an eight-month strike to demand better conditions and allowances. Teachers all over Nigeria remain poorly paid, with several jokes being peddled about how parents are reluctant to allow their daughters marry teachers. In addition to poor welfare, teachers in the northeast of Nigeria face a peculiar challenge not common to their colleagues in other parts of the
No:
Governor Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State: The use of teaching methods that were not appealing to students was one of the major causes of mass failure ...the present generation of students want learning to be fun and so, will learn better with exciting teaching methods and tools like computers. There must the comprehensive
Nigerian Catholic Reporter
country: security. The National Union of Teachers (NUT) reports that the organization has so far lost about 173 of their members to Boko Haram terrorist attacks. Sadly, with the Nigerian government not yet able to adequately protect citizens from these random attacks, that number could easily increase. There is also the issue of competence of Nigerian teachers. Governor Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti State recently lost his seat in a re-election bid with poll results that sent shock waves across the nation owing to his wellpublicised record of high performance. .The steady decline of education in Nigeria is a reflection of our country’s relegation of education to the background of national essentialities. That is where the change must begin.
review of schools’ curricula, to include more practical lessons to stimulate learning. Performance in WASSCE can be improved with better teaching methods. We need to understand that the present generation of students do things more online and less with paper. We need to teach our students in line with these realities. We need to employ methods that they find appealing and would make them learn better.
Vol. 1 No.102, 2014
Briefs Lady Viola Onwuliri Commissions Block Rosary Centre in Amuzi The Honorable Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Her Excellency, Lady Viola Onwuliri has commissioned a befitting storey building as a Block Rosary Centre to promote the devotion of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Amuzi, Ahiazu-Mbaise LGA of Imo State. Lady Viola while commissioning the centre sponsored by Chief Chike Okafor, said the centre was built in accordance with the wish of her late husband, Celestine Onwuliri to build a befitting Block Rosary Centre for the Community.
St. Thomas Onilekere Commissions Board of Lectors St Thomas Catholic Parish, Onilekere, Ikeja has commissioned its first Board of Lectors. The parish which was carved out of St. Sabina’s Catholic Parish, Idi-Mangoro, Agege has one out-station, Our Lady Health of the Sick, situated at Onipetesi, Mangoro, Ikeja. The parish is under the pastoral leadership of Rev. Fr. Daniel Nwankwo, as the parish priest and Rev Fr James Chiemenem (SDV) as assistant parish priest. Members of the Board which has Nicodemus Uzor as Chairman include Ibeawuchi Mercy Prenanagha, Musa Emmanuel, Akunsoronwa Veronica, Eunic Peter, Brother Azubuinye Augustine, Mary Olejah, Thomas Olejah, Paticent Igboke and Orjiako Grace Chijoke. Others are Onuorah Chioma, Ani Augustin, Ivote Chioma, Enwereoke Mark, Onuora Ifedikanwa and Okolue Ifeyinwa.
Ahiara Diocese: CLCN National Executive Council calls for caution, prayer The National Executive Council of the Catholic Laity Council of Nigeria (NLCN) has called for caution in handling the ragging controversy surrounding the installation of a Bishop for Ahiara Diocese. National President of CLCN, Sir John Woje Bagu who made this call at the 128th National Executive Council Meeting CLCN at Abeokuta, Ogun State, recently noted “The issue of appointment and installation of a Bishop for Ahiara Dioces appeared to be a storm in the church’s tea cup that may hardly be taken for granted.”
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News
Mount Carmel Emekuku Dedicated after 102 Years Tim Etoh
O
ur Lady of Mount Carmel Catholic Parish, Emekuku, one of the oldest parishes of the Catholic Church in Nigeria has been dedicated after 102 years of its establishment. The parish which has no evidence of dedication in the past was formally dedicated by His Grace, Most Rev. Dr. Anthony J V Obinna, the Catholic Archbishop of Owerri Ecclesiastical Province, in whose domain the parish is located. The old 20th century mother parish church building has been transformed to a beautiful 21st century edifice befitting a house of God, in line with the Catholic tradition of building befitting houses for the Lord. The idea of establishing Our Lady of Mount Carmel Catholic Parish came when the then paramount ruler of Emekuku Chief Obi Ejeshi Ajoku Abuba, the Ezeukwu 1 of Emekuku, realized the importance of his subjects’ imbibing Christianity and the attendant benefits in political and socioeconomic development of a community. Under the direction of Rev. Fr. Joseph M. Shanahan, the Prefect Apostolic of Southern Nigeria, Rev. Fr. John Feral and Brother Joseph Delay (later Rev. Fr.) settled and established the parish that has produced many notable members of the clergy including His Grace, Most Reverend Dr. Anthony J.V. Obinna, Catholic Archbishop of owerri, Ecclesiastical Province. ‘The first mass of the parish was celebrated at the palace of Chief Obi and on July 16, 1912, feast of Mount Carmel, the parish was established. The parish has enjoyed the services of many parish priests including Fr. Daniel Walsh, Fr. T.J. 0. Connor, Fr. T.Fox, Fr. R Foreman, Fr. Peter Paul Cloonan and others, before Rev. Fr, Dr. Alex Okoro who is the current parish priest.
He advised that the issue should be handled with care and requested all Catholics to always remember the Diocese in their daily prayers. He also called on the lay faithful to continue to thank God for the gift of His Holiness: Pope Francis and to pray for him as he continues to address the challenges of the universal church. Our Lady of Mount Carmel Catholic
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CMO St. Dominic Yaba Marks 2014 Men’s Assembly …Sources for N50m for Cancer Diagnostic Equipment
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By Andrew Kelechi Njoku
he Catholic Men Organisation of St Dominic Catholic Church, Yaba has reiterated its commitment towards reducing the increasing incidences of cancer in the community. President of the Association, Mr. Grandvill Okoro made this commitment at the grand finale of the three-day activities marking the 2014 Men’s Assembly which held from 11th – 12th July, 2014. The general outlook for this year’s celebration was to bring all members of the Parish together to express the affinity of love that binds families together. The highpoint of the activities was ‘Walk for Cancer’ event and the N50million fund raising for the procurement of cancer diagnostic equipments to be installed in the existing Parish clinic at St Dominic Catholic Church premises, Yaba.. Mr. Okoro who solicited the support of parishioners towards raising enough fund for the project, noted that the installation of such equipments would provide the necessary awareness and screening at affordable cost; and reduce the incidences of unnecessary death resulting from
cancer. The services of the equipments, he stated, would be available not only to Catholics, but also to all other people who would be in need of such services. Chairman of the occasion, Engineer Tony Egbuna who also made substantial donation to the fund raising, in his remarks, stressed the need for adequately equipped hospitals in the communities. He narrated how he successfully underwent a successful open-heart surgery about 21 years ago and has since then lived a healthy and normal life. He attributed this to the grace of God and availability of reliable medical services in the hospital where he was treated. Another parishioner, Barrister Patrick Okoh also disclosed to Nigerian Catholic Reporter that the sourcing of funds for the procurement of the cancer screening equipments started in 2013 with the launch of N10million appeal fund which has gone up to N50million in 2014. He noted that although a lot of fund is required to achieve this objective, gradual procurement of equipment would go a long way to assist patients and others who are in dire need. Presently in Nigeria, cancer incidences are common. Hundreds of thousands are dying silently. Unfortunately not much appears to have been done to stem the tide of deaths. Cancer is a class of diseases in
which a group of cells display uncontrolled growth, invasion that intrudes upon and destroys adjacent tissues, and sometimes metastasis, or spreading to other locations in the body via lymph or blood. There are various types of cancer, cervical, ovarian, breast, lung, cancer of the blood, and prostrate cancers, among others. However, the most common types of cancer in Nigeria today are breast, cervical and ovarian cancer. Recently, the minister of Health, Professor Onyebuchi Chukwu disclosed that data collected from eleven Federal tertiary hospitals by the National System of Cancer Registries showed 7,000 new documented cases of cancer which also corresponded with the average estimated 100,000 new cases of cancer reported in Nigeria annually. From the data, 60 per cent of cancers occur in women and 39.8 per cent in men. Sadly, in Nigeria, cancer is seen as a death sentence not only because of the nature of the disease but due to a number of reasons such as lack of awareness on the larger proportion of the populace, lack of information, ill equipped hospitals, lack of manpower, high cost of treatment and fewer treatment centres and lack of will power on the government to implement already made policies to tackle the scourge.
Isolo deanery plans couples’ day Victor Onwochei
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n trying to wave a new attractive wand, the nascent Isolo deanery has planned a confetti day for couples through the Catholic Men’s Organization [C.M.O] from every parish. According to the coordinator, Chief Umeh, “December 7, 2014 would be memorable day for families in the deanery as all hands are on deck to ensure that all the families would be
Nigerian Catholic Reporter
given all disserts of happiness while the session lasts.” With this arrangement, every parish has been directed to send only 20 couples in addition to a participation fee of N10, 000.00 payable on time to ensure good planning. In explaining this away, Chief Umeh stressed that, “we would subsidize the entire cost of the event but we simply want all the parishes to come on board our activities otherwise the said amount cannot defray the cost of the
whole exercise.” In a related development, the deanery, in her last EXCO meeting, set up and inaugurated a 7-man Bye – Law Committee whose primordial function is to create laws in accordance with the tenets and mores of the Archdiocesan Order. In his words, Chief Umeh explained that” we must understand that no laws are stagnant but change with times so it is the duty of this Committee to flow with tide of times.”
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Catholic Bishops:
We are all responsible for Nigeria’s woes
T
he Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria (CBCN), has declared that all Nigerians, irrespective of social status, are guilty and responsible for the current situation in the country. Speaking at the second plenary session of CBCN, hosted by the Warri Diocese of the Catholic Church in Effurun, Delta State, the president of the CBCN and Archbishop of Jos, Most Rev Ignatius Kaigama, said Nigerians must stop the ‘culture of appropriation’ as well as the mentality of insatiable greed and reckless misuse of the common patrimony found among those who manage the nation’s resources. Kaigama also denounced calls by some Nigerians for the dissolution of the country, noting that Nigeria stood a better chance at greatness as one nation than when it is fractionalised. “Those who often call for the division
Bishop Kaigama of this nation may not have deeply and prayerfully considered the implications of the matter. There is no guarantee that things will become better if we all go our own ways.
“If despite all the blessings visited on this country for a whole century now, we are still finding it difficult to relate warmly with one another as Nigerians; intra-ethnic violence still common and infrastructural development to benefit especially the rural dwellers a mirage,” he said as he queried: “Who told the agitators that when we are factionalised into ethnic or multiple entities that we shall do any better.” The cleric also charged the Federal Government to a potent solution to the worsening terrorism confronting the nation, just the way it attacked the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) and had virtually routed it out of Nigeria. He said Catholic Bishops are worried about the continued spread of the Islamic sect, Boko Haram, as its activities continue unabated, especially in the North East of the country, noting that insurgency was growing at a rapid rate.
