Nigerian Catholic Reporter

His mother refused to throw him away, was healed and laterr became a Catholic Priest.

N300

...turning lives to Christ

Vol. 2 No.108, August - September, 2015

Serra International District 130 - C Holds 2015 Annual Convention How to respond to common interview questions Bishop Lucius Ugorji marks 25th anniversary Don’t kill the Mary League Girls Association

Catholic schools prepare for long haul

Contents

Vol. 2 No.108, August - September, 2015

3

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

PAGE 20-22»

Marketing Reginald Onwuchuruba Andrew Kelechi Njoku Jacinta Nwankwo Online Editor Owotoke Bamidele Francis Contributors Mark Oguh Dr Patrick Ijewere Dr Eze Godwin Chidi Nduka Ajah Innocent Duru Most Rev. Lucius I. Ugorji Very Rev. Msgr. (Dr) John Asuqor Aniagwu Very Rev. Msgr. Livinus Ukah Very Rev. Msgr. Francis Ogunmodede Rev. Fr. Innocent Ikazobor Opogah Rev. Fr. Anthony Mario Ozelle Rev. Fr. James Mary Chiemenem Rev. Fr. Anthony Nwosu Rev. Fr. Anthony Eboh Rev. Fr. Iuvenis Iheme Rev Fr. Dayo Jenfa Rev. Cyriacus Nnadozie Onwuhara Rev. Fr. Bournaventure Ashibi Rev. Fr. Kingsley Idaewor Rev. Fr. Michael Afrifa Rev. Fr. Kenneth Eze Rev. Fr. Benedict Okolo Rev. Fr. Nicholas Ibeneme Valentine Agwulonu Romanus Egbulefu Denis Marie Rev. Sr. Eunice Ikufisile Rev. Sr.Philomena Ezeji Rev. Fr. Charles Uganwa Hilary Agu (South - South Co-ordinator)

How to respond to common interview questions PAGE 18-19»

How our little efforts can contribute to eliminating extreme poverty (Part 1)

PAGE 32-33»

His mother refused to throw him away, was healed and later became a Catholic Priest.

PAGE 28-35»

Legal Advisers Barr. Maurice Nnadi

...turning lives to Christ

©Copyright all rights reserved

Published by Economic News Associates Ltd Suite A3, 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

All creation sings God’s praise, but people are silencing it, pope says PAGE 16-17»

Wellness and Spirituality:

He created perfection PAGE 38»

Nigerian Catholic Reporter

4

Vol. 2 No.108, August - September, 2015

Editorial Suite

Remi

Emeka Njoku

O

ne impact of early church missionaries in Nigeria was the building of quality Mission secondary schools. The schools were standard in all respects…qualified teachers…well equipped…plenty teaching facilities… well stocked library…functional laboratories…and recreational facilities.

The Mission Schools run by the Catholic Church, Anglicans, other denominations and Government Colleges were citadels of learning.

Students were admitted on merit. Qualified teachers imparted knowledge with dedication. They were well paid. Discipline was instilled and sustained, standards were maintained.

Government provided the enabling environment and support. Most of us over 50 years benefitted from the stable school system that existed till late 70s. Suddenly

The Mission Schools run by the Catholic Church, Anglicans, other denominations and Government Colleges were citadels of learning. Students were admitted on merit. Qualified teachers imparted knowledge with dedication.

Nigerian Catholic Reporter

everything changed. Governments took over schools and the school system collapsed.

School infrastructure decayed, standards crashed, teachers are not paid regularly, indiscipline reigns, students perform woefully in WAEC and external examinations, and our youths have abandoned their books and flocked to social media. But all hope is not lost. The good old days are coming back. Governments are giving schools back to the church to run.

Over cover story this edition examines the leading example of Anambra State which has returned schools to their original owners, the Missions. The results are good. Other states should emulate the Anambra feat.

God is faithful. There is a testimony of a Catholic priest whose mother refused to throw him away as an infant because his sickness could not be cured. She made a vow to God in a Cathedral: If you heal my son, I will give him back to you. Thirty years later, that boy was ordained a Catholic priest in that same Cathedral.

This edition features interesting stories on two Catholic Bishops, many activities of Catholic organizations, tit-bits you will enjoy, and an expose on how to come tops in a job interview.

Enjoy it!

5

Vol. 2 No.108, August - September, 2015



Letters

Africans unite against Gay Rights

F

or some time now the Gay Rights and Lesbians freedom has filled the air, from the Americas, Europe and Asia. Now is becoming a common vocabulary in Africa’s urban and rural communities. More astonishing is that some young ones have even formed Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) to agitate for their gay-rights, claiming human rights, freedom of association and democracy.

During the 7th Assembly of the National Assembly, some groups of Nigerians stormed the National Assembly to demand for gay rights and that of lesbians. This move was a clear signal that this cankerworm has already eaten deep into our society.

Nigerians will continue to applaud the gallant stance of African

leaders who have unequivocally rejected President Obama’s moves to convince them to accept sodomy, which is against the law of the many

May God grant success to the work of your hands

I

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.

African countries and abhorrent to their culture.

President Obama and the American citizens should read their Bibles well and remember these chapters and verses: Genesis 2: 18-25 and 19: 5 (The story of the creation of man and woman, and that of Sodom and Gomorrah).

We commend Africans and their leaders particularly our dear President Mohammed Buhari, Yuri Museveni of Uganda and others for their position on this issue. Aids and loans or grants have never solved the myriad of problems any country has and will never, rather all goodness and powers belong to God Almighty. Once, we have God on our side, we have everything. So Africans fight on and remain resolute.

Victory is ours.

Hilary Agu.

Vol. 1 No

.100 M

ay, 20

14

rist es to Ch ing liv ...turn

ll Will A lics Go Catho ll?

To He 4 PAGE

g lopin Devemily A Fa ncial Fina agement Manit Hab E 14» PAG

th: r Nazaore del fo A m y life famil 8» 3 PAGE

f humanityy… o e r u t u f The s on the famil depenopd Adewale Martins Archbish

bad’’ le ave ‘’ ple le, bad peop le p ’’ peo d peo ‘’goodlay politics o o g en h W to p ws which le p peo ake la will mobey must -43» 40 PAGE

Nigerian Catholic Repo Reporter

6

Vol. 2 No.108, August - September, 2015

The Question

Should African leaders yield to President Barack Obama’s pressure to sanction gay marriage?

Yes

: President Barack Obama

“I have been consistent all across Africa on this. I believe in the principle of treating people equally under the law, and that they are deserving of equal protection under the law, and that the State should not discriminate against the people based on their sexual orientation.”

Recognize that there may be people who have different religious or cultural beliefs but the issue is how does the State operate relative to people?

The history of countries around the world suggests …when you start treating people differently not because of the harm that they are doing to anybody but because they are differ-

ent, that is the path whereby freedoms begin to erode and bad things happen.”

As an African American in the United States, I am painfully aware of the history of what happens when people are treated differently under the law.

There were all sorts of rationalizations that were provided by the power structure for decades in the United States for segregation and they were wrong.

I am unequivocal on this; if somebody is a law abiding citizen who is going about their business, going to their job and obeying the traffic signs and doing the other things that good citizens are supposed to do and not harming anybody, the idea that they are going to be treated differently or abused because of who they love is wrong.”

No

No

: Senegal’s President Macky Sall

: President Muhammadu Buhari

“We are still not ready to decriminalize homosexuality…the country is very tolerant but needs more time to digest the issue without pressure. This does not mean we are homophobic.”

“Sodomy is against the law of the country (Nigeria) and abhorrent to our culture.”

No

: Kenya’s President Uhuru Kenyatta

“Kenya and the United States share so many values, our common love for democracy, entrepreneurship and value for families. But there are other things that we do not share; our cultures, our societies do not accept. It is very difficult to impose on people that which they themselves do not accept. This is why I repeatedly say that for Kenyans today, the issue of gay rights is really a non-issue.

We want to focus on other areas that are day-to-day living for our people. The health

Nigerian Catholic Reporter

issues that we have discussed with President Obama are critical, issues of ensuring inclusivity of women, and a huge section of society that is normally left out of the mainstream of economic development.

The key focuses include, “what we can do in terms of infrastructure, education, giving them power and encouraging entrepreneurship. Once we have overcome some of these challenges, we can begin to look at new ones. As of now, the fact remains that this issue is not really an issue that is on the foremost minds of Kenyans and that is a fact.”

Vol. 2 No.108, August - September, 2015

7

Briefs The Church promotes NaProTECHNOLOGY - Archbishop Adewale Martins

The Archbishop of Lagos, His Grace, Archbishop Alfred Adewale Martins has called on the Catholic Men Organisation of Nigeria (CMON) to organise programmes and seminars against In-Vitro Fertilisation (IVF) as an alternative means of reproduction.

The Archbishop made the call at the Second Annual General Meeting (AGM) of Lagos Archdiocesan Catholic Men Organisation (LACMON). He was represented by the Dean of Yaba Deanery and Pastor of St. Dominic’s Catholic Church, Yaba, Rev. Fr. Felix Onemheghie (Op), Acknowledging that the Family and Human Life Unit (FHLU) of the Archdiocese have been promoting Natural Procreative Technology (NaProTECHNOLOGY) as an alternative that goes in line with the teaching of the Church, he lamented that many Catholics are being tempted to explore IVF as answer to childlessness and infertility.

“I am giving the CMO the challenge to organise programmes/seminars on IVF and the Church’s teaching against it as an alternative means of reproduction,” he stated

Pray for the family, Rev Fr. Sebastian Ngene urges Christian Mothers Rev Fr.SebastianNgene, Dean of Confraternity of Christian Mothers, Mary Land Deanery, and Parish Priest of St Michael Catholic Church, Ketu, Lagos., has urged members of the Confraternity of Christian Mothers to pray for families facing challenges.

According to him, “I want to encourage members of this Confraternity not to lose sight of prayer especially praying for the family. This is because prayer is the major apostolate of the Confraternity. Many families, today, have various challenges; even those who feel their families are blessed should also make out time to pray for other families that have challenges.”

“We must be truly Catholics and allow ourselves to be pruned by the Words of God and the teachings of the Church. It is only when we allow ourselves to be pruned by the Words of God and the teachings of the Church that we will be truly children of God and that is also when we will continue to abide by our Lord Jesus Christ and will bear fruit”, he went further to say.

