Catholic Archbishop of Lagos, Most Rev. Alfred Martins, recently paid a pastoral visit to Ikorodu Deanery Presbyterium. Women Editor, TEMITOPE DAVID-ADEGBOYE, was present on the last day when 452 candidates were confirmed in the Spirit.
The faithful of the Catholic Church have been called upon to inculcate the visible attributes of a true Christian life as written by Paul in his letter to the Galatians.
Catholic Archbishop of the Metropolitan See of Lagos His Grace, Most Rev. Alfred Martins, made this call in his homily during the conferment of the Sacrament of Confirmation on 452 members of Ikorodu Deanery Presbyterium.
Confirmation is a Catholic sacrament of mature Christian commitment and a deepening of baptismal gifts. It is one of the three sacraments of initiation for Catholics. The other two are Baptism and the Holy Eucharist (Communion). Confirmation is most often associated with the gifts of the Holy Spirit and the Great Commission instituted by Jesus Christ in the book of Matthew chapter 28.
Martins reeled out the output of a Holy Spirit-filled life as recorded in Galatians 5:22-23. “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.” He stated that Christians who do not bear this fruit may not truly be a Christian after all.
Marking the end of the weeklong pastoral visit by His Grace to the deanery, which began on November 10, was the administration of the sacrament of confirmation on 452 candidates on Sunday, November 16 at St. Augustine Catholic Church, Mary-Hill, Ikorodu.
The Mass started with a processional hymn ‘Come Thou Almighty King’ by Timothy Wright.
While the First Reading was taken from Proverbs 31: 10-13, 19-20 and 30-31, the Second Reading was taken from Thessalonians 5: 1-6, and the Gospel was from Matthew 25:14-30.
While highlighting the importance of the archbishop’s visit in his welcome address, Dean of Ikorodu Deanery, Very Rev. Fr. Austine Medaiyedu, decried our contemporary society where there seems to be an increasing or permanent disconnect between facts and value, principles and practice, especially in the Christian life.
“Many Catholics have shelved their sacramental and covenantal duties and prefer to remain in permanent spiritual infancy. They refuse to grow by refusing to pray and witness. They rather prefer to go to places where others will pray for them, without knowing the sorts of spiritual groves and churches.
“Evangelisation has the aim of bringing the Good News to the whole of humanity; so that all may live by it. Our chief shepherd has brought the Good News to our deanery,” he said.
The pastoral visit demonstrates the archbishop’s commitment to Christ’s injunction in Matt 28:18-19: “And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, ‘All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye, therefore, and teach all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.”
It also afforded His Grace the opportunity to listen to the yearnings of the deanery. Medaiyedu seized the opportunity to remind His Grace some of their needs while thanking him for granting some already.
Medaiyedu’s words: “We are grateful for the establishment of Divine Mercy Specialist Hospital within our deanery. We must not fail to say that the facility is yet to live up to the dreams of those who conceived this noble idea.
“I must not end my address without reminding you of the need for a Catholic presence in our deanery educationally. This is to say that we do not have a Catholic school anywhere in Ikorodu. Statistics have shown that the Catholic schools in Ijebu-Ode are thickly populated by our children in this part of the archdiocese.”
Ikorodu Deanery has seven major parishes under it, including Good Shepherd Catholic Church, Owode-Ajegunle; St. Augustine Catholic Church, Ikorodu; St. Patrick Catholic Church, Owode-Ibeshe; St. Monica Catholic Church, Igbogbo; Sacred Heart Catholic Church, Odogunyan; Divine Mercy Chaplaincy, Poro-Boge; and Corpus Christi Catholic Church, Egbin.
The deanery also has the Eucharistic Heart of Jesus Sisters who are working in Divine Mercy Hospital while also rendering pastoral assistance.