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Odenigbo Lecture:
Nwajiuba decries the dearth of true leadership in Igboland
P Tim Etoh
rof Chinedu Nwajiuba of Imo State University has decried the dearth of true leadership in Igboland since the startling examples from Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, Dr. Mike Okpala, Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu and Dr. Sam Mbakwe. He made the assertion at the annual Odenigbo Lecture, where he spoke on “Expectation of Good leadership (Ochichioma, Olileanya Ohaneze) at the Odenigbo Podium at Assumpta Cathedral, Owerri. As customary, the lecture was delivered
in Igbo language. Nwajiuba reeled out virtues of good leadership to include humility, prudent management of resources, resourcefulness, genuine commitment to the goods of the people, respect for the led, discernment to recognize and sieve evil from good, and mourned that no Igbo leader has shown such laudable leadership qualities since the times of Zik, Okpala, Ojukwu and Mbakwe, until the former Governor of Anambra State, Mr. Peter Obi, came in and demonstrated to the people, again, what true leadership should be. The political Scientist and Agricultural Economist enjoined voters not
to sell their votes for bags of rice but rather use them wisely to elect people that come from good background who have their interests at heart. He called for the prioritization of security, education, job creation and the provision of pipe-borne water. He also challenged governments to restore the dignity of their citizens by encouraging local manufacturers through the patronage of their products. The annual Odenigbo Lecture is an effort by the Catholic Archdiocese of Owerri towards the renaissance of the Igbo culture in form of language, sports, dance, writing etc.
Hope in God, JDPC Director tells the sick in Ahiara
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By Kekeh Winifred
irector of the Justice, Development and Peace Commission (JDPC) Ahiara Diocese, Rev. Fr. Dr. Anthony Ibe Chiwuba, has enjoined the sick in the diocese to place their hope in God and never give up in the face of any pain or suffering. Dr. Chinwuba gave this command during the celebration of this year’s World Day of the Sick at St. Michael’s Catholic Parish, Enyiogugu in Aboh Mbaise Local Government Area of Imo State. “Do not relent but hope in God, be steadfast in prayer and never give
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up,” he said, while also stressing that preaching and caring (healing) was a form of evangelization mission of Christ and that these practices of Christ should be emulated by Christians. “We bring joy to you, through communion – we bring assistance to you who are tested by pains. From this action today, the Church announces to you that your salvation is at hand with the healing force of Jesus Christ,” he stated. He also thanked the healthcare workers for their services and fraternal concern for the sick in the Diocese while encouraging them to be prayerful, courageous to suffering, always converting to Christ by
having missionary spirit with new zeal, new method, new expression, and be available to cherish poverty by initiating the Saints and early Christians. The highpoint of the event was the Holy Mass officiated by Rev. Fr. Jude Okoro, the Assistant Parish Priest. During the homily, the Parish Priest, Rev. Fr. Pius Nwauzo, urged the healthcare workers to continue with their services by loving one another, serving God and that this work of mercy is also a way to draw them closer to God and to the sick that they should not lose hope. To the sick he said, “The Almighty God will heal you. Today is the day of joy, not a day of sorrow”.
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Provincial Laity Council ends seminar in Ahiara Good Shepherd’s Gozie Okasoanya
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three-day seminar organized by the Catholic Laity Council of Nigeria (CLCN), Owerri Ecclesiastical Province has ended in Nguru Mbaise, Ahiara Diocese with the theme: “The Pastoral Challenges of the Family in Nigeria.” The event which started from Friday August 22, 2014 with the arrival of delegates witnessed good turnout of representatives from the six dioceses of the province, namely: Owerri, Umuahia, Okigwe, Orlu, Ahiara, and Aba. In their separate welcome addresses, the Provincial Chairman, Mr. Dominic N. Okoro, and the Ahiara Diocesan President, Gerald Anyanwu (KSM) described the seminar as “an occasion which provides opportunity to re- appraise our lives, intensify our efforts towards the spirituality of our members in order to renew the temporal order by bringing the good news to all”. Reflecting on the rapid dynamics of the contemporary society and the Nigerian polity with electioneering sentiments at the corner, the theme of the seminar, they said, was designed for the purpose of inward examination into matters bordering the family life, and a call for members to discharge their civic duties by participating actively in the political process where moral rules of the
game would be applied. While wishing the seminar a fruitful deliberation, the address noted with regrets the challenges facing Ahiara Laity Council since the death of Bishop V.A. Chikwe and asked for the members’ continued prayers for the diocese Earlier in his homily at the opening Mass, Rev Fr. Augustine Onuoha, Assistant Parish Priest, Sacred Heart Nguru, noted that the inauguration of the Laity Council became imperative for the Church when the fathers of the Vatican II Council resolved to shift the mind from the Ecclesiology of hierarchy – centered church to incorporate the entire faith, both the clergy and the laity into one fold known as Ecclesiology of the people of God. This turn of event, he said does not only empower the laity with due rights to speak out but also elevated them to an important status where their presence and activities are useful in the work of Christ. “As lay faithful, you are God’s precious vessels. As your position in the church allows you to engage in partisan politics, see it as a divine mandate for a positive change to win souls for God”. Recalling the hypocritical lifestyles of the Pharisees as recorded in the day’s gospel reading, Fr. Onuoha pointed out that serving God in spirit and in truth are virtues every Christian should imbibe.
CMO Football Team of St. Thomas Catholic Church Onilekere at the opening ceremony of Archbishop Adewale Martin’s football tournament in Lagos, recntly.
Owode Celebrates Children’s Harvest
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By Victor Onwochei
he Good Shepherd Catholic Church in Ori Awon area of Ikorodu, Lagos State celebrated this year’s Children’s Harvest with great pageantry and fun for these leaders of tomorrow. Remote as the area looked, the entire disposition rendered matrices of good examples for other parishes to tow. It exemplarily started with homily that harped on the year’s theme, “Harvest of Thanksgiving and Love,” spanning through the sessions of the day. In the words of the officiating priest, Rev. Fr. Samuel Umanah of Vincentian Retreat Centre “Love is basically the power of attraction and as human beings we go for what we love, and when we love something, we are ready to die for it. Fr Samuel again, described thanks giving as the fruit of love. “If you want to put it as a principle of prayer,” he said, “if you know what you want, you visualize that which you want God to do for you, and of course Jesus would say what you want you believe in. For you to demonstrate that you want God to do for you to come to pass, then you back it up through thanks- giving. After thanks giving, Lazarus was brought to life. This probably galvanized the parishioners into a concerted action as kola nut-breaking session saw everyone in full participation. While the men totally pooled for the kola nut as directed by the chairman, the women jealously tipped for performance par excellence cake-cutting. Calling down God’s blessing upon the children, the parish priest of Good Shepherd’s Rev. Fr. Gregory Ndaeyo, CM enjoined all parishioners to get involved and be part of the uncommon blessing as we “declare His word rejoicing”.
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Personal Finance
Start Your Own Small Business W By Glenn Curtis
ouldn’t it be great to be able to quit your job, be your own boss and earn a paycheck from the comfort of your own home? The good news is that with a little planning and some startup money, it is possible! Let’s delve a little deeper into how to start a small business from home and help you decide how much planning and money you’ll need to be your own boss.
Creating the concept
Before quitting their jobs, the potential entrepreneurs must first think of a concept, product or service to generate a steady income. And while that may sound easy, it’s not. You should conceive a plan that puts your knowledge, experience and expertise to use but in a way that allows you to make the most amount of your money.
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When first thinking of some business ideas, start with areas you already have a great deal of interest, equipment and materials for. This will help cut down on the startup costs for your company and also let you hit the ground running when you do hang out your shingle. Also, peruse the local paper and advertisements to see what other types of businesses are out there. Are there other similar businesses in your neighborhood or is there a business area that is lacking? Doing something you like isn’t the only consideration. You need to get an idea of the prospects for the potential business. Is it a business with a market? Can you make money at it? This will require some research into the marketplace as well as how other similar businesses have fared.
Developing a work space
Your home is where you live. This means that its primary function is to serve as a dwelling for you and your family - not as a warehouse or meeting place for your business and its clients. Make certain that if you are considering entering the manu-
facturing business (for example) that your garage or shed is large enough to handle your work - without forcing your family and your vehicles into stormy weather. Similarly, if your work will be computer-based, make sure that you have the technology necessary to give your idea a fighting chance. In addition, make sure that you have a dedicated area that’s cut off from the rest of the house and that can afford you some privacy. Remember, hearing a barking dog or a crying baby in the background when you are trying to work or meet with a client may not be ideal for you or your family.
Outsourcing partners/ employees
While it would be great to be the sole owner of your company and have complete control of every aspect, sometimes a lack of funds or experience make it necessary to have a partner. In this case, consider someone that is bright, will represent the company well, and has some sort of expertise in the business you are developing, be it sales, marketing, book-
Vol. 1 No.102, 2014 proach could land you in some shaky territory. Instead, a good first move is to start asking family and friends what they think about your small business idea. Consider asking them specific questions such as: • Would you purchase this particular product and/or service? • What do you think its worth? • What is the best way to market the idea? • Is this something that you think is a fad, or do you feel it could be a viable business for the long term? • Is there anything you can think of to improve this idea? • What other businesses in this field have you heard of or do you currently use for this product/service? If you’re married and/or have kids, you should also be asking your family how they feel about you quitting your job and working from home. This will affect them on a psychological and financial level. If any of their answers are negative, you should spend some time discussing their concerns and decide whether your goal is worth continuing against their wishes.
keeping, or other financial matters. Also, try to define the tasks that you and your partner(s) will be responsible for before opening up shop. That way, there will be fewer disagreements and the business will operate more smoothly. Also, make sure that all partners are legally cared for by the company, and that the proper forms are filed with the regulatory authorities - this may mean filing twice and paying for title changes if you need to find a new partner, but it will protect both of you in the long run. Next, decide if you’ll need employees - whether now or in the future. If so, put some thought into how you will get them and what you will pay them for their work. Also, think about how you’ll do payroll, and whether people will want to work from your home, from their own homes or if you’ll need to find another facility to house them.
Doing Your Research
Some books on forming a small business suggest that after hatching an idea, an entrepreneur should just “go for it.” However, this bold ap-
After obtaining all of this feedback, go back to the drawing board and see if the idea can be improved upon so that your product or service can be differentiated from the competition. Remember, you want to hit the ground running and turn as many heads as possible when first starting off!
Finding Funding
Once you have an idea and the approval of your family, you need to decide how you are going to finance it. Most businesses will need at least a little startup income. This investment will hopefully help you break even after a year, but keep in mind that even successful businesses can remain in deficit for the first few years. Because of this, you will want to tap into a few different sources of funding. Some of these include: • A small-business loan • Savings • Money generated from other investments • Family/friends who will act as investors • Personal loan from the bank • Home equity loan • Credit cards (as a last resort) Source capital that won’t hamper your longer-term security. In other words, try to avoid racking up costly credit card debt that could cost 20% or more in yearly interest fees. Also,
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try to avoid borrowing against your 401(k) or other similar plans as this may adversely affect your retirement. Finally, one of the best things you can do before you take the entrepreneurial leap is to build up an emergency fund to fall back on if your company doesn’t break even for a few months. Three months of living expenses is a minimum goal for a new business owner, but even more will help take the stress off of you and let you spend your energy on your company.
Covering Your Bases
All business owners should think about what would happen to the enterprise and the revenue streams being generated if health or other issues were to prevent them from being involved in the business. In other words, if the entrepreneur were to become disabled, who would takeover? Could the business survive? Consider these issues beforehand and determine whether disability income insurance makes sense, or if a partner could fill the void caused by your absence.
Foreseeing the Future
It’s great to own a business, but ultimately the entrepreneur will probably want to retire or move on to other challenges. With that in mind, you should create a business plan that discusses how you will transfer, sell or close your company. If your business depends on your unique knowledge and contacts, it may not be able to be assumed by another party. Conclusion There are few things more satisfying and rewarding than launching and owning your own home-based business, but before diving in, be sure to do your homework. Making a business work is not an easy task, but proper planning will help to increase its chances of success www.investopedia.com Editor’s Comment:
Dear esteemed reader, we are very sorry we couldn’t bring to you in this edition, the concluding part of “unleashing the Entrepreneurial Spirit within You” as advertised in our last edition. We assure you of the continuation in our next edition. Thank you.