Priestly Ordination Anniversary: We congratulate, rejoice, and request your prayers for Reverend Monsignori John Aniagwu, Paschal Nwaezeapu, Ignatius Sotos; Frs. Christopher Arabi, Stephen Enearu, Julius Olaitan, Pius Omofuma, Innocent Opogah, IkennaIkechi, Cletus Anyanwu, Christian Echewodo, Emmanuel Ekeri, Sebastian Ngene, Augustine Nnaemeka, Gregory Anosike, Patrick Osuntoyinbo, Gabriel Agule, Martins Uwakwe, Thaddeus Okafor, Andrew Ukonu, Kelvin Okuma, Samuel Agu. Others are: Frs. Kingsley Njoku, Francis Ealefor, Andrew Abhulime, Theodore Akaenyi, DebresTrinkson, SixtusUwague, Jude-Mary Njoku, Dominic Okure, Chidube M. V. Ubili, Stephen Owusu-Achaw, Alphonsus Ozoemena, Anumba Peter, Christopher Amojo, Jonathan Eburuche, Vincent Odoemenam, and James Chiemenem. Their sacerdotal ordination anniversaries hold this month. May God grant them lasting joy and the grace of final perseverance.

Ad MultosAnnos.

BEREAVEMENT: We announce with a heavy heart the demise of Pa. Nicholas Ike, father of Rev. Fr. Francis Ike, who died last July. Kindly celebrate Mass for the repose of his soul and consolation for the family.

May God grant him eternal rest, Amen.

NOTICE BOARD: 20TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION, CHRIST THE KING CATHOLIC CHURCH, AKOWONJO, LAGOS COMING: Dateline: September 23, 2015.

2015 New Legal Year Mass/ Annual General Meeting of National Association of Catholic Lawyers, Lagos Archdiocese holds in Lagos.

Chief Celebrant: His Eminence, Anthony Cardinal Okogie. Date: 20th September, 2015. Venue: Holy Cross Cathedral, Lagos; Small Christian Communities’ Leadership Workshop Coming. Leadership Workshop holds for leaders and facilitators of Small Christian Communities in the Archdiocese of Lagos. Date: 5th September, 2015. Venue: St. Gregory’s College, Obalende, Lagos

Nigerian Catholic Reporter

8 News ISSELE-UKU DIOCESE

Vol. 2 No.108, August - September, 2015

St. Lawrence, Issele - Mkpitimi celebrates Feast Day, honours personalities

Rev. Fr. Charles Uganwa Director of Social Communication IsseleUku Diocese

By: Chioma Ajafuo

T

he 2015 feast of St. Lawrence was well celebrated at IsseleMkpitimi as their illustrious sons and daughters came home to mark the patron feast day of the Church, St. Lawrence Catholic Church. The church also used the opportunity to recognize the efforts and contributions of some personalities by honouring them with the award of “Ezinna and Ezinne”.

The installation was a pure merit for it comprise of those who have distinguished themselves in many ways, especially in moving the church forward through their charity works.

The celebration which took place on the 15th day of August, 2015 began with a Eucharistic celebration which had Rev. Fr. Militus Eze as the Chief celebrant, concelebrated by four other priests including the parish priest, Rev. Fr. Samuel Agwamese.

During the homily, Rev. Fr. Julius Ijekeye thanked God for bringing them together to appreciate God for his goodness in their lives and to celebrate men and women of honour who have done well in their little way in church in their worship and

Cross section of youths at the Naationa youth Day Celebration 2015 service of God and humanity. Furthermore, the articles for installation were blessed and the following were installed Ezinna and Ezinne; Chief Dr. Paul Kingsley Chukwuka Isagba, Chief Rufus Obi Awih Ugbolue, Chief Anthony Chukwuka Nwaobi, Sir Odiakose Joseph, Evang. Osemeke Michael, Lance Corporal George Adigwe, Mr. Joseph Sunday Okaforabolo, Evang. Christian E.C. Igboh, Mr. Gabriel Onwordi, Mrs.

A Good Shepherd gathers his flock – Fr. Onyebadi

By Kris Billy Chiazor

P

ersons called to positions of authority have been enjoined to recognise people under them as a flock they should protect and not scatter.

Rev Fr. Jude Onyebadi made this call at a Sunday homily in St. Matthew’s Parish, Idumuje-Unor in Aniocha North Local Government Area of Delta State, resently.

“As you are called to authority, either as a chairman of an organization in the church or civil society, a priest of God, a

Nigerian Catholic Reporter

political leader, a king of a kingdom or whatever position you may find yourself as a leader, persons under you are your flock. These sheep you are bound to protect and not scatter. Even when one of the sheep goes stray try as best as you could to bring that sheep to order but not by harsh punishment like excommunication to let the sheep go further astray. God in the prophet Jeremiah told us that, “Doom for the shepherds who allow the flock of my pasture to be destroyed and scattered,” Are you in the class of such a shepherd?” asked Rev Fr. Jude Onyebadi.

Patricia Ijebusonma Moemeke, Mrs. Uyakonwu Theresa, Mrs. Rose Obiajulu Obute, Mrs. Henrietta Odiakose, Mrs. Bridget Ngozi Ojei, Mrs. Theresa Azubuogor Okwuadi, Mrs. Maria Nwabuno Kwushe, Mrs. Lady Veronica Ogboli, Mrs. Dorathy Ayomnwa Mordi, Mrs. Grace Enuagwuna Nwaka, Mrs. Bridget Ngozi Onwordi, Mrs. Mary Adigwe, Mrs. Osemeke and Mrs. Grace Ngozi Igboh.

Debt is the bane of Catholic men

By Kris Billy Chiazor

M

ost men fail to attend meetings of the Catholic Men Organisation (CMO) at regional or diocesan level of the Church in Issele-Uku. This has incapacitated the smooth functioning of the body because there is no fund to run its affairs. All the buses parked in different parishes are owned by the Catholic Women Organisation (CWO).

That was the observation during the regional CMO executive meeting held at the office the regional Presi-

Vol. 2 No.108, August - September, 2015

9

Fr Adigwe urges men to take up their duties at Youths converge on Benin home and church City for National Youth Day

By Kris Billy Chiazor

R

ev Fr. Joseph Adigwe of St. Augustine’s Parish, Ute-Ogbeje, has urged men not to abandon their duties in the homes and the church, for their wives.

Speaking at a public function recently, Fr. Adigwe lamented that, “Despite our ordination as priests, we, men have allowed our representatives – our wives to overtake us even in our homes and our duties. Men have so much relegated their duties. This relegation is even telling in our homes, the church and even the society at large. In the church women are more committed than men. Women worship God with all their strength, mind and even all their resources”.

Reminding men that empowerment comes from God, he warned, that we can only be empowered when we come close to God. “Why call yourself a member of the Catholic Men Organisation when you do not know the catechism of the Catholic Church? How can the person you give a morsel become stronger, more vocal and more active than you in the church and sometimes even in your home.

Men this is the time to have a change of heart and attitude before it becomes late. Follow your responsibility to its logical conclusion and stop relegating your duties in the church to your subordinates – the youths and women” he concluded.

n in Issele-Uku Diocese dent, Sir Anthony Ayagbunem. Speaking to members of the executive, Ayaegbulem said most men in the parishes in the diocese find it difficult to pay their monthly dues. He observed that when members don’t attend parish meetings. They go to beer parlours and drinking joints and spend money they should use in supporting the CMO. The CMO boss wondered how the organisation can purchase a bus for evangelism when its account is not buoyant. He observed that some parish Presidents are not helping matters when they fail to attend regional or diocesan meetings where they can learn how things are done.

By Dikeogwu Opene Samuel

T

he 2015 National Youth Day celebration has come and gone but, the sweet memories still linger on in the minds of the Catholic Youths in Nigeria. National Youth Day is a miniature celebration of the World Youth Day usually organized by the CBCN Youth Committee and Catholic Secretariat of Nigeria (CSN). It is an event celebrated in anticipation of the World Youth Day (WYD).

The church in Nigeria between 4th – 8th of August, 2015; organized the fourth edition of the NYD for Catholic Youths in Nigeria to prepare those who will be attending the 2016 WYD celebration in Krakow, Poland and give those who will not attend a glimpse of the world gathering of youths with Pope Francis.

This celebration took place in Benin City, Edo State with over eight thousand youths in attendance. The theme of the event was “Blessed are the merciful for they shall obtain mercy”. In fact, this is one of the largest youth programmes of the church in Nigeria as the different youth groups namely – CYON, NFCS, YCS and NACC were fully represented in their regalia and numbers.

The opening mass was celebrated by His Eminence, John Cardinal Onayiekan and con-celebrated with Archbishop Augustine O. Akubeze, Bishop Peter Kayode Odetoyinbo (CBCN Chairman, Youth Committee), Bishop Godfrey Onah, Bishop Emmanuel Badejo, Bishop Martin Uzoukwu, Monsignors and Reverend Fathers.

Speaking during the homily, John Cardinal Onayiekan cautioned the Catholic Youths to be well-behaved and to be good ambassadors of their Catholic faith. As beneficiary of God’s abundance graces at the NYD, he urged them to use the opportunity to deepen the relationship and commitment to God by ways of living a value driven life that is centred on holiness and forgiveness.

He also promised the youths that the church is drawing up a blue print that will dwell on the development of the youth apostolate in particular reference to character formation.

During the course of the programme, papers were presented

by Bishop Martin Uzoukwu (Minna Diocese) on the title “Corporal works of mercy”, “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy” and “Globalization of indifference, youths as agents of change” by Bishop Godfrey Onah (Nsukka Diocese) and Bishop Emmanuel Badejo (Oyo Diocese) respectively.

Other activities that featured at the one-week long programme included: Catechesis, Eucharistic adoration, Stations of the Cross, Divine mercy prayers, Cultural display, youth empowerment programmes, pilgrimage walk, youth festivals at accommodation centres and closing mass celebrated by Archbishop Augustine O. Akubeze. The fifth edition of the NYD comes up in 2018 at Calabar province and Issele-Uku Diocesan CYON was fully represented at the event.

Nigerian Catholic Reporter

10

Vol. 2 No.108, August - September, 2015

Serra International District 130 - C Ho

T

By Mark Oguh

he 2015 Annual Convention of Serra International District 130-C, Nigeria was held at the Catholic Church of Divine Mercy, Admiralty Way, Lekki, Lagos, May 15 -17, 2015. The three-day convention with the theme, “Therefore, encourage one another, and build up one another” (1 Thess. 5:11) featured District Council meeting, two plenary sessions and a thanksgiving mass on Sunday, May 17.