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Career
ou need all the self-confidence you can galvanize as you approach a job interview situation. One weapon in your arsenal is your dressing. In job-hunting, first impressions are critical. Like in every other scenario, you only have one opportunity to make a first impression. You are marketing a product, yourself, to a potential employer, and the first thing the members of the interview panel see when asking you in is your attire; thus, you must make every effort to have the proper dress for the type of job you are seeking. Dressing properly alone will not get you the job, but it sure appears in the score sheet, and you need all the points you can garner to come out tops. Dressing well makes you comfortable before the panel, without having to squirm within ill fitting clothes, or having to adjust your skirt, tie etc, distracting the panel and losing your flow.
Dressing to win at job interviews Chidi Ajah
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• Clean polished conservative dress shoes • Well-groomed hairstyle (men, leave the afro later and women, no funky hairdo) • Cleaned and trimmed fingernails (not claws) • Minimal cologne or perfume (don't suffocate the panel with cheap perfume) • No visible body piercing beyond conservative ear piercing for women, and no visible tattoos either • Well-brushed teeth and fresh breath • No gum, candy, or other objects in your mouth (dispense with that before you go in) • Minimal jewelry (men, leave your chains etc at home) • No body odour (well, well, well...) Finally, check your attire in the rest room just before your interview for a final check of your appearance, to make sure your tie is straight, your hair is combed, etc. and that you are not wearing a frown... So apart from first impression and getting maximum scores for dressing, you need full concentration to sell yourself well. If you are not well dressed, deep inside you know, and that impacts negatively on your selfesteem. Going into a job interview situation with low self-esteem is negotiating from a position of weakness. Dressing conservatively is always the safest route, but you should also try and do a little investigating of your prospective employer so that what you wear to the interview makes you look as though you fit in with the organization. If you overdress (which is rare but can happen) or under dress (the more likely scenario), the potential employer may feel that you don't care enough about the job. To find out the dress code of an organization, visit the organization Monday to Thursday and observe how employees dress. Friday is not a good day, as most companies dress down on Fridays (casual/traditional day). Alternatively, you can ask those already
working there, if you know anyone. Better still; call Human Resources (the number in the invitation for interview letter). You may feel that you will not get a positive response, but you have no way of knowing that. Nothing ventures, nothing wins. For men, you can hardly go wrong with a black/dark gray/blue trouser and a white/sky blue or any other mellow coloured shirt. This is not the time for coat or many colours, or anything funky. For women, you can hardly go wrong with a pant/skirt suit, same colour as above, though females can get away with more colours and attires than men. You don't need to spend a lot of money on clothes for the interview. Chances are, you already have decent clothes that if it is well laundered, starched and iron; you will look good enough to eat. Here are some tips for both men and women. In addition to your clothes, make sure you have:
Dressing well makes you comfortable before the panel, without having to squirm within ill fitting clothes, or having to adjust your skirt, tie etc, distracting the panel and losing your flow.
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Vatican Round-up
Pope Francis lambasts Catholic Bishops who help cover up child abuse
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eaders of the Roman Catholic church who failed to “respond adequately” to reports of child sex abuse by paedophile priests caused “even greater suffering” to their victims and will in future be held accountable, Pope Francis has said, in a clear rebuke to bishops who helped cover up the scandal and shield abusers. In his strongest condemnation yet of the way in which the church handled its abuse crisis, Francis asked victims for forgiveness not only on account of those who had perpetrated the abuse but also those senior figures whose “sins of omission” had exacerbated the problem. “Before God and his people, I express my sorrow for the sins and grave crimes of clerical sexual abuse committed against you. And I humbly ask forgiveness,” he said. The sexual abuse of minors by priests and other men of the cloth required the church to “make reparation”. The pontiff was delivering the powerful homily at a morning mass in the Vatican before a group of six abuse victims, including two from the United Kingdom. Sixteen months into his papacy, it was his first such encounter. “It is something more than despicable actions,” Francis said of clerical sex abuse. “It is like a sacrilegious cult, because these boys and girls had been entrusted to the priestly charism in order to be brought to God. And those people sacrificed them to the idol of their own concupiscence.” He added: “There is no place in the Church’s ministry for those who commit these abuses, and I commit myself not to tolerate harm done to a minor by any individual, whether a cleric or not.” It is not the first time that Francis has condemned abuse, but his words delivered at the Santa Martha guest-
Nigerian Catholic Reporter
house on Vatican grounds were particularly pointed towards those clerics who may have enabled the abuse to be “camouflaged with a complicity”. “I beg your forgiveness … for the sins of omission on the part of Church leaders who did not respond adequately to reports of abuse made by family members, as well as by abuse victims themselves. This led to even greater suffering on the part of those
who were abused and it endangered other minors who were at risk,” said Francis, according to a translation made available by the Vatican. All bishops, added the pope, must exercise “the utmost care” in order to protect minors. “And they will be held accountable,” he warned. Advocates of abuse victims have long complained that the church has yet to act to punish those bishops who
Vol. 1 No.102, 2014 contributed to cover-ups. And, reacting to the pope’s words on Monday, the main US victims’ group, Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests (Snap), did not appear to have been won over, arguing that words were no substitute for concrete policy changes. The church needed a leader who was not only kind but had “the toughness to fire complicit church officials, it said in a statement. “The pope says the church should ‘make reparations’ to victims. That’s secondary. Stopping abuse and protecting children comes first. And sadly, no child on earth is safer today because of this meeting.” Federico Lombardi, the Vatican spokesman, declined to identify the six adults who saw Francis for around 30 minutes each on Monday, saying only that two were from the United Kingdom, two from Ireland and two from Germany. One, however – Irish woman Marie
Kane, 43 – broke her silence, telling Irish radio RTE the audience had been an important vindication. “It can’t go any higher than this,” she said. “I felt it came from the heart,” she added. “For me he seemed very sincere and very sorry. And I think he realises he has a lot of changes to make. I’d like to believe he will, but, you know, I don’t know. We can only leave it with him and wait and see.” She said she had prayed for change in the church while attending the mass with the pope. “You know, just do more,” she said. “Get these guys out of power that shouldn’t be there – that are guilty of cover-ups, and who covered up in my case, as well, and they know who they are, you know. So, yes, change. Change.” The Vatican has been hauled over the coals repeatedly this year by two United Nations human rights panels, both of which unleaded harsh criticism on the church for its handling of the scandal, and urged it to do more to punish paedophile priests and their protectors, to support victims and to protect children. Pope Francis has said he intends to find new ways forward, having set up a commission for the protection of minors, which met again in the Vatican on Sunday. The panel, which includes Irish abuse victim Marie Collins, has been dismissed by some other advocates as a superficial gesture. They have found fault with the way the pope, 77, has approached the scandal since his election last March. While condemning the abuse, Francis has seemed at times reluctant to mount a full-frontal attack on the church, for instance riling many in March by claiming that no other organisation or institution in the world had “done more” to tackle child abuse. Some critics have also questioned why it took him more than a year into his papacy to meet with victims. Speaking to journalists on Monday, Lombardi said the encounters had been “extremely broad and intense” and had left the victims with “the feeling that they had been listened to … with great attention”. He rejected accusations that the event was nothing more than a publicity stunt, saying he was “not surprised” that some people could not understand the “positive intentions” of either Francis or Benedict XVI, who met with abuse victims on several occasions. But, he said: “It is totally clear that it was not a public relations event.
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If you [had seen] the people coming out of this meeting with the pope you [would have seen] that this was not a public relations event.” Culled from: the Guardian Today
QUOTE
“The perfect family doesn’t exist, nor is there a perfect husband or a perfect wife, and let’s not talk about the perfect motherin-law! It’s just us sinners.” A healthy family life requires frequent use of three phrases: “May I? Thank you, and I’m sorry” and “never, never, never end the day without making peace.” (Meeting with engaged couples, Feb. 14, 2014).
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Tribute
I
have cried, I have thought through various angles of this life. I have spent nights without sleep. But my dear brother, role model, and mentor; the one who God used to bring light to our family is gone, irretrievably. Engr. John Nnamdi Ezedinma Oguh, Structural Engineer, Businessman, distinguished Entrepreneur and quintessential politician has fallen to the cold hands of death, unannounced. Wednesday, July 30th, 2014 has now gone into the records as the saddest day in the life of the Oguh Family. We are deeply pained. He was a rare human being. He loved to a fault. His vision in life is so unique. He believed in a social engagement where not a few shall have the best things of life, but that the world will be a better place when almost everyone is equipped with a means of sustainable good life. This informed his massive and varied investments in the education of all his kit and kin. His fight to improve lives was not
Nigerian Catholic Reporter
Tribute to my friend, brother and father, Engr. John Nnamdi Ezedinma Oguh limited to his immediate families. He extended a helping hand to everyone that crossed his path. My dear brother, I was so close to you. You gave me my most popular native name “CHUKWUEMEKA”. I know what your plans for the future were. Here and now, I commit to advancing those courses which you have pursued in life until this sudden death that grabbed you. You were the cornerstone of our family, the iroko that stood tall in our midst. You preserved the peace, love and unity among us all which our late Father handed to you. You did not disappoint our father in making sure we continued to live in that real and demon-
strable peace to the envy and admiration of onlookers. You were a peacemaker. You were the uncelebrated Justice of Peace. That is why I have no doubt that you will find peace in the Lord. Rest assured that we (the Oguhs you have left behind) will push the frontiers of your vision to an extent that if you can see us from where you are, you will know that you did not die in vain. Your death has left a big hole in our family, no doubt. But by the grace of God, we shall muster the courage to continue your good works. You always told me and your children that so far as you were concerned, you had enjoyed your life. Your Great intellect and academic prowess gave you wealth and fame early in life. You were called “Nnanyi John” because of your super intelligence. You may not have lived a very long life, but you accomplished much more than many who lived twice your age. You touched many lives, from far and wide. You never segregated. You loved every human on the face of this earth. This is why the whole world is grieving over your sudden and untimely demise. Is it true that good things (people) don’t last? God forbid. Adieu my great and noble elder brother. Rest in perfect peace. May the Angels lead you to the stool of our father, Abraham. May Jesus welcome you into the kingdom of His father, you good and faithful servant (of God).