In a goodwill message, Archbishop of Lagos Metropolitan See, His Grace, Alfred Adewale Martins described the theme of the convention as absolutely appropriate; clarifying that thead monition from St. Paul was written to an early Christian community which was struggling to live out its newly found faith in a hostile atmosphere of pagan culture.

The Archbishop urged members to “promote goodwill amongst yourselves, and never hold back the help

Team Africa offers free medical services to poor Nigerians and Ghanaians Nigerian Catholic Reporter

you can render to one another”.

Serran Daniel S. Grady, Serra International President (2014 – 2015) from Chicago, USA, noted with appreciation, the commitment and service of Serrans in Nigeria to “our Serran Apostolate”. He stated that Serrans’ most important work is done at the local level – “the support you provide and the relationship you nurture with your religious seminarians and clergy are joined by the Holy Spirit to the service of your fellow Serrans around the world to bestow a great blessing on the vocation efforts of the church”. The reigning SIP reminded Serrans in Nigeria to remain in communion with their local ordinaries, and nurture their relationships with seminarians, religious and priests.

In a keynote address, the Archdiocesan Director of Vocation and Administrator of Holy Cross Cathedral, Rev. Fr. Anthony Oyeniyi, emphasized the need to encourage Christians. He observed that “good encouragement in itself builds us up in our relationship with Jesus”. He pointed out that to have a good rela-

U

p to 25,000 poor Nigerians and 3,700 Ghanaians have benefited from the free medical services offered by US based non-profit organization, Team Africa Mission International.

The free medical package of Team Africa include, general medical screening, health appraisal, health education; vision checks and providing fitting reading glasses; elective surgeries and cataract extractions. The NGO has so far, completed four medical trips to Nigeria in 2008, 2009, 2011, and 2013 and treated about 7000 patients in each mission in Nigeria; and a trip to Ghana in August 2015.

Founder and Leader of Team Africa

tionship with Jesus is to know Him. “And you cannot know him, except you love him”, he concluded.

In his welcome address, Serran Peter Ezike, who until the convention was the District Governor- Elect, enjoined members to “work heartily, whatever task assigned to us in order to achieve the Serra objectives”. He noted that when you fail to work diligently on tasks assigned, you weaken the chain, and no assignment is more important than the other. He called on members to rededicate themselves to service at all club levels. According to the DG, “the service you render here on earth is the coin you spend in heaven”. He warned that if one fails to serve here on earth, one would be impoverished in heaven. He praised the efforts of all clubs towards giving birth to new clubs in-formation which is a signal to growth in the district.

The DG stated that the convention theme was chosen after due consideration of the state of affairs in the district which revealed “some pulling their weights, some trudging and some sleeping”. He called for indi-

Mission International, Dr Evon Anukam said the volunteers for each medical trip comprised licensed health care providers who volunteer their time and resources to African communities in dire need of health services. Their number range from 25 to 30 personnel. The team has visited Enyiogugu, in Aboh-Mbaise Local Government Area of Imo State, and surrounding communities. It spent an average of two weeks per trip. The 2015 trip was to Ghana.

According to Dr Evon, the volunteer health professionals sponsor themselves, do all necessary fund raising to purchase medications and medical supplies, and travel to African countries to provide free medical services to various communities. Typically, Team Africa organises the trip every other

Vol. 2 No.108, August - September, 2015

11

olds 2015 Annual Convention vidual stock-taking to ensure that the dreams of Serra International are realized if members fire from all cylinders.

Setting the agenda for the convention, the DG listed membership drive and retention, the spiritual content of Serra programmes, praying for priests, spiritual retreat, clubs’ financial contribution to the district, improving awareness on the part of some Serrans, and yearly calendar as some of the areas of focus during the event.

He prayed for the repose of the soul of the Late DG, Serran Felix Adeniyi Johnson who passed on to eternal glory three weeks to the convention after a protracted illness.

He extoled the virtues of the fallen hero of Serra International whom he described as a strong pillar and a building block in the history of Serra in Nigeria.

DG Peter Ezike did not fail to recognize the contributions of Serran Patrick Ugbana, Serra International Vice Present for Membership, whose doggedness and commitment to Serra dreams had given rise to the

year, although it has made yearly trips in the past.

“Majority of people in African countries live in abject poverty. The average person has a difficult time obtaining access to medical care. Medical professionals can be scarce and expensive. Local pharmacies cannot guarantee that the medicines they sell are safe as some have been adulterated in poor manufacturing processes. Even so, simple a thing as eyeglasses can be nearly impossible to obtain,” she lamented.

She said Team Africa Mission International was born out of the critical need to improve the lives of indigent Nigerians through better healthcare in underserved communities. The next mission is expected in 2017.

birth of over ten clubs in Lagos.

Other highpoints of the three-day convention include the delivery of very scholarly lectures by Rev. Fr. Jude Onuoha, Lecturer from the Federal University of Technology Owerri, on “Leadership, Followership and Membership Mentoring”.

The second paper was delivered

by Rev. Fr. Hector Osifeko titled.

“Whatever your task, work heartily”.

Fr. Onuoha concluded that a bad follower can never be a good leader, and a bad leader can never develop into a good mentor. Fr. Osifeko said when we work heartily, we co-operate with divine grace, urging members to engage in Eucharistic adoration for vocations.

The event also featured presentation of performance reports for the year by all club presidents and the official swearing in of the new District Governor, Serran Peter Ezike, who swore in his Executive.

To demonstrate the reward for encouragement, excellent leadership and working heartily towards the achievements of the Serra mission in Nigeria, the DG honored the pioneer

achievements of the first African and only two-term Serra International President, Serran John ‘Tomi Asenuga and the Charter President of Serra Club of Lagos, Serran A.B.A Obilana.

Serra International is a voluntary association of all existing clubs, whose members, Catholic laymen and women, and permanent Deacons join to foster vocations in fulfillment of their Christian vocation to service.

The Serra movement is international in scope, Catholic in emphasis and character, and democratic in practice.There are currently more than 1,000 Serra Clubs with more than 25,000 thousand members in over 43 countries of the world.

Serra Club International, named after its Patron, Blessed Junipero Serra, was founded in 1935 by a group of Catholic laymen to foster vocations to religious life by recruiting vocations and supporting religious people in their active careers.

Serra Club is formally recognized by the Holy See as the global lay apostolate for vocations in the Catholic Church.

Team Africa Mission International 2015 to Sampa, Ghana

Nigerian Catholic Reporter

12

Vol. 2 No.108, August - September, 2015

LACMON holds annual convention Romanus N. Egbulefu,

PRO LACMON

A

3-Day annual convention of the Lagos Archdiocesan Catholic Men Organisation Nigeria (LACMON) holds on August 27-28. It begins with Mass at 9 am and ends on Saturday August 29 after Induction Mass at 11am and other related activities.

The convention comes with the theme, “Break the Camp & Advance,” (Deuteronomy Chapter 1: Verses 6 – 7).

It will feature Adoration, Mass, Campfire (Social Event), Spiritual Talks, Prayer Sessions, and Agricultural Empowerment. Motivational speakers, clerics, and lay people have been invited to speak at the convention.

Other activities include Vigil Mass, Induction of all the members to be officiated by His Grace Archbishop Alfred Adewale Martins.Chairman, Convention Planning Committee, Mr. John Aigbokhaode implored every inductee to be present and participate in the induction prayers and receipt of certificates. He warned that certificates will be issued to inductees at the occasion and not by proxy.

Aigbokhaode reminded all Catholic

L-R: Rev.Fr. Felix Onemheghie, (O.P) Pastor, St Dominics Yaba; Chief Emeka Asoegwu, President, LACMON and Rev. Fr. Daniel Nwankwo, LACMON Chaplain Men in Lagos Archdiocese that it is compulsory for them to partake in this important spiritual and social event. In line with the LACMON constitution, every member holding any office must have the Organization’s certificate.

LACMON constitution demands that every parish must have certificate of inauguration to be able to host or organize CMO meetings and

activities either at Parish, Deanery or Archdiocesan levels. Spiritual growth of members, service to the church and humanity, are the major focus of LACMON. The organization led by Chief Emeka Asoegwu as President, initiated the annual convention three years ago. He has accelerated the spiritual activities of LACMON since the programme and other related religious events started.

Report your marriage challenges to your priests – Rev Fr. Andrew Ukonu Jacinta Nwankwo

R

ev Fr. Andrew Ukonu, Parish Priest of Holy Trinity Catholic Church, Isashi, Lagos has advised couples to report turbulences in their marriages to their Priests before they head to divorce.

Noting that often couples pretend they can handle their marital challenges, he warned that without the aid of prayer and the spirit of God, marriages facing turbulences are bound to collapse.

Nigerian Catholic Reporter

“I therefore advise Catholics that whenever they face challenges of marriage, which must come, they should first, report it to their marriage sponsor and if their sponsor fails to resolve the differences, they should bring it to their Priest”.

Fr. Ukonu observed that men don’t often feel comfortable with their wives bringing their marriage challenges to their Priests, and pointed out that “apart from saying Mass, Priests are there to see to the spiritual, material and psychological wellbeing of his people”.

Rev.Fr. Andrew Ukonu

Vol. 2 No.108, August - September, 2015

13

Knights of Columbus visits Archbishop Martins M

By Romanus N. Egbulefu

embers of the Knights of Columbus Nigeria existing under Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen Council 7466 recently paid a courtesy visit to His Grace Most Rev. (Dr) Alfred Adewale Martins, Archbishop, Catholic Archdiocese of Lagos where issues concerning the Order were discussed.

Knights of Columbus are centered at Fraternity, Charity, Unity and Patriotism. Besides to grow in their Catholic Faith and have exclusive access to top-rated insurance protection for their families, Knights of Columbus have the intention to support their dioceses or parishes and give back to their communities in need. They are a band of brothers, a network of men in communities around the world dedicated to doing well in the service of God and humanity.

One of their purposes is to support programs that benefit people with intellectual disabilities and aid victims of natural disasters and other disastrous events, local and international.

Charity is the first principle of the Knights of Columbus. Knights are men who get things done. They volunteer their time to serve their parishes and communities. They are unique “band

His Grace Most Rev. (Dr) Alfred Adewale Martins with the Knights after their meeting of brothers” who share values and support to live out their Catholic Faith.

The headquarters of the Knights of Columbus in America had earlier approved the take off of its Round Table in Africa through a letter written to the esteemed organisation in Connecticut, USA by the Bishop Catholic Diocese of Makurdi in the year 2012 seeking permission for the formation of the Order which His Lordship prayer was granted in 2013.