Chukwuemeka Mark Oguh, FCA
19 Title: Administrative Justice: Juridical Mechanism For The Resolution Of Administrative Conflicts In The Church Vol. 1 No.102, 2014
Book Review AUTHOR: REV. FR. DR. MBATA EVARISTUS CHUKWUEMEKA
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n this book “Administrative Justice: Juridical Mechanism for the Resolution of Administrative Conflicts in the Church,” Fr.Evaristus Mbata has given us a compendium. Cast in very good erudite language which is at the same time easy to understand by every attentive reader, Administrative Justice can be considered a classic. The book begins with a working definition of administrative justice as …The complex of means that the judicial system has put in place for the resolution of conflicts between the ecclesiastical authority and the Christ’s faithful” (p. 4). This 400-page work weaves through five intricately interconnected chapters with a general introduction and a conclusion. Mbata reveals in the general introduction that “the institution of administrative justice is relatively new in the Church”. It is a mechanism of the new code through which administrative conflicts can be resolved and with which Christ’s faithful can vindicate and defend the rights they enjoy in the Church. Unfortunately, aggrieved and hurting persons are either not aware of legal institution or they lack knowledge of the procedures to follow in vindicating their rights infringed by the exercise of administrative power. He goes on to show how ecclesiastical and civil law systems as well as the process of revision of the administrative procedural canons in the 1917 code influenced the development of the present codicial norms on administrative justice (chapter 1). Identifying the seventh and eighth, out of the ten principles which guided the revision of the entire code as the two fundamental principles or theoretical backbone of administrative acts, the author discusses several other subordinate principles (chapter
2). Administrative acts are the material objects of administrative justice, while the defence of subjective rights necessitates administrative recourse, he affirms (chapter 3). It becomes necessary therefore to appreciate the dexterity and profundity with which our very learned author guides his readers through to understanding the intricacies of the practice and procedures of administrative justice (chapter 4). As a way of contextualization, Mbata applies this beautiful study to the Church, for the promotion of ecclesial communion, fostering of the renewed understanding of rights and the promotion of the participation of all the faithful in ecclesial administration therein, as well as for the enhancement of further development of administrative law. Despite the difficulties in the practice of administrative justice, the author affirms the obligation which the Code of Canon of Law places on Church administrators. It becomes critical
therefore that every step be taken to make its practice effective. Such efforts include teaching the faithful about their rights, and respecting these rights, promotion of a deeper understanding of authority as service, setting up of local administrative tribunals and recognizing existing organs of administrative justice, and more, he recommends. Mbata concludes by noting that despite the many “difficulties in the practice of administrative justice, it is consoling at least that something is in existence while we await the prime time when administrative justice will be most effective and its reality felt everywhere in the Church”. Dearest reader, I have the pleasure to present to you this piece of great input, this important contribution of one our own, to the legal treasure of the Church.
Rev. Fr. Pachal Opara (Reviewer) Nigerian Catholic Reporter
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Events Diary Faces at CMO, Lagos Ecclesiastical Province Seminar themed: “Building the Church through a virile Catholic Men Organization�, held at St Agnes Catholic Church, Maryland, Lagos and (CMO), Lagos Archdiocesan bi-monthly meeting held at Catholic Church of the Assumption, Falomo-Ikoyi, Lagos.
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Catholic Men Organization (CMO), St. Dominic Catholic Church, Yaba, held its 2014 Men’s Assembly with the theme “Walk Against Cancer”. The three-day event featured prayers and reflection, walk against cancer, thanksgiving mass and fund-raising for the purchase of medical equipment for cancer screening/treatment for the parish clinic. Photos by Philip Egwuekwe.
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Cover
Youths dare
‌ as indecent dressing divides the Church.
B Victor Onwechei
Nigerian Catholic Reporter
eauty, they say, is in the eyes of a beholder which implies a passionate appreciation of God’s own marvel. Unfortunately, the drive for an identity with vogue from the Western World has pasted a fashion statement on the Nigerian Youths and teenagers that run counter to our mores. While some churches condemn this craze since it points to a total negation of scriptural connotation, others see nothing wrong with the dress-indecency as he who looks at the provocative nature of indecent dress would always fantasize the immoral passion. With the advent of the sleeveless blouses called the spaghetti, the simple top-brassiere, body-hug, mini-gown and mini-skirt, the low-waist jeans that exposes the but-
tocks of a girl, knicker- bucker and the use of other fashion credentials for the girls, the boys see themselves in the opposite camp with provocative boxers that do not actually pack their personal zones appropriately and ensure that its use must bring out the natural curiosity from the opposite sex. One could continue to list the inexhaustible pool of fashion tags that dot the world of the contemporary youths but may not make it comprehensible until one notices their mode of dressing to anywhere including the church. According to one Catholic faithful who pleaded anonymity, “in the past, I saw my mother emphatically cover her hair with good head-gear and made sure that no strand of hair is exposed. My sisters did the
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mass On a typical Sunday in any Catholic parish or out-station, one could notice some female youths and teenagers formally dressed in miniskirt or gown hugging the body frame to reveal the curves with sleeveless arms...
same thing but today, young girls simply place a free piece of black silk net across their heads to imply a head-gear. What God wanted in the past is what He wants today and forever.” Head-gear incidentally happens to be a nominal peculiarity compared to the bodily outfit. On a typical Sunday in any Catholic parish or out-station, one could notice some female youths and teenagers formally dressed in mini-skirt or gown hugging the body frame to reveal the curves with sleeveless arms partially covered with a transparent shoal. This is a daughter dressed in this manner under the visible glare of her parents who would simply look the other way. Buchi, a female teenager in St. Luke Catholic Church Idimu- Lagos simply called this “madness, my mummy would never allow me dress like this to anywhere let alone church.” Today, what has become seriously wor-
risome is that the Church characteristically known for scriptural conservatism is now threatened with the lavish and reckless dress sense in the House of God. This fear has become quite compounded by the sudden acquiescence by some new-generation priests. Nigerian Catholic Reporter recalls a scenario on one typical Sunday, a few years ago in St. Luke Catholic Church, Idimu-Lagos. Some daughters of a well-known parishioner had come for mass clad in spaghetti blouse tucked into mini-skirt that was one-foot above the knees but had the legs simply covered with strongly transparent spangled socks. Two of them were communicants and usually participated in other church activities for the day. At the end of the mass, an elderly Deltaborn church warden, wanting to address the issue before the parents, gave them a short-time start before she struck. At the end of her mission, she zealously came to report the issue to the Rev. Father hinging her premise on the regular dresshabit of these girls from the family but to everybody’s consternation, the priest threw it back at her deposing that “you have no right to do that; why are you bothered about another person’s problem when you have more of such in your home? “ The woman simply laughed it off and sauntered out of sight. This shocking position of the priest corroborated what one Rev. Fr. Okoro of Christ the King Catholic church (CKC) Akowonjo, Lagos asserted when he newly returned from the United States. He was a relatively conservative priest before
he travelled to God’s own country for a course. On his return about 10 years later, we saw a totally changed priest from mien through dispositions to accent so his position was strongly clear emphasizing that “there is nothing wrong in any kind of dressing to the Church, everyone should face God and shun unnecessary passion…” If the clergy could assert this position at a point the Nigerian society is raising apprehension over the odd vogue, the Church is then poised with a strong confusion particularly where there is no line drawn between the dress code for a party and that for the mass. In a recent chat with the Nigerian Catholic Reporter, the parish priest of St. Dominic Catholic Church, Yaba, Rev. Fr. Felix Onemheghie deposed a position that buoyed up hope for the Christians as he asserted that, “no seductive kind of dressing is tolerated here. We noticed the nonsense here so we set up a committee that plays the role of police for the purpose. We even had a seminar on it in conjunction with the Lagos Business School (LBS) where we concluded a position; we repeatedly sensitize them through counseling against indecent dressing but whoever goes against this faces a serious embarrassment from the committee members. So it is not and can never be acceptable here.” Incidentally there had been a myriad of complaints about this indecency in its totality, while some protagonists see this as a growth credential that will fizzle out with time, the antagonists see this as
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terrible among the youths and sadly supported by some parents. In a total study of indecent dressing, the superfluous make-up on the face, the unkempt nature of long nails and opulent use of emeralds constitute ignoble impression and negative identity in the church. Sometime ago the then-parish priest of C.K.C Akowonjo, Rev. Fr. Philemon Ogar had warned women to minimize or totally avoid heavy application of lipstick as it disturbed his administration of Holy Eucharist but whether or not this order was obeyed left time to test. In the same vein, Rev. Fr. Nwanmuo, in St. Leo Catholic Church, Ikeja, Lagos had ordered a female lector whose long fingernails, fingers respectively ringed and wrists donned with gold wrist-watch and bracelets, face heavily dabbed with cosmetics and lips smoking with heavy Elizabethan lipstick that glittered like a mirror in the sun. Indeed, she was a personified sophistication for the mass and not for the party. As she ascended the sanctuary and sauntered towards the pulpit unknown to her that she was not only commanding a cynosure but had infuriated the officiating priest who was inexplicably now on his feet and raising her hands to touch the bible for the first reading, Rev. Fr. Nwanmuo bellowed at her saying “don’t use those fingers to touch anything there …” Stunned at the embarrassment, she managed to rear back to her seat while the congregation struggled with the consternation. Recently, Rev. Fr. Mike Afrifa, the parish priest of St. Lawrence Catholic Church, Isheri-OLofin, ordered a church warden to send a girl out of the church during mass. She was dressed in clean party and seductive fashion. If the clergy, from the forgoing report, had a clear opposition to the contextual vogue enamored to the youths of today, why is the laity looking the other way? A youth is not a child born by the Holy Ghost, but born and nurtured to this stage by human parents with whom he or she lives, therefore where have the parents lost out? Or are the parents in direct support of this indecency? To these questions, the first salvo came from Rev. Fr. Felix Onemhegie (OP), the parish priest of St. Dominic Catholic Church, Yaba, Lagos who lamented that “parents are even in the mess of this indecent dressing, we don’t know what a mother happily married is looking for in that area and since such a style still dots their life taste, we have introduced the church ‘Police’ to enforce compliance to this order since indecent dressing is not acceptable here.” In clear corroboration to Fr. Felix
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Onemheghie, Mr. Tony Nwosu, a senior executive of the Parish Pastoral Council (PPC) of St. Lawrence Catholic Church, Isheri-Olofin lamented that “I don’t want to toy with the issue as I have decided to see the Rev. Father over it. It is a real sad development. He reminded the Catholic Reporter about a student-parishioner whose parents were notable members of St. Luke; he came for mass on one Sunday dressed in a black T-shirt hugging the entire body and flown over a relatively long boxer and wore a pair of black stockings slid into bathroom slippers, at the peak of this was a multi-coloured rosary worn round his neck with half of his entire face covered with a dark sun shade for a mass at 8 o’clock. “Did his parents not see him leaving for mass?” Tony had asked. For today it is now clear from an old axiom that if a woman cracks palm kernels without clearing the shells, her name is on the stone. If a parent was able to check a child’s misdemeanor in any form and manner, he or she must not
shy away from such disciplinary measure when he or she attains the age of youthful exuberance otherwise the saying mentioned above should be referred to him or her. Most Rev. (Dr.) Adewale Martins, Catholic Archbishop of the Metropolitan See of Lagos recently admonished Christians against every sense of indecency especially as it pertains to dressing, saying it does not only defile the body, which is the temple of the Holy Spirit but also the soul because the thought of dressing so provocatively emanates from the inner person. He noted that this malaise that is fast eating up the fabrics of our society especially among the youth could not have gone this far but for the encouragement given to it by some parents who not only encourage the trend for their children but are sometimes caught in the habit, all in the name of fashion. The Archbishop who is fast becoming a foremost apostle of decency, made this
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Rev. Fr. Michael Afrifa
Rev. Fr. Maxwell Beluchi
Rev. Fr. Daniel Nwankwo
known while delivering a homily on his maiden visit to St. Catherines Catholic Church Alakuko, a suburb of Lagos. He reiterated his utter distaste for indecency of all sorts, ranging from immorality, idolatry, incest and most abominably sexual immorality which he said manifests in indecent dressings and is engaged in by both sexes because they are a vexation to God. “Indecent dressing, the act of appearing in dresses that are very offensive to the sight of right thinking persons in the society is out rightly abominable. This is because it can only emanate from dirty minds and with equally very dirty intention, hence the need for all genuine followers of Christ to ensure they are never identified with the shameful habit of people going about virtually naked,” he said. Rev. Fr. (Dr) Daniel Nwankwo, CMO Lagos ADC Chaplain said, “because of a global world, some even have taken nakedness as their fashion and in this instance you would find both men and women indulging in it. God’s injunctions demand that every man and woman must dress well. But if one comes out naked and says he or she has dressed well, what would you do? As priests we will keep on talking. Dressing well is good. It has nothing to do with sexual immorality because those
who cover themselves might be worst. But the issue is self discipline and behaving well.” On how it should be handled in the church Fr. Nwankwo said, “Dress well, it is just like living healthy. Don’t take it out of quantity otherwise, instead of adding to your body, you deplete it. Trying to define indecent dressing, Rev. Fr. Maxwell Berechi said, “today we live in a very objective world where what I call indecency, another person may not call indecency. To the best of my knowledge, God judges a dressing to be indecent when it unnecessarily exposes vital parts of the body and becomes a distraction to other people especially members of the opposite sex or even members of the same sex who may be looking at that individual. I would also think that dressing becomes indecent when apart from being a distraction; it also puts the faith of somebody else in jeopardy.” I would also consider a dressing to be indecent when there is the intended purpose by the individual who is dressed in that way to unnecessarily attract people to him or herself and to, as it were, push their minds to concentrates their thoughts on what he or she is putting on. At this point the intentionality becomes the question. Somebody may not be putting on something that may not be adjudged to be indecent but the intention may be wrong. The person dresses gorgeously but with the intention to attract attention. As far as I am concerned, that is also indecent dressing.” “If you put everything together, you find out that indecent dressing is when one is unnecessarily exposing
vital parts of the body, when one is unnecessarily attracting attention to oneself, even if he has covered every part of the body, but the purpose of that particular dressing is made in such a way that focus should be on him or her and not on God,” he went further to explain. “ Another voice to speak out strongly against the immodest fashion was that of the late Archbishop Albert G. Meyer of Milwaukee, Wisconsin who, on May 1, 1956, wrote a Pastoral Letter to the Clergy, Religious, and Faithful Laity of his Archdiocese on the subject of Modesty and Decency. “In general, that form of dress may be said to be immodest when itserves to arouse the lust of men, or which serves as a scandal, that is, a stumbling block, to the practice of virtue... We must emphasize in the strongest possible language that it is Catholic teaching based on the most clear words of Christ Himself: that impure thoughts and desires freely indulged are serious sins. To invite such impure thoughts and desires through dress, action, or the printed and pictured story (literature, movies, television) cannot help but participate in the grave sin of scandal and cooperation.” The importance of the role of Christian mothers in teaching their children, their daughters especially, and from the time that they are very little, a true sense of Christian modesty cannot be over emphasized. Men are lost through women and they are saved through women, a preacher said one day, by their vanity, they will make a man fall, by their modesty, they will save him. As long as modesty is not practiced, the society will not rise from its decadence.
Today, what has become seriously worrisome is that Catholic Church characteristically known for Scriptural conservatism is now threatened with the lavish and reckless dress sense in the House of God.
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Interview
I have experienced the abiding presence of God - Most Rev. Dr. Alfred Adewale Martins
Most Rev. Dr.Alfred Adewale Martins, is the Archbishop of the Metropolitan See for the Ecclesiastical Province of Lagos. In this chat with Nigerian Catholic Reporter, the Archbishop speaks on his experience as bishop. He equally has a piece of advice for President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan on his political future. Your Grace, the trend of your ordination as a priest spanning through to the position of Archbishop is really unique bracketing your elevation at each level within every fourteen years. How would you describe it and was it expected? Really? Am surprised that that is the fact of the matter, I’ve not really thought of it at all in that way. I have never seen my journey within this vocation as anything unique. I am like any other priest doing his own little thing and then the Church asking me to play a particular role at a time. And to think there are fourteen years or there about in between the level is absolutely mere coincidence and the grace of God. There is nothing extra ordinary to it. It is just God’s will playing itself out when He wills. Honestly, I am grateful to God that He has given me an opportunity to serve in these areas of life that He
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has called me to serve. I don’t consider it unique or extraordinary that it has happened within these periods of time. If there is anything unique about it, it must only be known to God alone. This August marked two years that you have been in the saddle as the Archbishop of the Metropolitan See of Lagos. What have been the challenges, especially when juxtaposed with what it was like when you were the Bishop of Abeokuta? I thank you for that. I believe more than any other thing that I have experienced the abiding presence of God. I have experienced the willingness of majority of the people to do that which needs to be done in order that the mission can be carried on. I have experienced the co-operation of many people who are ready to give of their time and other resources in order to advance
kingdom of God in our Archdiocese. I have experienced people who just simply want to do the will of God; I think it’s been great. But having said that, it is not to say that there are no difficulties in the way. Obviously you cannot set everybody on the same frequency with you. There are still people who for one reason or the other, are not able to move on the same level with you, but overriding all those, is the abiding grace of God that has really been active. Well, comparing Lagos with Abeokuta, I will say that the church is the same in terms of structure, teaching, doctrine and operation. What are your worries for Nigeria’s leaders of tomorrow and what is your advice considering the level of social vices that have pervaded the society and also to parents who are custodians of the children?
Vol. 1 No.102, 2014 to think about and I think that the home where these young ones come from should be the pacesetter. Therefore parents must ensure that children grow up appropriately with the right principles. Also the church has its role to play and we the religious leaders must make available opportunities through which our children will learn that which is right and good, and that everything does not end in this world.
Obviously looking at the situation in Nigeria, we find out that by the grace of God, there are good things. However, for every one thing that is good, there are two or three things that we need to improve upon and beg God to give us the grace to do so. So I believe that it is in this context that we will be talking about expectations for tomorrow’s leaders. Well, in this instance, I think we need a moral rebirth in the nation, that will give us a new set of people that will lead us with integrity and principles that are based on God’s will and care for the welfare of fellow human beings. Corruption is the bane of our nation and young people need to learn that God’s own ways which he has given to us to acquire whatever it is that we need must be done through hard work and talent. Now, who is going to lead them to this future is another issue we have
Recently, the President, Dr. GoodluckEbele Jonathan told Nigerians that there is a thin line between corruption and stealing. What is your take on that and corruption in general? I really did not watch that but only read snippets of it in the newspapers. But I will be extremely surprised if stealing is not recognized as an aspect of corruption. Stealing is lack of self-control and dignity. Certainly for me, stealing is an aspect of the corruption that we have and people who steal public fundsand other resources certainly are part of the corruption for which the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC) were set up to fight. But I think that there are other aspects of corruption that needs to be highlighted as well. Take for instance an individual who engages in exam malpractice. It is another aspect of corruption different from stealing public funds and property, when people refuse to do the work that they are paid as civil servants, and so on. But the truth is that we cannot remove stealing from corruption. Do you see the present administration of President Jonathan committed to fighting corruption? There are certainly lots and lots of lapses that need not to have been there- that give the impression of not wanting to deal with particular individuals and circumstances. The EFCC at a point in time was much more in the news in terms of the effort in dealing with cases of corruption. There was a robust effort towards fighting the menace before but we have not seen such in this present administration. Though, we do not know the problem the President is facing but he certainly does not give confidence to the people that corruption is being tackled as it should. Unless the government is seen to be dealing with particular situation as they arise, the
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kind of feeling we are expressing now will continue to be there. There is this belief in some quarters that the problem in the country will abate only if President Jonathan did not declare interest to seek re-election come 2015. Do you think that this will solve the problem especially as the polity is being heatedup ahead of the polls? Well as for President Jonathan and his future in politics, if I were him, I will ask myself whether I have been able to fulfil the expectations of my office in the last few years. Have I been able to generate enough confidence in the activities of government that I have headed at this point in time? I will also try to find out the feeling of some of those around me who have no political inclinations on the way I have carried my duties. If he is able to answer things questions sincerely, it will enable him to decide whether to go ahead or not. And if I were him, I will personally think twice before I throw my hat into the ring. So I would advise the President to think really very seriously not just from the personal point of view but from an objective point of view. I will not seek re-election if I were him. Your Grace, if you have the opportunity of being with the President one on one, what would you be telling him? Certainly I will ask the President to listen to what everyone is saying because they may be saying something meaningful from their own stand point, and also to be ready to accept that which is unpalatable as long as it is going to help him to carry through to his government for the welfare of the people. I will encourage him to work on principles that will ensure that the corrupt elements in his government are not given the opportunity to remain there and create a bad name for the nation and the government. I will tell the President that it is good to pray and go to different churches and be seen to be praying. I think that it is a good thing in itself to commit things to God but at the same time, there are values that are attached to religion and faith that needs to be enforced within the body of government, the leaders and in relationship with people. I will equally tell him to objectively look at the circumstances of governance within the past years and ask God to teach him to make the right decisions concerning his future in politics.
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ViewPoint
I hate insincerity – Dame Okoli D Victor Omochei
ame Felicia Ngozi Okoli is a woman of many parts and defies any logical description. In academics, business acumen, astute faith in Christ, social relations and filial obligation, she is a reference point. What is even more charming about her is that no element of contingency can juxtapose her chores for the day. Defending this fact, the Anambra daughter stressed that “I have a streamlined span of control where everyone works without deliberate supervision. So issues that really need practical attention are those I can directly attend to while the rest are handled by my corresponding subordinates. I like carrying people along and my carriage can easily make people tow my line. So, it is easy.” A native of Oraifitte in Anambra State but born in Aba in Abia State, she had her primary and secondary education in Aba from where she was transferred to Catholic Girl’s Secondary School, Ozubulu in Anambra State. The end of this segment transited her to the University of Lagos where she studied Business Administration. For Dr. Felicia Okoli, this was just the beginning as she pushed in for postgraduate programme in Marketing and Management, respectively. Expectedly, she bagged M.Sc in both. Wondering how she coped with the academic zeal, she enthused that “education has no end as one has to keep oneself abreast with the events of the contemporary world”. It was no surprise finding this genial mother of six bagging her apex honours with a PhD in Business Administration from Lagos State University (LASU). Today she is a part-time lecturer in the University of Lagos (Executive Diploma programme). Added to this is her myriad of honours: she had incidentally acquired a Diploma in Data Processing in Business and Management Consulting and sit over a business empire called Armark Group of companies that oversees Moore Enterprise Nigeria Limited. A grandmother for six children, the
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Catholic Reporter was prodded to ask her how she manages her role-conflicts if any ever exists, but she stressed that “no such thing ever exists because I deal seriously with e-communication where information is effectively posted to me within time precision.” Asked how every information can be taken but she emphasized that “everyone who works with her knows that she hates insincerity and same holds sway at all times.” An ardent Catholic faithful from birth, Dame Okoli is a reference point in Lagos Archdiocese and beyond. A philanthropist and vivid humanitarian, she holds several awards, but in her words, “I seriously treasure the Papal
Award of Pro Ecclesia et Pontific.” She derives great fun in aerobics and relishes fruits to shore up her hobbies which are reading, singing and driving. Unconventional as she is, daily herculean tasks do not pool any harsh incidence on her as she drives herself around but she laughed this off stressing that “my love for fruits and aerobics makes my day light, so I don’t feel anything and I make sure I have a good sleep at night.” Indeed, Dame Felicia Ngozi Okoli is a variety in her genre. Everything she does portrays her as a daughter of King Midas at whose touch everything becomes gold. But she would simply depose that God has the glory.
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Diabetes and hypertension in children continued from last edition
Amazing story of children who suffer ailments associated with adults. ...It is a lifetime assignment for parents and it calls for concern - Paediatricians
Innocent Duru
Looking on the causes of high blood pressure in children, Dr Oduwole said: “In a lot of cases, doctors cannot determine the direct cause of high blood pressure in a child. This type is known as primary or "essential" hypertension. Even though the exact cause is not diagnosed, doctors realize a variety of factors can contribute to the disease. These include: Family history and excess weight or obesity. Africans are said to have a higher risk. We are not too sure of this although in other parts of the world children and adolescents of African heritage have been observed to have a higher risk. We need to have a national survey to confirm if our children are at more risk. “Certain medicines can cause high blood pressure, but when they're discontinued, blood pressure usually returns to normal. This is an example of secondary hypertension.”