The Knights of Columbus supports

the Catholic Church because the order is composed of a fraternity of over 1.8 million Catholic Men. From the founding of the Knights of Columbus

by Venerable Michael J. McGivney, the Knights have been a foundation of support for the Catholic Church. In recent years, the Knights of Columbus have performed a variety of projects for the Universal Church as well as worked with Bishops of some Dioceses in America.

Archbishop Adewale Martins warns priests against non-Catholic practices during masses

A

rchbishop of Lagos, His Grace Most Rev. Alfred Adewale Martins, has urged priests in the Archdiocese to ensure that provision is made for adequate security of lives and properties in Churches during harvest and bazaar masses and to stop practices that profane the sanctuary, and other non-Catholic practices during masses.

The warning was contained in his August 2015 Monthly Bulletin/ Circular to all Priests and Religious working in the Archdiocese of Lagos, and the lay faithful.

“The harvest season is here again.

While we work and pray for a good harvest, we must ensure that provision is made for adequate security of

lives and properties in our Churches.

We implore all Priests to maintain proper liturgical decorum during the “Harvest Masses” and Bazaar bearing in mind that the house of God is first and foremost the house of prayer”, the Archbishop said.

He went further to say, “Our attention has been drawn also to Parish Priests who invite Priests from different places during this season without proper instruction and guidance on Archdiocesan liturgical regulations.

Of particular emphasis is the Selling of Apples, Boiled Eggs, Football Club Jerseys; Sowing of seeds, Handkerchief Sundays, etc. These extraneous and non-Catholic practices must stop”.

NCR investigations however, reveal

that some priests, especially those situated in the remote areas, are not adjusting to the Archbishop’s instructions, as their sanctuaries are still adorned with harvest and bazaar banners, while some parishes still carry on with sales of football club jerseys, sowing of seeds, and many other variants of the extraneous practices proscribed by the Archbishop.

A priest who spoke on anonymity said, “Without the Archbishop sending out a circular, we as priests, appreciate the sanctity of the sanctuary and the need to adhere to Archdiocesan liturgical regulations. But some parishes are overwhelmed with development projects and have resorted to these practices for fundraising.”

Nigerian Catholic Reporter

14

Vol. 2 No.108, August - September, 2015

Testimony

His mother refused to throw him away, was healed and later became a Catholic Priest.

H

e was very sick and did not respond to medical treatment … his parent’s relations said he should be thrown away …his mother refused and took him to God and prayed, “God, if you heal this boy, I will give him back to you.” …he was healed …he passed through a Minor Seminary without the knowledge of his parents …he became a Catholic Priest …he founded the Catholic Adoration Ministry (CAM) where barren women conceive, the sick and dumb are healed, orphans and widows get help …The person is Rev Fr. Cyriacus Nnadozie Onwughalu.

His mother may not have realised the weight of her promise to God when on that faithful afternoon, she placed her very sick and almost dying boy-child on the central eye of the altar of Holy Family Catholic Cathedral, Sokoto and prayed, “God if you heal this boy, I will give him back to you.” The boy was healed, but his mother forgot

she made a covenant with God. Not until more than 30 years later when her son lay on the same spot, in same Cathedral, to be ordained a Priest that she remembered her vow to God, and burst into tears.

Today, Fr. CY, as he is fondly called by friends and parishioners, is the Parish Priest of St Mary’s Catholic Church, Argungu, Kebbi State in Sokoto Diocese. He is also the Youth Chaplain in the Diocese and Province, and Ministers the Catholic Adoration Ministry (CAM) of St Mary’s Catholic Church.

Not only did his mother forget her covenant with God over her son, she and her husband did not know when the boy entered the Minor Seminary till he was about to enter Major Seminary.

Fr. CY tells the story: “When I finished my primary school in Sokoto, I was asked by my parents to go and stay with my grand-mother in the village. It was from there that I became a Mass Server. From there I joined the Minor Seminary. My par-

Nigerian Catholic Reporter

ents didn’t know I was in the Seminary. Only my grandparents did and they trained me all through my days in the Minor Seminary. It was when it was time for me to go to Major Seminary that I had to return to Sokoto. Even at this point my mother never remembered she made such a promise.”

He recalls, “During my priestly ordination, each time I looked at my mother, she was always crying. I never knew her reason for crying.

It was after the ordination process that she explained to me that there was a promise she made to God when I was an infant and that it was during my ordination that she remembered it. According to her, when I was a little child, I took very ill and was not responding to any medical treatment. She explained that on one occasion my parents, my uncle and I were traveling from Sokoto to the

East and that I cried from Sokoto to Zaria. In Zaria they decided that it was either I was thrown away or my mother returned to Sokoto with me. My mother said she opted to return to Sokoto with me rather than throw me away. As soon as she got back to Sokoto, she went straight to the Cathedral and placed me at the central eye of the altar and prayed to God, “If you heal this child, I will give him back to you.”

He continues. “At my ordination, it was the same spot my mother kept me when I was a sick infant that I lay down and was ordained a priest. It was exactly at that moment that my mother remembered that over 30 years ago, she dropped me at that very spot to pray for my healing and made a promise to God to give me back to Him if He healed me, and at that same spot I was being made a priest.”

Vol. 2 No.108, August - September, 2015 God so designed it that Fr. CY would not be ordained in the East; otherwise he would have continued his Major Seminary there. It was God’s arrangement that Fr. CY should come back to the place where her mother made a promise to give him back to his Healer.

The priest explains. “My mother has been a woman of very strong faith. I know she has always committed her life to God. She is very prayerful and puts God before every other thing. She was a leader of the Catholic Women Organisation (CWO) when she was in Sokoto and also a leader now in my village. For the over 30 years that I have known her, once it is 5:00am, I know she would be praying around the altar in the house and never misses her morning Mass.

She has influenced and encouraged me a lot. I know the faith that I have drawn from

my mother is what is helping me. I pray God would keep her alive to reap the fruit of her labour.”

Apart from being a Catholic Priest, Fr. CY is also a good panel-beater. If not the grace of God that took him to Priesthood, he would have been a professional panelbeater. Like Jesus who served as an apprentice carpenter under his father, Joseph, Fr. CY learned the craft of panel-beating while helping his father, a professional panelbeater, in his workshop. Like Jesus, he abandoned the skill he acquired from his earthly father and answered the call of his Heavenly Father – beating battered bodies and souls back to alignment to the glory of God. Through the power of prayers of Catholic Adoration Ministry he founded in 2013, many people have been healed. “Before I became a Priest, I asked from God for

the gift of praying for those longing for the fruit of the womb. Since that time, it has been so. Many of those who have been coming for the fruit of the womb have conceived. We have had several of such children dedicated and baptised in Abuja and other places. Many women have come to CAM and got the fruit of the womb. Many others who tested HIV positive and who participated constantly in our adoration have gotten their healing.

We have testimonies. There

15 have been cases of people with heavy hearts such as having bad dreams and fears who have been relieved.

There have also been cases of people who were possessed; people who even got violent and abused the Priest during prayers; but constantly came for adoration who have received healing. There have also been cases of people who have been having body pains who have received healing and the dumb healed,” Fr. CY testifies.

As soon as she got back to Sokoto, she went straight to the cathedral and placed me at the central eye of the altar and prayed to God, “If you heal this child, I will give him back to you.”

52 Ago palace Way, Okota Isolo, Lagos. Tel 01-29539779, 070787410950, 08034968191 e-mail: info@oblanjah.com Website: www.oblanjah.com Nigerian Catholic Reporter

16

Vol. 2 No.108, August - September, 2015

Vatican Round-up

T

HE earth, which was created to support life and give praise to God, is crying out with pain because human activity is destroying it, says Pope Francis in his long-awaited encyclical, “Laudato Si” on “Care for Our Common Home.”

All who believe in God, and all people of good will have an obligation to take steps to mitigate climate change, clean the land and the seas, and start treating all of creation – including poor people – with respect and concern, The Catholic Pontiff says in the document released at Vatican City June 18.

He explains that a lack of respect for creation is a lack of respect for God who created all that exists, and a person cannot claim to respect nature

on it.

Situating ecology firmly within Catholic social teaching, Pope Francis insists that wealthier nations contribute more to despoiling the earth and must bear more of the costs to repair damages. He also calls for their solidarity with the poorest of the earth.

He urges generosity in transferring clean technology, protecting small farms, opening access to markets and protecting jobs.

Quoting St John Paul II, and a constant theme of the church’s social doctrine, Pope Francis says the church recognises the “legitimate right” to private property, but that right is never “absolute or inviolable,” since the goods of the earth were created to benefit all.

Regarding pollution and environmental destruction in general, he says it is important to acknowledge

All creation sings God’s praise, but people a while supporting abortion, nor can one claim to be pro-life without a commitment to reversing damage to the environment.

With unusually blunt language for a papal document, the Pope decries centuries of exploiting the earth, exploiting other people, and acting as if the point of human life is to buy and consume as much as possible.

“The earth, our home, is beginning to look more and more like an immense pile of filth,” the Pope writes.

While he admits that science is not the Catholic Church’s area of expertise, Pope Francis says “a very solid scientific consensus” points to global warming and indicates “human activity” has seriously contributed to it, threatening the planet and all life

Nigerian Catholic Reporter

“the human origins of the ecological crisis,” and while ecology is not only a religious concern, those who believe in God should be especially passionate on the subject because they profess the divine origin of all creation. People are fooling themselves, if they think “things do not look that serious, and the planet could continue as it is for some time,” Pope Francis says in the document. Such people in all honesty are giving themselves permission to carry on with their current lifestyles and habits; their attitude is “self-destructive,” he says.

In large sections of the encyclical, Pope Francis’ language is poetic, echoing the tone of St. Francis of Assisi’s “Canticle of the Creatures,”

which is the source of the “laudatosi’” (praised be you) in the encyclical’s title.

He quotes a large section of the hymn of praise in a section on the place of each creature in the harmony of creation. The Canticle is most famous for its references to “Brother Sun,” “Sister Moon” and “our sister, Mother Earth.”

But, the Pope says, “Sister earth” is crying out, “pleading that we take another course,” marked by healing and protecting the earth and all its inhabitants.

In the document, Pope Francis calls on national governments and the leaders of international institutions to be serious and courageous in adopting strict measures to slow and reverse global warming, protect

Vol. 2 No.108, August - September, 2015

17

Quote Life can be hard for families, but Jesus gives us rest

are silencing it, Pope says the rain forests and ensure the availability of clean water for all.

Courage will be needed, he says, to adopt policies that initially may slow the pace of economic growth, but it will be farsighted in ensuring a future for their voters, their voters’ grandchildren and all humanity.

“We know that technology based on the use of highly polluting fossil fuels – especially coal, but also oil and, to a lesser degree, gas – needs to be progressively replaced without delay,” he says.

But he also calls on every Catholic and all people of goodwill to do their part by using only non-polluting detergents, recycling paper, using public transportation and putting on a sweater instead of raising the

heat in the winter.

And he urges Catholics to return to the practice of saying grace before meals, a habit that reminds them regularly that the food they are about to eat is a gift that comes from the earth and from God. In the encyclical, Pope Francis urges Catholics to cultivate simplicity; it is good for the soul and for the planet. “A constant flood of new consumer goods can baffle the heart and prevent us from cherishing each thing and each moment,” the Pope says.

At the end of the document, Pope Francis offers two prayers he composed himself: “A Prayer for Our Earth” and “A Christian Prayer in Union with Creation.”

“Life is often wearisome, and many times tragically so. We have heard this recently… Work is tiring; looking for work is exhausting.

And finding work today requires much effort. But what is most burdensome in life is not this: what weighs more than all of these things is a lack of love. It weighs upon us never to receive a smile, not to be welcomed. Certain silences are oppressive, even at times within families, between husbands and wives, between parents and children, among siblings. Without love, the burden becomes even heavier, intolerable. [...]

Jesus wants our joy to be complete! He said this to the apostles and today he says it to us. Here, then, is the first thing I would like to share with you this evening, and it is a saying of Jesus: Come to me, families from around the world - Jesus says - and I will give you rest, so that your joy may be complete. Take home this Word of Jesus, carry it in your hearts, share it with the family.”

Pope Francis

Nigerian Catholic Reporter

18

Vol. 2 No.108, August - September, 2015

Career Career

How to respond to common interview questions W

ith thousands of youths graduating from universities each year into the labour market, and competing for the few available jobs, many are have difficulty getting the job they want. Many others before them have job hunted for a long time out of frustration and face difficulties with the interview process. Here are some commonly asked interview questions and ways to respond.

Tell me about yourself

Chidi Ajah

Nigerian Catholic Reporter

If you haven’t done any preparation for this interview you are in trouble.

This question is so open-ended, and you may head in the wrong direction or go on too long. Some have given responses such as their name, educational background, state of origin, hobbies, etc.

This is often an opening question, so you can stay somewhat general, but keep in mind they will be evaluating what you say against the job qualifications. For instance, if the job is for an accountant with an accounting services firm, a good response would be, “I’m an outgoing person and I have a lot of community interests. I really enjoy my profession and feel a sense of satisfaction when I can get to know my clients on a more personal level. I

think it builds trust, which helps me to understand their business problems and offer innovative solutions.” (This response conveys a customer service focus, a willingness to network, and a problem-solving attitude: just the things required for this position.)

Why did you leave your last position?

This answer should be squeaky clean. Even if you hated your last job, you need to find a positive spin. Let’s face it, any criticism will only make them want to dig to see if you were the problem. For instance, if you left because your manager was a glorygrabbing egomaniac, rephrase it more positively, “I’m looking for a position that will allow me to contribute more and learn new things.” (After all, isn’t that what your former boss wouldn’t let you do?)

If you lost your job due to a downsizing, it will help if you weren’t the only

Vol. 2 No.108, August - September, 2015

19

everything about my old job,” you’ll sound phoney and they’ll probably ask you why you left. It pays to have given this a thought beforehand. If you blurt out something that is a key part of the new position, you’ve just shot yourself in the foot (“The customers were too demanding”). Besides, something you didn’t like in your old job can be much different in a new job.

For a sales position, a reasonable answer could be, “Some customers were very difficult to deal with. In spite of everything I would do to help them, there were things beyond my control, so they were still unhappy and that was frustrating.” (The answer conveys that you did everything you could to help and that you want to satisfy customers.)

Where do you want to be in five years?

one who was let go. It’s also critical to be upbeat and not bitter. For instance, “The company was acquired and they were forced to eliminate all the duplicate positions. I’m looking at this as a fresh opportunity to grow my career.”

Why are you interested in this position?

This is where you’d better know your stuff. In fact, it’s similar to the question, “What are your strengths?” because both are asking you to sell yourself. The interviewer is listening to your answer to see if you match the qualifications for the job. Prior to the interview, you should have developed short mini-stories that illustrate past examples about your results in each qualification. For instance, “The qualifications seem like a very good match to my past experience and interests. For example . . .”

The worst answer you can give is a selfish one, such as, “I like the pay”

or “I only can work part-time, so the hours are right for my schedule.”

Those things may be true but you should be more focused on what you can contribute and how well you’ll fit the job.

What did you dislike about your past jobs?

Don’t make the mistake of thinking that a far-reaching goal will demonstrate your ambition. This can backfire. For instance, “I want to be a vice president in five years” may: a.) Make you sound naïve b.) Make you sound so ambitious you won’t stay long c.)

Threaten the person who is interviewing you (Even if he or she isn’t the VP, you will be viewed as a potential competitor).

Another example would be a person who is interviewing for a sales position but who says, “I’d like to be a sales manager in five years.” The interviewer may think the person doesn’t like to sell, is over qualified, or doesn’t have the right skill set.

Your best bet is to focus on the current position and say something such as, “I realize that my career could go in many different ways. I enjoy the field I’m in and as long as I’m learning new things and expanding my responsibilities, I’ll be happy.”

This one is tricky because you can’t wriggle out of it. If you say, “I liked

The interviewer is listening to your answer to see if you match the qualifications for the job. Prior to the interview, you should have developed short mini-stories that illustrate past examples about your results in each qualification.

Nigerian Catholic Reporter

20 Cover

Vol. 2 No.108, August - September, 2015

Catholic schools prepare for long ha Nigerian Catholic Reporter

aul

Vol. 2 No.108, August - September, 2015

21

As States return schools to Missions, educational standard rises

T

By Simon Njoku

he return of some state secondary schools to the former owners, the Missions, by the Anambra State government seems to be upgrading operational and educational standards at secondary school level in the country.

Investigations by the Nigerian Catholic Reporter show that the return of schools to churches, the original owners, who were stripped of ownership and control at the departure of colonial founders, has raised academic standards and improved infrastructure of affected schools.

The material and financial support accompanying the handover of the schools and fresh managerial strategies, appears to have provided the impetus for the turn around.

Former Governor Peter Obi of Anambra State continued to pay salaries of teaching and non-teaching staff after the handover, and provided direct funding to the new management of the schools. This is in addition to the distribution of 25,000 computer units, 450 units of 50KVA generator sets and 5,000 school buses to schools in the state.

The cumulative result of these investments is the laudable performance of Anambra State candidates in external examinations such as the West African Senior Secondary School Certificate Examination. For two consecutive years, 2013 and 2014, Anambra State has come tops as the best performing state with the highest number of successful candidates in this examination, thus justifying government’s huge investments in the sector and the handover of selected schools to

Missions.

Currently, indications are that more Mission schools in the country, especially the Catholic Schools, are following the footprints of the Mission schools in Anambra State. They have embarked on infrastructural facelift, improved welfare of tutorial and non-tutorial, and provided adequate learning facilities such as libraries and laboratories.

At a Parent-Teachers Association (PTA) meeting, May 26, St. Gregory College, Obalende, Lagos, informed parents it will construct an ultra-modern science lab that will contain nine laboratories and a facility of two giant staff rooms and one conference room.

To execute these projects, the school’s Board of Governors has imposed levies on new students in JSS 1, and others in JSS 2-SSS 3 classes who are returning for the 2015/2016 academic year. Every JSS 1 student will pay N100, 000.00 while returning students will each pay N50, 000.

The school management says the new levy will be paid only once. It replaces the existing N10,000 development levy. Also beginning from next session, school fees will rise from N35, 000 to N50, 000 to be at par with the level in all Catholic Secondary Schools in Lagos. Besides, St. Gregory will introduce lunch break for all students from the 2015/2016 academic session.

“All parents will be required to pay N20, 000 per term to cover their wards’ refreshment during break time. The lunch break covers main course, fruit and daily beverages, “the school management stated in a recent circular.

The drive for reforms and upgrade is on St. Vincent Catholic School, Idimu, a suburb of Lagos. It is a purely Catholic Day School, run by Vincentian Priests, and owned by the Archdiocese of Lagos. Apart from providing suitable infrastructure and a good learning environment, the school maintains a

Nigerian Catholic Reporter

22

Cover Vol. 2 No.108, August - September, 2015

fleet of buses that convey students to and from school. The bus service extends to far away areas as Ikeja and Agege. The school authority attributes the commendable performance of its students in WASCE and the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) and Post-UTME examinations to high level of discipline among its students.

Speaking to the Nigerian Catholic Reporter, the School Administrator Rev Fr. Simon O. Idun said, “Discipline is our guiding principle in this school. We ensure that our children here abide by the stipulated rules and regulations and we inculcate the right morals. We can always boast that our students stand out anywhere you find them and they bring honour to the school.�

For Catholic Schools, the emphasis on infrastructure development and provision of adequate learning facilities, welfare of staff, and discipline is understandable, considering the impact they have made on schools in Anambra State. But there seems to be no uniformity on fees charged in Mission schools across the states. In Lagos state, for example, fees range from N35, 000 to 50,000 per term. The story is same in other states. Students

Nigerian Catholic Reporter

Cover Vol. 2 No.108, August - September, 2015

of Assumpta Minor Secondary School, Irette, a boarding school Owerri, pay N20, 000 per term. Their counterparts at the remote Sacred Heart Villa Secondary School, Enyiogugu, in Aboh Mbaise, Imo State pay N51,000 Whether Catholic schools in Nigeria will in future charge uniform tuition fee remains uncertain. Considering the level of fees charged by Mission schools compared to private schools, one wonders whether they will sustain the high standards they have set for themselves. But the push is still on

Nigerian Catholic Reporter

for governments to return all Mission schools to their original owners without any conditions attached.

“We have been asking government to return schools if possible in the states in which they were taken over.

This means that we are expecting government to rehabilitate the building, refurbish them and re-equip the libraries and laboratories,” says Most Rev Lucius Ugorji, Bishop of Umuahia Diocese, Abia State.