Cost of managing the sickness
Professor Oguntona noted that both ailments are very serious conditions in children. “Do you know what it means? He asked rhetorically, adding that: “ It is a very serious strain on the system. Most of them don’t grow up to be adults. They often don’t have long life span. But with good medical management, they can grow to adulthood. “It costs a lot to take care of such children. For 24 hours you have to monitor their intake, monitor their activities and their sugar level, administer the prescribed drugs and all that. It is a life time assignment for the parents.”
Photo. Gettyimages
What leads to HBP in children?
Surprisingly, he said, stress is the top on the list of the causes of hypertension in children. “You must be joking if you think that children don’t go through stress. If you are living in Lagos, compare the hours you spend taking your children to school and returning them back with the hours they spend at home watching television.The body systems of children are not meant for this level of stress that they are made to go through these days. “You wake them up by 4am to prepare them to go to school. They are taken to school as early as 7am and do not go back home at times until about 6 or 7pm. When most of these children are supposed to eat breakfast, they
would not eat. The parents would package sweets and biscuits in the bags for them to take to school. Children may not worry about gas supply and water supply but they have things they worry about. These levels of stress are too much for the size of their hearts.” He suggested that parents of such children would need to visit a hospital where proper diagnosis can be done, saying: “There could be an underlining cause which would be revealed in the blood profile. If they are able to meet a good doctor or visit a good hospital, they would be able to identify it and proffer an appropriate remedy,” he said. To be concluded next edition
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Box Office
An engineer by profession but a Catholic and lover of music, Peter Egbumokei recently organized the first ever Catholic Praise Concert in West Africa. In this interview with Nigerian Catholic Reporter, he speaks on the inspiration and dream for the concert.
Why We Held the Catholic Praise Concert - Peter Egbumokei What inspired you to have this concert? Well, this concert has been a long held vision. It didn’t initially start as a concert, it was more of a desire to share my favourite music with the world and as I discovered more performances in the Gospel music genre cutting across classical, hymnal and contemporary type of Christian music. So I would visualize myself as a radio host playing selection after selection of music to inspire and encourage people. But I didn’t pursue a career in broadcasting. Later it evolved into a vision to gather my favourite artists and get them to perform timeless pieces and some contemporary songs into an album or concert. This dream has been on and off for more than two decades. Finally one day I said, “God I am going to give You a praise offering” and that’s how this journey started. I prayed for God to take the little I had, as small as it was to deliver a wonderful concert to the Glory of His name. And that’s exactly what He did. We started the planning in early 2013, it finally made landfall on the 26th of April 2014. In 2004, my world changed dramatically – and it’s really incredible what can happen to us in less than a second; people are born,
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people die, empires fall, empires rise. I was on my way home from Church when armed robbers ambushed me and at blank point shot me multiple times in the head, face, arms and chest then left me to bleed to death . How God rescued me is still a marvel to me. People often say to me, “but why didn’t God prevent it from happening?” even I sometimes ask that question. However I am learning that God allows certain things to happen for His own greater glory. An apt sentence is one my Elder sister shared with me recently “sometimes God calms the storm and other times God allows the storm to rage and calms His child”, another phrase from a priest 17 years ago – “goodluck or badluck, who knows, God knows”. It took such a long while for me to begin to appreciate what God had done for me, but you know the worst thing wasn’t the shooting and injuries, it was life after that. Series of events and other things that happened afterwards in my life, I really didn’t see those coming. Well they were ground shaking paradigm shifting events that nearly took me out of the Church and turn me away from God. Yet these same events, steps, missteps, turns and wrong turns helped to draw me closer and deeper into God through Christ, appreciate Him more and grasp the reality of His purpose for
my life. My existence and all the intrigues thereof are part of His grand plan. I may not be able to beat my chest and declare “eureka, I fully know my mission”, but each day He heals me, reforms me. Each day, I realize that vision, my mission and I actualize it. What do you intend to achieve with this concert? Evangelism through music is a very powerful tool, just as soccer brings people together both young and old; in the same way music. We are using this concert to evangelise Christ in the Catholic Church and to the world. It is being developed under the auspices of my foundation – Felicia Michael SoS Foundation with support from other groups and industry experts. FMSOSF is an NGO established in honor of my parents (my mother very recently deceased unfortunately), my parents were quite active church –building new communities, helping the needy through the St Vincent DePaul society and Guild of St Anthony so they more or less planted the seed for the foundation long before it was formalized. Our biggest support came from the Archbishop of the Metropolitan See of Lagos also known as the Archdiocese of Lagos; His
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can God not smile listening to these guys sing? We had AXIOS choir from Babcock University; De supreme gospel according to dance (Desugad) dance group; SSB dance group; DJ E-Moe; St Augustine’s Choir from St Leo’s Catholic Church; a solo gospel artist Prisca Enyi popularly known as Prisca D Nightingale; KellaKriz – gospel equivalent of P Square and Frank Edwards, one of the biggest names in this music genre in Nigeria. Franklyn isn’t a Catholic but he is a Christian performer and that’s who we all are. The concept is new, it is the first of its kind, I don’t want to say in the world, but daresay in Nigeria and possibly Africa as a whole! For me its an adventure, and we look forward to making it an awesome entry into this kind of active evangelization through music. The concert opens with the Holy Mass then the concert proper so it serves two opportunities – one that the spirituality of the event is defined and assured from the beginning and two, people who have never been part of a Catholic Mass get to experience it first hand – the invitation to Christ cannot be any more open than this. We hope to make the concert an annual event and improve on it each year.
approval, stamp and blessing fully on the project. At the same time we are using this medium to reach out to the members of the Catholic community primarily, then of course the larger society to help the Ecumenical process and tell the truth about the Catholic Church, breakdown the walls of alienation built on falsehoods and lies of the devil. We are reaching out to non-Catholics and non-Christians to understand what Christianity is about and bring them home through music. In the final analysis, I can say we are giving God a praise offering like king David and at the same time praying to God for individual and national deliverance from the clutches of evil. We are also doing this in gratitude to God that despite all the hardship, we are still standing
strong and God will surely rise and help us overcome. WHAT ABOUT THE ARTISTES? Getting artistes was interesting, considering that I am not in the mainstream entertainment world. Then again, you know what they say that God follows where He leads … referals worked quite well to connect me to the right people and before I knew it, audition videos started to trickle in. It’s amazing how talented our people are! We gathered some of the best gospel artistes in the country. Some are household names already, others still uncut diamonds – yet have some popularity within their local church or community. Very intelligent young people, I mean you should hear some of their lyrics, how
What are your future plans for the catholic praise concert? I hope that the Catholic Praise Concert becomes an annual festival of Christian praise music that people always look forward to, anticipate and levitate towards. This last event we had a target of 1000 people on the concert grounds, we aim for a couple more thousands in the future. We will be using larger venues, more high profile artistes (hopefully get some secular artistes onboard), attract an international crowd and performing line-up. You know for me, I’m just a toolbox in the Hand of God, so ultimately He will make of this what He wills. He will simply open His toolbox and pick the appropriate tool or equipment to get the job done.We hope that this concert becomes a platform for my diverse evangelism and to draw attention to certain issues and find solutions to them, using proceeds to help the less privileged and certain causes in the society. Interestingly we are already getting requests to host this concert in other states in Nigeria, also more Catholic choral groups and contemporary gospel artistes have started to reach out to us.
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Vol. 1 No.102, 2014
Family Life REV. FR. RICHARD FASUYI
The Family Of Jesus, Mary And J
A Perfect Model For The
MARRIAGE AND FAMILY LIFE To talk about family is to talk about Marriage. Marriage is very central and important to the human society. Most youngsters and adults not only talk about it, they dream about it and also desire it. As John Mbiti rightly puts it: “marriage puts the individual and his family on the social, religious and physical map of his community.” This depicts the fact that marriage is inseparably linked to family life. This is so because marriage as a sacrament is an efficacious sign of Christ’s presence among his people (CCC. No.1613). It unites both man and woman in service to sanctification of themselves, humanity, society and the community. That is why, in marriage, the grace is bestowed upon the spouses to love each other with the love with which Christ loves His Church. This same grace of marriage, as a sacrament, strengthens the indissoluble unity that the spouses have entered and sanctifies them on the way to eternal life (CCC. No.1661). Thus, marriage is not just about ‘settling down,’ as it is secularly interpreted nowadays, (garbage in and garbage out), nor is it aimed at obtaining some social and economic status. Rather, marriage is a covenant and not a contract. The above definition gives us the true nature of marriage by exposing its composite elements: that marriage is a covenant; that marriage is a reality between a man and a woman; that marriage is a partnership of the whole life, a reality ordered towards the good of the spouses and the procreation and education of children; and that marriage is a sacrament. Central to the above components are two elements: 1. That the idea of marriage is naturally ordered towards two ends: namely, the good of the spouses and the procreation and education of children. The good of the spouses precedes the procreation and education of the offspring. It is only when the good of the spouses is guaranteed that procreation in its real meaning and understanding can be assured. The good of the spouses involves the growth and nurturing of the spouses. Since marriage is a celebration of love, it follows naturally that spouses must
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aim at the goods that flow from their interpersonal relationship. Nemo dat quod non habet-(You cannot give what you don’t have). This in turn brings about and promotes the spiritual, intellectual, moral and social good of the spouses. It is only in the celebration of love and fidelity that the welfare and well being of the spouses is guaranteed. Again, marriage is aimed at the procreation and education of offspring. “Procreation is not the same and should not be mistaken for reproduction. While reproduction is the biological act that brings forth the offspring, procreation, includes reproduction and goes beyond it to mean the nurturing of the offspring, ensuring his or her wellbeing.” The spouses are obliged in procreating to see to the physical, social, cultural, moral and religious education of their offspring. Thus, it is wrong to give birth to children and wait for uncles, aunts, relations, nannies or
housemaids to train them. 2. That Christian marriage is sustained by the indissolubility of the two elements of partnership, namely, the covenantal character and the sacramental character. Any union that lacks these two characters does not worth the name (Gen 2:22-24, Mtt 19: 4-6; cf. Can. 1057 #1, CCC. No.1661). Having established the divine and magisterial teachings on marriage, the exemplary life of the Holy Family is given a consideration as a model for all Christian Families in the world over. THE HOLY FAMILY, WHAT ABOUT IT? Although the Gospels speak little of the life of the Holy Family. All that is known are the betrothal of Mary to Joseph (Matt 1: 18), the sojourn in Egypt (Matt 2: 13-15), the return to Nazareth (Matt 2: 19-23), the presenta-
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Joseph:
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World Today tion in the Temple (Lk 2: 22-33) and the incident that occurred when the twelveyear-old boy accompanied his parents to Jerusalem for the feast of the Passover (Lk 2: 41ff). Apparently, the parents of the child Jesus were observant Jews, what could be described today as the Lay people, making the pilgrimage to Jerusalem every year with other Jewish families. In all this, the child Jesus had a family support psychology that enabled his maturity in the discovery of himself and his vocation in responding to God’s will. Mary, on the other hand, through the story of the Annunciation, exemplifies the role of the believer in Jesus, the long-awaited Messiah, with a response: “let it be done to me as you have willed” (Lk 1:26-38). As the mother of the adolescent Jesus, Mary exemplifies the quality of a loving, gentle, yet disciplined tone of expression in conversation with the child Jesus: “My Child, why have you done this to us” (Lk 2:48). Mary demonstrates in humility, reverence and respect for Joseph which Paul talks about (Eph 5: 22-24): “See how worried your father and I have been, looking for you” (Lk 2: 48). By this singular act of respect for the poor carpenter – Mary becomes the embodiment of an ideal wife and mother for all Christian mothers to follow. The life of Mary of Nazareth, offers all wives and mothers in Christian families, a microcosm of spiritual life. For she wonders, ponders and treasures all that are being said about Jesus in her heart (Lk 2: 33; 52). In other words, from the happenings around the life of Jesus, Mary from the on set, rooted in the practice of Lectio Divina, that is, reading into the life of her Son, praying along with Him, meditating and contemplating on the events around Jesus. This makes it possible for her to speak to all Christian Families to “Do whatever he tells you” (John 2: 6). Joseph, the husband of Mary, though, a poor man, was not without integrity and uprightness (Matthew 1:19). In his uprightness, his choice was not to dismiss Mary disgracefully. In his integrity, his decision was not to get rid of the