23

He adds that, “If they fail to do so, we expect government will give us strong financial support for the rehabilitation of the schools, as well as subsidy-in-aid to enable us pays our teachers adequately. No one should be disadvantaged because he or she decided to teach in a mission school.”

Bishop Ogorji maintains that parents should not be made to pay more fees because they want their children to benefit from Catholic education.

Nigerian Catholic Reporter

24

Events Diary Vol. 2 No.108, August - September, 2015

St Stephen’s Igando Celebrate Youth & Children’s’ Harvest and Bazaar, 2015 Theme: Harvest of Prosperity - Arise and Shine

L-R: Rev. Magnus Onyeulo, SDV, Associate Priest; IG Okafor, CSO; and Rev. Fr. Christian Echewodo, Parish Priest, St. John Catholic Parish, Igando

L-R: (Cross Section of Youths)- Murphy Kingsley; Shobayo Ajibade; Nwogu Nathan-Leo; Bashorun Sembore, Chairman, bazaar Sales

L-R: Rev. Fr. Christian Echewodo, Parish Priest, St. John Catholic Parish, Igando, Paul Ohuyan, 1st Vice-Chairman, PCMO; Andy Umeadi, PPC vice-Chairman; and David Akidi

Chief David Akidi and Chief Leo Nwogu

Prince and Princess of the Harvest

Mr Joe Ekezie and Mr. Albert Mbanu

Second left- Chief Mrs. ?? Leo Nwogu, CWO President flanked by other women leaders

Nigerian Catholic Reporter

Mr Charles Okolie, Chairman Harvest Planning Committee and Mr Emmanuel Chifor

Events Diary

Vol. 2 No.108, August - September, 2015

2015 SPIRITAN Diaconate and Prestly Ordination At Holy Ghost Novitiate, Awo-Omamma August 2015

Pix: CMON St Lawrence Members of CMON, St Lawrence Catholic Church, Isheri-Olofin, Lagos celebrating with their members who marked their birthdays in the month of August 2015

25

2015 SPIRITAN Diaconate and Prestly Ordination At Holy Ghost Novitiate, Awo-Omamma

Members of Holy Family, St Lawrence Catholic Church IsheriOlofin, marking St Lawrence Feast Day 2015

Some parishioners of St John the Evangelist, Ladipo/Oshodi at the funeral with Very Rev. Fr. Francis Ike at the funeral of his father, Pa Nicholas Uboegbulam Ike at Nekede, Imo State, recently.

Parish Priest of St John: Very Rev. Fr. Patrick Obayomi with a cross session of the Parishioners of his Parish at the funeral Pa Nicholas Uboegbulam Ike at Nekede, Imo State, recently.

2015 SPIRITAN Diaconate and Prestly Ordination At Holy Ghost Novitiate, Awo-Omamma August 2015

Nigerian Catholic Reporter

26

Vol. 2 No.108, August - September, 2015

Diary

Bishop Lucius Ugorji marks 25th anniversary

By Catherine Njoku

B

NCR South-East Co-ordinator

ishop Lucius Iwejuru Ugorji celebrated his 25th anniversary as Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Umuahia with a special Mass at Mater Dei Cathedral Umuahia in Abia State, Thursday August 6, 2015. The event took place just as Nigerian priests serving in the Brisbane Archdiocese, Australia, returned home to honour the man who sent them there.

The church was packed with hundreds of clergy and laity as well as a number of Bishop Ugorji’s family members and kinsmen, friends, and well-wishers.

Concelebrating the Mass

along with Bishop Ugorjiwere, His Eminence, John Cardinal Onaiyekan, Roman Catholic Cardinal Archbishop of Abuja; Head of Owerri Ecclesiastical Province and Archbishop of Owerri Archdiocese, Archbishop Anthony Obinna; Bishop Gregory Obinna, Ochiagha, Bishop Emeritus of Orlu; Archbishop of the Benin Catholic Province, Bishop Augustine Akubueze,; The Apostolic Nuncio to Nigeria, Archbishop Augustine Kasujja; Bishop Callistus Valentine Onaga, Bishop of Enugu; and Bishop Michael McCarthy of the Diocese of Rockhmpton in Australia.

Delivering homily at the mass, Archbishop Obinna noted that it was thanksgiving to God for the work done in the life of Bishop Lucius Ugorji, describing him as a

Jubilee: (Front from left) Umuahia Bishop Lucius Ugorji, Arch Brian Finnigan with some of the priests from Umuahia dioces Bishop Ugorji; Catholic Noincio to Nigeria, Augustine Kasujja and Bishop McCartey of Australia

Thanks giving procession by the family of Bishop Ugorji at the occasion

Nigerian Catholic Reporter

Bishop Ugorji addressing the guest

Vol. 2 No.108, August - September, 2015 pragmatist who continues to discharge his pastoral duties with love and zeal.

He charged Bishop Ugorji not to be deterred but to see the years spent as a call for more work.

Archbishop Obinna highlighted some of Bishop Ugorji’s accomplishments -- especially in youth ministry and the role of laity and women -- and thanked him for instilling his own values into the people of his flock.

“I’m overwhelmed with gratitude to the people of the church. This is just a wonderful day,” Bishop Ugorji said after the Mass, noting the day brought more memories to mind than he would be able to share. He said he is grateful for the gentle faith of all the Catholics in the diocese. He welcomed home his Australian missionaries to commemorate 25 years since his episcopal ordination in 1990.

Among the returning priests were Rev. Fr. Henry Maduka, Rev. Fr. Modestus Mgbaramuko, Re. Fr. Francis Onwunali and Rev. Fr. Gabriel Kalu, all sent to Australia following a 2006 agreement between Nigeria and Brisbane to alleviate a shortage of priests in the archdiocese. Rev. Fr. Maduka, a parish priest at Moorooka Salisbury Parish, served as the Umuahia Cathedral’s Master of Ceremony for six years. He said Bishop Ugorji is “a man with a human heart”.

Congratulating Bishop Ugorji on his Episcopal Silver Jubilee, Deputy Governor of Abia State, Sir Ude Oko Chukwu said, “Your Lordship, we thank and glorify God for sustaining you this far in his vineyard as a good Shepherd of his flock. It is no exaggeration that your 25 years as the Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Umuahia is replete with outstanding giant strides in the spiritual and physical growth and development of the Diocese”.

Engr. Emeka Udokporo, Pastoral Council Chair-

hbishop Mark Coleridge, Bishop Joseph Oudeman and Bishop se serving in Brisbane archdiocese, and other Brisbane priests.

The Rochobat Choir

27

man, Catholic Diocese of Umuahia said, “Bishop Ugorji is a great man of God and an accomplished administrator. Umuahia is blessed to have him as their Bishop. He has excelled in the establishment of hospitals, schools, farms and training of priests in Nigeria and abroad.”

Lady Victoria Ezeocha, President, Catholic Women Organisation (CWO), Umuahia Diocese commended the good qualities of Bishop Ugorji among which are “his personal relationship with God as evidenced in his love for prayers, his generosity, ability to work with others and respect for other people.”

Bishop Michael McCarthy of the Diocese of Rockhmpton in Australia noted, “We are celebrating the jubilee of a wonderful Bishop. Bishop Lucius Ugorji has been very generous to the Church in Australia especially to my Diocese. Last year he came to my ordination as the Bishop of Rockhampton.

I am here, today, to extend the friendship and continue the link with my Diocese”.

Bishop Ugorji at mass

Family members

Nigerian Catholic Reporter

28

Vol. 2 No.108, August - September, 2015

Box OďŹƒce

Nigerian Catholic Reporter

Vol. 2 No.108, August - September, 2015

29

Nigerian Catholic Reporter

30

Vol. 2 No.108, August - September, 2015

Personal Finance

How our little efforts can contribute to eliminating extreme poverty (Part 1)

T

he World Bank says substantial progress has been made to reduce global poverty in the past few decades. Its report claims that between 1990 and 2011, global poverty was reduced by half to 14.5% (or about 1 billion people) of the global population. The same report shows that sub-Saharan Africa recorded 46.8% rate of poverty prevalence. This translates to about 415.4 million poor people in the subregion.

The global standard for defining poverty is the number or percentage of the population living on less than $1 (approximately N200) a day. In effect, poverty has nothing to do with the number of people flying private jets but a lot to do with the number of people not sure of the next meal. This is where successive Nigerian leaders have always got it wrong.

An economy worth about half a trillion US dollars is a very big one.

Nigeria has one of the fastest growing economies in the world. Oil and natural gas resources play a significant role in her economy. Nigeria is the 6th largest producer of crude oil in the world; the 8th largest exporter

Nigerian Catholic Reporter

of oil and has the 10th largest proven reserves of the commodity. After the rebasing of the economy early 2014, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) announced that the nation’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) was about $510 billion. This makes Nigeria the biggest economy in Africa. This notwithstanding, the World Bank Report on poverty situation in the world, released May 2014, ranks Nigeria as the 3rd poorest country in the world after India (home to 33% of the world’s 1.2 billion poor people), and China (13%). Nigeria accounts for 7% of this number.

The question is, why should a country so blessed rank among the poorest.

The reasons are many.

The World Bank identifies corruption, harmful economic and political systems, insecurity, human rights abuses, inefficient and ineffective government and lack of respect for the rule of law, environmental conditions and population growth as the major reasons for the level of poverty in Nigeria.

In my view, one can conveniently say the primary cause of poverty in Nigeria is lack of“shared prosperity”.

Ten per cent of Nigerians control over

90% of the nation’s wealth while the rest watch in utter helplessness, and dismay. The wealth of the nation does not trickle down the chain. The rich gets richer, while the poor get poorer.

The drive to grab and loot the common wealth has reached a feverish pitch.

The poverty level in Nigeria has nothing to do with population. A lot can be attributed to the weak justice system which is a direct impact of the endemic corruption in the land. According to President Muhammadu Buhari, corruption distorts the economy and worsens income inequalities.

United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) says although Nigeria is rich in natural resources, its economy cannot meet the basic needs of the people.

The Fund says such disparity between growth of the GDP and the

Vol. 2 No.108, August - September, 2015

31

increase in poverty levels is indicative of a skewed distribution of Nigeria’s wealth. Other major reasons for this sorry state is the abandonment of agriculture and other natural resources the country is abundantly blessed with. The discovery of oil resulted is a curse rather than a blessing because

ally high with the added burden of citizens providing electricity. Savings and investment suffer as people are unable to provide for immediate needs. Improving energy supply is key to checking poverty and redistributing income in Nigeria.