unborn child; but to save life and obey the will of God. Not only did Joseph help raise the Son of God, his story of tender compassion and forgiving heart were on full display. So insignificant at it may be. So hidden as it may appear! So small as it may look, is the impact of religious teaching and upbringing on an adolescent mind. As a father, Joseph would have been one of his son’s primary teachers in his religious faith. It is probable that Joseph was the first one Jesus went to with his questions. Jesus’ understanding of God the Father, his heavenly Father, may have been shaped not only by Joseph’s own life, but also by Joseph’s answers to his questions. Therefore, Joseph’s faith was one of the foundations of Jesus’ faith as seen in the religious observances (Luke 2:23). This exemplary virtue of Joseph is a-must-have for all lay men and husbands in our Christian families. This is where, what I call the parental-family-psychology (Parents-FamilyMindfulness and Awareness) of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph becomes a sine qua non for our different families. It is a parental family psychology where Faith is primary (Luke 2: 4143; Luke 1: 46-55). It is a parental family psychology where care and concern for human life and mutual respect for each member of the family is non-negotiable (Matthew 2: 13-15; 20-21, Luke 2: 41-51). It is a parental family psychology where acceptance and obedience to God’s will, is second to none (Luke 1: 38; Luke 2: 51; Matthew 1:24). It is a parental family psychology where moral integrity is at its peak (Luke 1: 34-35; Matthew 1:25). These, are parental principles and values that Wives and their Husbands, Fathers and Mothers are invited to emulate from the Holy Family. Public or hidden, the earthly lives of Jesus, Mary and Joseph may seem far removed from our own society today. But if we look at them carefully, we can see how their individual lives offer us an invitation to grow in our own humanity and holiness, particularly in this Year of the Family and beyond. This is why the position of the laity in relation to family life, has received a
significant boost, as a domestic church. In the words of the Council Fathers: From the marriage of Christians, there comes the family in which new citizens of human society...? In other words, the Christian family becomes a Church in miniature, an Ecclesia Domestica, where in, every family must begin to acknowledge its immense importance as a Laos, a Greek word for “people” or better still, as a Laos Theou, “people of God” with a sense of co-responsibility in the saving mission of the Universal Church. If our family must be exemplary, it must look up to the Ideal Family. If it must be a model family, then it must borrow a leaf from “Arch-Model” of Family living, the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph, a perfect Family worthy of emulation. The Holy Family affords us the opportunity to reflect on what it is to be a Christian Family since the family is the basic unit of the society and the Church. It is in the family that we first learn to communicate. It is in the family we learn what is good or bad. It is in the family that we learn what love is because it is in the family that we first receive love. It is in the family that we first learn to forgive and to pray. It is in the family that we first learn about God, about Jesus, about Our Lady and about the Saints. It is in the family that we learn to value ourselves and to value everything else, picking up our values from what is said and unsaid by our parents. Our families form and inform us for many years. Little wonder, Saint John Paul II, in his Apostolic Exhortation on the Family, says: The Christian family, in fact, is the first community called to announce the Gospel to the human person during growth and to bring him or her, through a progressive education and catechesis, to full human and Christian family (Familiaris Consortio #2).
¶CONTINUES NEXT EDITION
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Tesimony
I am the first amputee in the Catholic Church to be ordained a priest - Rev. Fr. Okolo Rev. Fr. Benedict Chukwudi Sunday Okolo is a rare piece in the world of clergy. An Anambra-born priest whose life- dream to be a priest was almost truncated by an auto-crash that chopped off his left hand. But gifted with versatility, spirit of improvisation, existential determination and rare polish, he has never shown a tincture of challenges in his chosen career. In a no-holdsbare interview with The Nigerian Catholic Reporter, Fr. Okolo laid down his journey that has culminated in what he is today. Can we meet you? I am Rev. Fr. Benedict Sunday Chukwudi Okolo, a Vincentian Priest. I come from a village called Umuinem in Ufuma, Awka Diocese, Anambra State. That is also where I grew up. My father is a catechist and also a teacher. I am the fifth child out of the eight children of my parents. My parents have six girls and two boys. When I was growing up, I used to go to church with him and from there I started having the inspiration of becoming a Catholic priest. I joined the altar servers at a very tender age. My desire to become a Catholic priest started when I was still a child. I remember vividly that after a morning mass on one of those days, the parish priest asked if there were any of us among the altar servers who would want to participate in the common entrance to the seminary. Four of us gave that instantaneous
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response to the demand and volunteered to participate. We joined him in his car immediately to the exam centre and after writing the exam, the four of us passed. We were already in primary six then. After the entrance examination, we went for the interview. That time, the only way you know you were not successful at the interview was if you had the N10.00 that you paid for the interview returned to you in your sealed envelope. When the envelops were returned to us, I became very anxious. The instruction was that we should not open the envelopes. They were to be handed over to our parents or the parish priest to open. But on our way home, I became inquisitive and started peeping into the envelop and noticed that my own N10.00 was in my own envelope. That was how I realized that I did not succeed in the interview. I could not join the seminary that
year because I was not successful at the interview therefore, I enrolled at school in my community, Community Secondary School, Ajali for my junior secondary school education. Upon completion of my junior secondary education, I joined St Peter’s Special Science School, Achina, for my senior secondary education. At St Peter’s I was in the boarding house and every evening we would go to the chapel, and continued to activate my longing again to become a priest. After my senior secondary education, I started applying again to join the seminary. Eventually, the Vincentians invited me in 1999 and I started at Enugu. From Enugu I went to Kogi State where I met Rev. Fr. Adedayo Jenfa as an aspirant. Two of us finished and continued as class mates. We moved from Kogi State to Oraifite for our post-lance and after Oraifite we went to Benue State for our Novitiate; to
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Ikot Ekpene for our philosophy and to St Joseph’s Ikot Ekpene. From there again we came to Biggard Memorial Seminary, Enugu for our theological studies. How did the crash that led to the amputation of your left hand happen? It was in my third year at Biggard Memorial Seminary Enugu, a few weeks to my vow that I had the experience that led to the amputation of my left hand which is a testimony that I continue to give. When we went for the holiday, usually the holidays after Theology 111 is the one you work at home. After working at home, that December you would be ordained a Deacon. After the apostle work, I was sent to my home diocese and the vocation director posted me to a parish in my diocese to work. I served at Immaculate Heart Parish, Uga. I served there for six weeks. The end of the six weeks was very joyful because we had a wonderful experi-
ence because I formed a wonderful youth choir in the parish which is still thriving till today. At the end of the apostolic work, because my house was close to the parish, I went home a day before the closing date to collect my father’s car to enable me collect my belongings from the parish house. In the morning of the closing date, I decided to drop off my other colleagues in their homes before coming back to carry my own belongings. Their homes were a bit far from Uga where we did the apostolic work. I dropped one at Amaichi and the other at Adazi-Ani. On my way back I branched to Neni to see one of our indigenous priests. I returned to Uga, picked my belongings and started driving back home. It was getting late. Along the way, because I had been stressed up and did not eat throughout the day, I noticed I was dozing while driving. In an effort to remain alert, I engaged
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the car music system, raised the volume, lowered the car windows and increased the motion so I could get home faster and sleep. I hadn’t experienced this before. The music was to distract the sleep. Rather than distract the sleep all those efforts aggravated the dozing and I slept off. The next thing I saw was the car running into a gutter. I tried matching the break, but instead I matched the accelerator and the car hit a culvert and somersaulted. While the car was somersaulting, I tried to defend myself and my left hand went outside so the car fell on my hand. With the movement my hand was crushed and chopped. That was how the whole arm got crushed. The incident was like the end of the road for me. I went on a little trance, came back and saw people all over the place. I begged them to take me to the hospital. Luckily, a passerby named Abbey Oko drove me from Umuchu in Aguata where the accident occurred to Boromi Hospital Onitsha. The man married from Iburugbe Umuchu and that was his first time of visiting his in-laws. He was on his way back when he saw the accident and decided to carry me to the hospital and because he was returning to Onitsha, he insisted I must be taken to Boromi Hospital. That was where he felt prompt and adequate medical attention would be given to me. He thought I was a priest because I was wearing my cassock. On the way to the hospital, I managed to bring out my phone and informed my sisters that I was involved in an accident and was on my way to the hospital. When the accident occurred, I saw blood pumping out of the crushed hand with just a tiny flesh holding the lower part of the hand. Becoming afraid that the car could go on flame I quickly put off the ignition, and came out on my own through the car window. When I climbed out of the crashed car and noticed that it was only a tiny flesh holding the lower part of the hand I slumped. I went straight into a trance and I found myself in another place where I was thanking God that I was not actually involved in an accident and wondering what I would have told my people if I was actually involved in such an accident. But after a short time, I was back from the trance. I opened my eyes and saw people crying. By the time we got to the hospital, I had bled a lot and was very weak. I was fluctuating between consciousness and unconsciousness. Even when the doctors and nurses were contemplating whether to amputate the hand or not, I again begged them to quickly do anything they deemed appropriate to keep me alive. I remember saying, “if loosing this hand would help me to survive please cut it off. I want to live. I don’t think I have accomplished what God has sent me to do.” At this point I slept off. I woke up much later in the
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night to notice that some of our priests and indigenous priests came and made a decision and the hand was amputated. The accident occurred on August 20, 2009 and I left the hospital in September that same year. Then I started adapting to the situation. Within that period I was getting a lot of consolation from priests, prayer groups, family members, friends and other relations. While I was in hospital, I did not like people feeling sorry for me, and this actually helped me to adapt. However, the number of visitors I received during this period made me realize what I meant to the society and the communities where I had served. The crowd that came to visit me in hospital was a serious marvel to me. When I left the hospital, I was scared of the looming impediment. One of the reasons I have continued to call this incident a testimony was that that same year I was going for the choir practice of the youth choir that I formed and the catechist of the station was sharing his experience with some people, how while driving from Owerri, he slept in the car and killed two school children returning from school. I did not pay keen attention to that experience he was sharing. That is why I find it important to always share my experience, so that people would learn from it. I remembered that when the catechist was sharing his experience, I was wondering how a person would be sleeping and driving. I could not conceive that as a possible thing until I had my experience. I was telling myself that if I had paid attention to the caution that day, perhaps, I would have had solutions that people brought up as what to do
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when one starts feeling sleepy while driving which I could have applied instead of using my natural knowledge of putting on loud music, winding down the windows and speeding up. Many people who came to the hospital gave tips on how they handled sleep on the steering which was far from what I imagined and did in my own situation. What I want to point out is that it is good to pay attention to people’s experience. This is why now I advise drivers that whenever they start feeling sleepy while driving, the best thing to do is to find a safe place, clear off the road and observe three of five minutes sleep before continuing. This solves the whole problem. Since I was ordained, I have been driving myself with one hand. I have driven myself from Kogi to Calabar. I would have come to Lagos with my car but because it was not very sound, I left it behind at Asaba and entered a public transport.
After the accident, did you at any point feel that God failed you?
Actually, there was something like that even though the blame was not much on God. Instead, I blamed myself for not being very careful, and my life as a seminarian did not reflect that of one moving towards priesthood. I concluded that perhaps God wanted to use that accident and my amputation to stop me from becoming a priest. Those were the thoughts that were coming into me. I started remembering all my past life and I started seeing the accident as a consequence of my past wrong doings. I also remembered one of our priests who once made a statement that I would
become a priest but would find it very difficult. While my hospitalization lasted I was contemplating whether that was a curse. I was seeing the accident as the difficulty the priest had prophesied some years back. My family members were also in confusion, being a family that was very close to the church. My father is a catechist, so my people had that feeling that something went wrong somewhere. Perhaps someone was responsible for the accident. The speculation became rife considering that my father suffered a car crash few days before my own accident with the same car. My father being a catechist and knowing what was in the doctrine of the Catholic Church became afraid that I may not become a priest again. My entire family was actually disturbed. My mother just finished as organizer of our deanery that period. I had become a serious concern to the family if I did not eventually become a priest. It would have been very difficult for them to come over the situation. They saw my priesthood as a blessing to the family. With my amputation it seemed to them that the door of the coming blessing was closed. But the priests that were visiting me in the hospital kept encouraging me and sometimes giving instances. But I knew that even they, were not convinced about the situation. Some of them would call to say they didn’t know they would miss someone like me. One of the things that saved me was that I had no bad records in the seminary. I had been a workaholic and always tried to do things the way I understood them to be good. From the Provincial to all levels, no one could say there was any case against me. I was the maintenance hand from the Novitiate to that period and I used my hands to do a lot of things. I did plumbing works, carpentry, electrical repairs and used to enter the rooms of all of them to fix appliances. All our priests had one encounter of me or the other. All of them had pity on me. Our provincial precisely, Rev Fr Michael Ngaoka was our Philosophy director before he was made the provincial, he knew me. He did not want to act without verifying and checking very well. He had to write to Rome and called all the Canonists he knew in order to make enquiries concerning my situation. He told me one day at the hospital not to be afraid, that the Pope had instructed that I would be ordained only on some conditions after my discharge from the hospital and that he did not see the conditions as those that would fail. Were you afraid you could not have been ordained? I was not really afraid. My consolation was that I was alive. People were always with me –my class mates and family members. The challenge was that I underwent pain but with time, the pain started reducing and I tried to get along
Vol. 1 No.102, 2014 with everything. When I was discharged from the hospital I was told the demand of Vatican was that I undergo psychotherapy after which I should confirm if I actually wanted to be ordained a priest. I did the psychotherapy for three months after I was certified mentally suitable and they started working on my ordination. By then my mates had been ordained. The Deacon ordination had not been fixed but my vow was to come October 3, but I had the accident August 20. When I was called upon to confirm that I still wanted to be ordained a priest, I actually contemplated on it and saw it as something that was still possible. Despite the amputation of my left hand, my right hand was still normal to bless people and while in the hospital I had started contemplating on how I would do many things like swinging the incense, how to dress myself with one hand and things like that. People also started giving me the idea of artificial hand but I did not want to anchor my mind on that. So I put it into writing that I was going to continue with the priesthood and continued with the vow. My class mates underwent the Deaconate ordination before me and I was posted just as a vowed member with them to finish my philosophy study. I was later posted to St Mary’s College/ Agric Development Centre, Ondo-Ugboju in Benue State where I started as the accounting officer/office clerk for the school. In September 2010, I was called up for Deaconate ordination at Enugu. I continued in the school until April 29, 2011 when I was ordained a priest and made the vice-principal of the school. I served as vice-principal until September when I was transferred to Martha Day Secondary School, Oraifite, Anambra State where I am the Principal now. If you weren’t ordained a priest after your vow and Deaconate ordination what would you have done? I would have opted for a Vincentian Brother for life. We have Vincentian Fathers and Brothers and my class mates had already started joking with me calling me Rev. Brother. Some of them would say we had nine deacons and one brother. Sometimes I wasn’t feeling very good about such comment. But I wasn’t troubled because I knew they weren’t saying it with ill mind. When you returned to school after your amputation, how did you cope with adjusting to the life of an amputee? It was not easy initially but my nature had been that of inventing things to survive. I tried to prove to people that my amputation was not a limitation. It was just God that wanted it that way. In the seminary I was an artist producing the seasons greeting cards sent out by my school. I have that ability to create and invent new things. The creative gift
I had helped me a lot that even when I came back, designed a stand that helped me continue my apostolate works and also used it to share communion. After my ordination I thought out the idea of someone carrying my communion for me to share and I got the permission and I didn’t need to carry my stand around again. Doing my laundry and dressing were not easy but I started employing the use of my teeth and legs and then help from my colleagues. However, my life started gearing towards electronic things. What effect did the accident have between you and God? After my accident, Rev. Fr, S.V. Peterka said to me, “ This your accident happened to show the world that one hand God is moving is better than two hands that move on their own.” I reflected on this and there after I started noticing people with similar challenges more than I used to see before. So I became interested in them. I worked with physically challenged persons before but I never came to reality with their condition till after my own amputation. My orientation then started changing to what to do to show people that their situation was not hopeless. They should not beg for their daily bread. I started seeing God as somebody who would always provide for me despite the situation - a God who does not abandon us despite our situation of weakness. I started having abilities instead of disability to do things that ordinarily the normal person could not imagine I could do. When I went to Benue, there was the problem of mobility there was no automatic car to give to me and even the motorcycle they had was the highjack model and the school principal was contemplating selling it to buy a lady’s model that I could use. But within my first one week in the school I thought out an idea of taking it to the mechanic who converted the clutch system and horn to the right handle and I was riding it conveniently all through my stay in the school. This was a marvel to people who watched me ride the motorcycle even to far places. As the cashier in my school I was very busy and would sometimes work till mid night. I became so busy that I needed students to help me with my laundry and a few other things. Because it was not a boarding school I initiated the idea of a boarding house for the school so we may have people help out with some of my domestic works. Today, we have over 350 students in the boarding house. When you reflect on what you have passed through all these years and considering where you find yourself today, how do you feel? What comes to my mind is that in this world, we are what God says we should be. Every one of us what we would be in life or what we become or are is what God wants
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us to be. Only out of deprivation, maybe, human dimension of our being makes us lose sight of God’s design for us. I no longer see anything happening to me as strange. That is the type of heart I have presently. If am with you now and you slap me, I don’t see it as something strange. I know anything can happen to me at any time, and any one that happens to me I see it as God’s design.
What is your message to all other people who are physically challenged?
I told you that when I was in the school at a point I needed people to help me. Their helping me demanded that I had to appreciate them. That warranted the need for finance and the priest I was working with did not see that very need. That made me to begin a little poultry farm. Eventually I transformed my place to a tourist centre. I had different birds – quails, broilers, layers and I eventually got an incubator and was producing and hatching by myself there. This became a very big source of financial support for me. I also replicated that when I moved to Martha Dei where our school’s animal husbandry was rated the biggest and best during the last West African Secondary School Certificate Examination. It is on this account that the congregation is thinking of opening a Vincentian Farm which by September I would be going for training in Songhai Cotonue when I come back I will take up the project. I think God’s hand has been with me but it has not been very easy. This is because not every one understands that I make extra effort to make the progress that people are seeing today. What they see is the success in my life and not the effort that I put in to achieve the success. Sometimes some kind of jealousy comes in. When I see people envy me, I don’t feel good I wonder if such people realize that I suffer extremely to achieve all that. That is that aspect I am not too happy about. There is no way you can compare with being with two hands with being with one hand. You just need that grace of God to understand the situation. I have told God that since I am like this and he allowed me to become a priest, the testimony in my being a priest is that I am the first person in the Nigerian Church to be ordained a Catholic Priest with one hand. Other priests you see around with one hand were ordained before they had their accident. As a seminarian, I was ordained with one hand. Pope Benedict xv1 did that great mercy for me, when he gave me the opportunity to decide to be ordained a priest or decide to decline the ordination. I thank God for the grace and my effort right now is that I will not be a disgrace to Him because sometimes the promises that I made to Him are difficult to keep. My priesthood will never be something that people or my congregation will think of with regrets. For this, I obey every instruction from my congregation.
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Kiddies
TERRAIN
I want to be a teacher M y name is Udochukwu Remigius Njoku. I was born on January 20, 2008 in Lagos Nigeria. I happen to be the baby of the house in a family of five. I hail from Imo State in Nigeria and now I am in Basic 2 in Master Guide School,
Egbeda-Lagos, where we are well taught. My favourite food is rice and chicken. I love my family because we are always close and happy. I have two brothers who are in schools too. I want to be a teacher. I would have loved to live with my uncle in London
How I spent my holiday Master Kelvin Uzoma Njoku
M
y name is Kelvin Uzoma Njoku. I am a student of Assumpta Minor Seminary, Owerri. I am in JS 2. I spent my holiday with my family in Lagos. We vacated on August 26, 2014 and since my school is located in far-away Imo State, I had to wait for my father to come for me. He came
and study there but my father would not allow me because he likes to see me every day. I also love my teacher who is always kind to us in class.
shortly afterwards to pick me from my uncle’s house where I had stayed briefly after vacating. The initial plan was for us to spend the holiday in Singapore, but because of the change in my father’s work schedule, we had to settle for Lagos. Having missed each other for one year, I was very anxious as they were so when I arrived, there was so much excitement; it was exchange of stories every day. It made us more happy and my favourite food rice and chicken was ever there for me and my brothers. Towards the evenings, I played my favourite games football, as it was
always well played with my brothers for about one hour after which we would take our bath, did other simple things and prepare for dinner. Although we were on holiday, we did not abandon our books as my brothers and I were enrolled in a summer lesson in a nearby school. I also read some interesting novels. I never missed my morning mass during this period especially as it was mandatory for me as a seminarian. We also helped out in the house with some domestic work such as washing of our dresses, cleaning the house and helping my mother in the kitchen. We visited few friends and places of interest.
Pupils of Basic 2, Masterguide School, Egbeda, Lagos, during their Career Day celebration, recently.
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FotoNews
Newly ordained priest of Sons of Mary, Mother of Mercy Congregation, Afara -Ukwu Umuahia, Abia State
Celebrants at the 2014 Children and Youth Harvest of Good Shephard Catholic Church Owode - Ikorodu Lagos
The family of Late Engr. John Nnamdi Ezedinma Oguh during the funeral ceremony of their late father at Umueze Enyiogugu, Aboh Mbaise, Imo State, recently.
Most Rev. Dr. Allan Hopes, Catholic Bishop of East Anglia, Great Britain The Ordaining Prelate at the 2014 Priestly Ordination Sons of Mary, Mother of Mercy Congregation, Afara -Ukwu Umuahia, Abia State
Celebrants at the just concluded Catholic Laity Council of Nigeria (CLCN), Owerri Ecclesiastical Province
Bishop John Okeoghene Aferaha, Bishop of Warri Catholic Diocese (3rd left) blessing the Newly Built Warri Catholic Diocese Conference Centre
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