The high cost of doing business in

The foregoing explains why the recent encyclical of Pope Francis on the climate change should be read beyond the literary context. In the 73-page document, the Holy Father called attention to the harm humanity has inflicted on mother earth “by our irresponsible use and abuse of the

the nation left every other thing and followed oil wealth.

Reducing poverty requires ambitious actions of government and people across the land. Providing an enabling environment for enterprise, infrastructural development, entrepreneurial support services, and access to finance remains the surest ways to pull Nigeria out of the poverty trap.

A report says Nigerians spent a whooping N1.7 trillion on fuel in 2014.

Over half of this must have been spent on generators to power companies and households. This is one way the absence of reliable public power supply and lack of alternative energy sources causes extreme poverty in Nigeria.

The cost of living becomes exception-

Nigeria arising from double taxation, harassment by government officials, and corrupt practices are other causes of poverty in Nigeria. Many Nigerians today prefer to import goods and sell rather than invest in local manufacture and expand the productive base of the economy, create more jobs, and reduce the pressure on the nation’s foreign reserves. This reluctance stems from the incessant harassments and highhandedness of government officials who overreach themselves in dubious enforcement of extant laws.

Their sole purpose is to extort money from business men and women in the land. The consequence of this abuse is that most businesses are going under; swelling the number of unemployed youths, and increasing crime rate.

goods which God has endowed her”.

We may run into the error of thinking that this call relates only to the consequence of our human actions that lead to environmental degradation. But it demands of us to account for the impact of our individual and collective actions on the environment.. ……. to be continued NB: Mark Oguh, a Fellow of Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria and a Financial Management Expert wrote in from St. Anthony’s Parish, Gbaja, Surulere, Lagos. Contact mark.oguh@gmail.com

Nigerian Catholic Reporter

32

Vol. 2 No.108, August - September, 2015

Wellness Corner with Dr Patrick Ijewere “HEALTH IS BY CHOICE” Dr. Patrick Ijewere Specialty: Internal Medicine (Johns Hopkins University) Host: “Wellness half-hour”, Inspiration 92.3fm Sunday 1pm Website: www.caribhealthng.com 0809 660 4455

Wellness and Spirituality:

I

He created perfection

n the Wellness Journey with Dr. Patrick Ijewere, we utilize a foundation framework that we are created in the image and likeness of God. Our God is whole, perfect and complete, and we are blessed likewise. Our bible teaches us that every good thing comes from the Lord. Thus, if our God did not give us illness, from where did all these diseases come? Look in the mirror.

What have we done to ourselves for

Nigerian Catholic Reporter

disease to show up? di Some examples of the perfection, created by our God in the body as cr regards its ability to self-regulate re Blood Pressure, are as follows: B 1.

In the main blood outflow vessel of the heart, called the Aorta, ve there is an area of cells that monitors th and an regulates blood pressure, called Baroreceptors.

This Baroreceptor B cells ce track blood pressure and send a signal to the brain to maintain appropriate pressure …perfection! pr 2.

In the Kidneys, there is a

‘Renin-Angiotensin-Aldosterone’ R system, whose function is also to sy regulate electrolytes and blood presre sure…

It does not end there! su 3.

In the blood vessels, the innermost layer are cells lining the in vessel that produce a chemical called ve Nitrous oxide which help to maintain N pliability or elasticity of blood vessel pl to respond to pressure and volume changes.

And there is more…Wow… ch a complex yet simple system to give us, us his children, perfect blood pressure…

What a father!!! su

Vol. 2 No.108, August - September, 2015

33

helps to maintain optimal blood pressure.

So are we going to submit to His perfection?

In His infinite wisdom, He created perfection and in our earthly wisdom, we are undoing His perfection. Let us look at Environment and Foods 1.

OUR SOIL: We are endowed with rich and fertile soil here in Nigeria, for the most part. The soil is loaded with microorganisms (microbes) and organic and inorganic nutrients that help maintain the fertility of the soil. The microorganisms in the soil, the ants, beetles, millipedes, centipedes, worms, maggots, bacteria, fungi, etc. breakdown and convert organic and inorganic matter into forms more easily usable by the roots of trees, plants and crops. They make pores in the earth for water and nutrients to access the deeper layers of soil and roots. They provide nurture for nature above the ground.

WHAT WE DO: We make artificial fertilizers; these are man-made chemicals mostly from petrochemicals.

The manufacturers tell the world it makes agriculture more productive.

Fertilizers kill the microbes and a lot of the healthy microorganisms needed to nurture the nature and over time destroy the fertility of the soil, and result in crops that are less nutritious and loaded with the chemicals from the fertilizer.

4.

Exercise: All animals on earth exercise every day. The ant walks ‘ant miles’ a day, the lizard runs for most of the day, the fish swims all day, and the elephant does its share of earth shaking movement daily. In other words,

the order of nature is activity. However, there is only one animal or creature that fails to do this daily. The human animal. Is it coincidence we were placed in the Garden? It is no surprise then that daily exercise activity, such as walking, swimming, jogging, tennis

Thus, if our God did not give us illness, from where did all these diseases come?

Do a simple test – get samples of health soil that has earth worms within it and on the part of the soil apply fertilizers…. and observe what the life-loving creatures do to that soil.

Many die off, and those that can, they escape to the unfertilized soil that is free of chemicals.

WHAT TO DO: a.

Cease following blindly the chemical warfare against God’s perfection with chemical fertilizers. b.

Research and see the large scale successes in organic farming and apply the natural organic farming techniques that are augmenting our Garden of Eden and the perfection. c.

Become aware of foods grown with chemical fertilizer and avoid them. d.

Purchase food grown naturally or with organic fertilizer.

Nigerian Catholic Reporter

34

Vol. 2 No.108, August - September, 2015

Studies show that crops grown in natural soils and soils that are organically fertilized, or crop rotated soils are higher in nutrients than the chemical synthetic petrochemical fertilized soils.

See your health improve; you may notice the reduction or cessation in your children’s allergies or asthma.

Again, we take his perfection and in our earthly wisdom or lack of wisdom, destroy the soils and God’s natural perfection.

2.

RICE: Another simple example is rice. Rice when harvested is milled to remove the hard outer shell called the ‘hull’. What remains is natural rice which is brown in Colour. The brown color comes from the ‘bran’. The bran is highly nutritious and is abundant in nutrients including, vitamins (especially vitamin B), minerals, fibre and protein (Surprised!! Brown rice has protein).

WHAT WE DO: However, we humans in our earthly wisdom choose to strip, bleach and polish the rice from brown to white. Basically, white rice has been stripped of most of its nutrients. The Nutrient deficient white rice ‘bullet’ is linked to deficiency diseases and some refer to as Chronic Degenerative diseases. Whereas, the brown rice is loaded with vitamins and minerals, needed by the body, to properly digest the rice, the white rice has to go and steal the Vitamins and minerals it needs for our body to digest it. Guess from where it steals them? From your nerves, your blood vessels, your heart, your liver, your kidneys etc. or from the other foods you eat. So here again, He gave us perfection and we undermine it.

WHAT TO DO: i.

Consume whole foods, including the whole brown rice. We are blessed with locally grown brown rice from Ogun, Ekpoma, Illushi, Abakaliki, Ogoja, Kafanchan, just to mention a few. Nowadays, these are packaged without stones. ii.

Avoid processed foods. iii.

Cease buying polished white rice, including the imported varieties.

See your health improve both short and long term. Enjoy your peanuts with the skin.

3.

SEEDS: In Gods perfection, he created seeds that have feed us for millennium. Nature has abundant seeds that evolution has improved on

Nigerian Catholic Reporter

naturally. Corn for instance has blue, red, yellow, orange and other colors from the natural variety of seeds. The genetics in the seeds give us the color, the taste, the diversity in plants and the health we derive when we consume these natural plants. These plants have a natural intelligence that collaborates with the mammalian body for wellbeing.

WHAT WE DO: Now, man in his earthly wisdom has decided to modify the genetic perfection in SEEDS, again, undoing his perfection. We decide the plant has to be altered genetically to resist or withstand chemical pesticides created by man. So we take the genes of bacteria and insert into corn. We take the genes of a spider and insert it into cow eggs. We take the genes of lizards and insert it into soybeans. Again, the outcome is illness and disease in man and animals and destruction of the Garden of Eden (our native crops and foods). These genetic altered plants contaminate and destroy the natural variety. The worst part is the companies that make and sell these GMOs (Genetically Modified Organism) and foods that contain them, deliberately do not label them so you can make

healthier choices. Please see the following YouTube documentary https://www. youtube.com/watch?v=hAMlir8oprw WHAT TO DO: i.

Avoid foods made from GMO seeds. ii.

Avoid imported foods from countries that allow GMO seeds. For instance most of the Corn, Soybeans and Canola products from the USA and Canada are made from genetically modified organism. iii.

Inform your friends, family and co-workers to do the same iv.

Educate NAFDAC and our farmers to be aware and avoid these seeds. v.

Insist Federal laws are enacted that protect our natural seeds. vi.

Insist on better and accurate labelling laws in Nigeria, ECOWAS and AU. When are we going to learn and appreciate His nutritional perfection? Our God created perfection in abundance for us. Let us farm in harmony with his perfection, enjoy the natural seeds, and the wholesome food for our Wellness.

Return to the Garden and reclaim your health.

Vol. 2 No.108, August - September, 2015

Strictly Catholic

35

Wth Ambrose Njoku

Don’t kill the Mary League Girls Association

T

he metamorphosis of life prescribes that a creature matures from one stage of life into another. This must follow a natural pattern and when a step is jumped, it becomes an abnormality.

Human beings produce stereotypes whose climax can be traced to a particular foundation. When a foundation is good, there is order but when the foundation is faulty, there is disorder.

The above antecedents focus on our present day Mary League Girls.

The Mary League Girls Association is an association specifically for single girls in all the parishes all over the world. Members follow the footsteps of Our Blessed Virgin Mary and are groomed to be responsible future mothers. The Association is a powerful force to be reckoned with in the Catholic faith. Apart from the Catholic Women Association (CWO), the Mary League Girls Association is the bedrock of the Church that keeps the church moving.

In recent times, avoidable conflicts arise between the Mary League and the Christian Youth Association. These conflicts arise as each one is claiming supremacy.

In the African context, the Mary League Association came into existence before the later day Youth Organisation. It is rather unfortunate that the Mary League Girls are in most parishes treated as phobic objects. Some Priests look at them as a bunch of meddlers, trouble makers and nuisance. They down play their progress and encourage the Youths who probably have less restrictions in their group. Many Catholics paint a lot of negative and erroneous impressions about this endangered species called the Mary League. Some say they remain perpetual spinsters because they are doomed not to marry. Others look at them as a group of frustrated individuals who come together because they cannot fit in elsewhere in church organisations. Yet others consider them as a ragtag army of nonentities who cannot excel academically but

chose to be perpetual illiterates. It is pertinent to state here that none of the assertions is true.

The truth is that when we look at females who are Ministers, Permanent Secretaries, Judges, and Registrars, etc. they usually look back or go back into the memory lane of when they were members of the Mary League.

Consider a personality like Dora Akunyili – the former NAFDAC Director General and Education Minister who would nostalgically trace her penchant for attending morning masses to her days as a member of the Mary League Association. Good Christian women we have today are graduates of Mary League. Their mode of dressing reflects the orientation they had as members of the League. They are usually careful about what comes out of their mouth as speech. They have conscience.

Often I ponder what the Church would look like without a sound Mary League Association? What type of mothers are we going to have? The answer is not far fetched. Christian Mothers will definitely reflect the present day youths who are less

articulate to the moral and religious teachings of the Catholic Church. The rectories have food because of Christian Mothers Organisation. The mothers were once Mary League members who passed through the crucible and were not found wanting.

The Church should encourage these girls because they constitute a veritable organ of its existence. Any parish where the Mary Leagues are vibrant thank the Parish Priest. The onus of the case rests with the Priest. They have the knife, they also have the yam.

The Parish Priest must insist on girl-parishioners becoming compulsory members of the Mary League Association. These girls must put on their white and attend their First Friday Novena Mass. The Priests should organise seminars, workshops, and lectures for them. Good Mary Leaguers make good mothers and good mothers make good wives and sustain the Church.

Ambrose Chukwudi Njoku is the Executive Secretary, Ahiara Diocesan Laity Music Commission

Nigerian Catholic Reporter

36

Vol. 2 No.108, August - September, 2015

Interview

We have seen gory images and scenes worse than Chibiok Girls’ issue - Rev. Fr. Gideon Obasogie In this interview with Rev. Fr. Gideon Obasogie, Director of Communications, Catholic Diocese of Maiduguri, he shares some gory and never heard experiences about the insurgence in North Eastern Nigeria. An indigene of Edo State, he has lived his entire life with his parents and family members in Maiduguri. Fr. Gideon has worked in several parishes of the Catholic Diocese of Maiduguri, comprising Adamawa,Yobe and Bornu States.

How have you coped with insurgence in the zone?

We have had harrowing experiences since the insurgence started but God has been seeing us through. We have been praying and we have been seeing God’s hands at work in our lives. A good number of parishes have been sacked, communities displaced, people killed and so many priests including myself have had terrible experiences with the terrorists. One instance was when in March 2014 the Boko Haram terrorists attacked the Giwa Barracks in Maiduguri. They came very close to my house. There were terrible gun shots and explosions. We managed to escape from that environment. When we were returning after some days, we saw corpses of many innocent civilians and even those of the terrorists.

Back in the Adamawa axis, we have

Nigerian Catholic Reporter

stories of five priests who had terrible experiences with the terrorists. Mid way into Holy Mass, they would hear heavy gun shots and they would hurry to conclude the Mass and look for ways of getting out of the environment while the terrorists would burn down the churches, the parish house and schools.

We have about 46 parishes in the Catholic Diocese of Maiduguri with Chaplains. Out of this number, we have about 26 displaced persons.The communities have left and most of the churches, schools, clinics and maternities have been burnt down. Some of the displaced priests are currently taking refuge in Kano, Kaduna, Idah and other dioceses across the country.

Thank God the military now have good weapons - as they would say – they have been able to chase away

some terrorists and possibly killing some and now people are gradually coming back. The Bishop has started sending priests to go and assist them, hear confessions and stay with them to encourage them.

Have there been times you felt threatened that you would lose your life?

Yes, I have had many such moments. One was when Maiduguri was under very serious threat – for three consecutive Sundays – Maiduguri was under attack. Holy Mass was constantly disrupted by insurgence attacks. Gun attacks were very heavy and the insurgents would come from multiple directions trying to overrun the city. At such moments one felt there was no hope especially when you see even the military running away

Interview

Vol. 2 No.108, August - September, 2015 spending days there. Sometimes we see scenes where terrorists finished attacking and burning houses and cars but as though God had chased them away before we came. The only terrible event we had recently was the attack on the Bishop’s car. The driver was coming to pick the Bishop from Abuja and on his way out of Maiduguri, the car was shot but the bullets did not meet the driver. The bullets pierced through the dashboard and from one end of the vehicle to the other. That was one attack that came so close. As at today we have a record of 26 rectories completely burnt down. One very modern Church building in Madagali was leveled to ground zero after several bombardments.

from the attackers. Moments like that often made me feel the end had really come. Most times in Maiduguri we wouldn’t even sleep because gun battles would persist all nights.

Sometimes when we thought the military were keeping alert at night we would wake up to realize it was the insurgents that were really pounding the city. At moments like that we had sleepless nights, blood pressure rising, one wouldn’t think well and would remain really uncomfortable.

But because we are priests and have people we really have to care for as their shepherds, we have to remain there. The Bishop has always prayed with us, encouraged us and makes us feel that even if we die we die for Christ. That has always spurred us and given us the courage and power to continue despite all odds.

Has there been any record of death of a Catholic priest as a result of terrorist attack in Maiduguri?

We thank God no priest has been killed. What we have are records of terrible experiences. There have been stories of priests jumping fences to save their lives during attacks and of priests escaping into the bush and

In addition to the Chibok Girls, there have been stories of many women and children taken away by the terrorists. Do you think there is any hope of bringing them back?

From available reports, Boko Haram has grown to be one of the most dreaded terrorist groups in the world. This is because they have grown beyond mere suicide bombing to territorial conquering. The stories of adoption of women are real, but their safety and return cannot be guaranteed. People would say they are in the Sambisa forest which is a very vast area connecting Chad and the Central African Republic. We are hoping that with the serious search being conducted by the military, their location will soon be known. Even if you get them back, would it be all of them; they must have gone through serious indoctrination.

We have had instances where communities were sacked, men were killed, children and women were adopted and taken up into the Sambisa Forest. There have also been instances where adopted women and children were recovered and what you hear from them are stories of woes.

They testified that it was perhaps prayers that saved them People went through terrible moments. We have seen gory images, and scenes that are even worse than the Chibiok Girls issue. If you have a clear idea of what I mean, from Konduga in Borno State up to Gombi in Adamawa State, from estimates, more than 2.7million people have been sacked. If not for the mountain in Borno and Adamawa States where people fled unto, the terrorist would

37

have killed a good number of people.

The terrorists would always come to loot and kill, but quite often before they would finish looting the people would have fled up to the mountains.

We just hope and pray that people who were adopted would be safe because a lot of the adoptees would have been victims of the fierce military bombardments. Don’t forget that some of the abductees were used as human shield.

What is your advice for Catholics in that area and fellow priests who face this danger on daily basis?

My advice is that people should always pray because with prayer you can see beyond the ordinary; with prayer you would be able to live happily. My Bishop has always advised the priests and the lay faithful of Maiduguri Diocese to hold on to their faith whether they are caught, conscripted or attacked. He emphasized this during his chrism mass and during his consolation tours. There are two things God has given us which no one can take from us, our soul and faith. You can only give these two out of your own volition. But if someone kills you because you refused, you have not given it up and that means you are paying a greater price.

We are praying that someday, Maiduguri would be the epicenter of Christianity in Nigeria. This is because we have a lot of martyrs in that zone. Our lay faithful are really faithful people. We have seen people beheaded because they refused to deny their faith, young and old men alike. Such people would always pray for us before the throne of God and Christianity would prosper everywhere.

Lastly, my advice for the priests and everyone there is that we should remain faithful. Personally I am encouraged by my Bishop, my fellow priests and the lay faithful who despite the killings, gun shots and bomb blasts, though with fear, but you still see them around. They come for confession, to encourage the priests and the priests are challenged, too. We should remain prayerful in whatever circumstances we find ourselves. We continue to pray that the incoming administration would advance on what the military had begun, that peace would rein and we would live a happy life once more in the North East.

Nigerian Catholic Reporter

38

Vol. 2 No.108, August - September, 2015

Kiddies&Youths

TERRAIN

Ten ways to better participate at Holy Mass (Part 2)

B

asic Catechism teaches that the Mass is the highest form of worship we can ever give to God. But sadly today, our youths worship God with little or no reverence, dress provocatively and always want to have their way at Holy Mass. In this edition we bring you the concluding suggestions on how to better participate at Holy Mass.

Holy Communion

This time is not when you should be saying hello to someone across the pew, neither is it a time for shaking hands and catching up on a gist. Even if you don’t want to receive communion, why not seek for ways to better your spiritual life; why not invite Christ to deal with the demons that have stopped you from receiving Him? Then those of us going to receive Him should conduct ourselves reverently.

After all, it is Christ we are receiving on our tongues.

Nigerian Catholic Reporter

Genuflect

Whether you are inside the Church or not, most Catholic Churches are designed such that the main entrance faces the altar which is where the Tabernacle is. What I observe these days is even while we are inside the Church, we fail to genuflect and acknowledge the presence of Jesus, or is it that we do not believe that Jesus is present there? Or have we become too familiar with our Lord that we fail to accord Him His due respect? Even if the doors are closed, Jesus is still there and we are to genuflect before him. In case we do not know, when we drive by a Catholic Church, we are supposed to make the sign of the cross and even say a short prayer acknowledging His presence.

Conversations

All conversations and exchange of pleasantries should be done outside the Church. After the Mass, some people are trying to ready themselves for the next Mass and our

conversations distract them. If for one reason or another we must communicate, we should keep our voices low out of respect for the worshipping community. Remember it is charity in practice when we think of other people.

In general, some of these things may be difficult to do all at once but we can begin with a step and get better at it. Above all, we should listen at Mass, pay attention with our ears, heart, eyes and head. There are certain things we learn at Mass by just watching a fellow parishioner that helps us grow spiritually. Here’s hoping that we all do better this year partaking in the highest form of worship by raising our hearts and mind to our Creator.

Part 1 was published in June/July 2015 Edition.

Chinaeze Muonagor writes from St. Dominic’s Catholic Church, Yaba.

40

Vol. 2 No.108, August - September, 2015

Nigerian Catholic Reporter