To all Priests and Religious Working in the Archdiocese of Lagos, and the Lay Faithful Dear Brothers and Sisters in the Lord: 1. August: The month of August is a transitional month in our seasonal calendar notable for breaks, pilgrimages, summer travels, and vacations. As we take time out to relax and refresh, let us keep alight our spiritual pathway and endeavor to deepen our friendship with God. The Church in her solicitude has provided a plethora of feasts in the month of August which allow the faithful to celebrate major events in the life of Christ, Mary and some remarkable saints. Two of these feasts are worthy of mention;the feast of the Transfiguration (August 6) which gives the faithful a preview of the glory of God to be revealed; the second is the feast of the Assumption (August 15), which assures us that God fulfills his promises and does not refuse any good to those who walk without blame. The month is also dedicated to the Immaculate Heart of Mary renowned for purity and perseverance. We honor Mary’s immaculate heart by recognizing her extraordinary holiness and the immense love she bestowed on Jesus as His mother and the role she played in the economy of salvation, especially her perseverance in Jesus’ redemptive sufferings. The Blessed Virgin Mary is no doubt the most perfect example of Christian perseverance. Following Mary and the saints whose feasts we commemorate this month – John Vianney, Augustine, Lawrence, Clare, Maximilian Kolbe, Monica and John the Baptist, etc – let us embrace and practice the virtue of perseverance as we continue our journey in this second half of the year. 2. The Year of Faith: In keeping with the objective of the Year of Faith, the Holy Father, Pope Francis, has released an encyclical, the first of his pontificate, titled “Lumen Fidei” (The Light of Faith). The encyclical was begun by Pope Benedict XVI, before his resignation, and completed by Pope Francis, who referred to the document as the work of “four hands,” suggesting that it represented the work of both himself and his predecessor. The encyclical promulgated on June 29, the Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul was introduced to the media at a Press Conference in Rome on July 5. It completes a papal trilogy on the three theological virtues, following Pope Benedict XVI’s encyclicals Deus Caritas Est (2005) on charity and Spe Salvi (2007) on hope. In Lumen Fidei, Pope Francis paints a portrait of faith as a light that leads us on amidst the encircling glooms of life and lights our way through the shadows of darkness. “Faith, he notes, is not a light that shatters our darkness but a lamp that guides our step in the night and suffices for the journey.” All the faithful -Clergy, Religious and Lay persons- are encouraged to read this encyclical. In fact it may be used by Associations of the Lay faithful as a study material. 3.Episcopal Installation Anniversary: In humility and praise, I thank the Almighty God for his love and providence as I mark my first anniversary as the Archbishop of Lagos. I sincerely thank the Clergy, Religious and Lay faithful of the Archdiocese, the Organizing Committee and all those who made the installation ceremony last year the huge success it was. I am grateful also to everyone for the collaboration and understanding with which we have worked in this one year. Be assured of my prayers and spiritual solicitude. I shall on the 4th of August, 2013 celebrate a Mass of thanksgiving at the Holy Cross Cathedral, Lagos by 10.30am. It happens to be a Sunday and it is a busy day for priests. So it is only if convenient and certainly not at the expense of Mass for the faithful that I ask you to kindly join me in thanksgiving and praise. May God bless you all and may St. John Vianney whose memorial falls on that day intercede for you. 4. Harvest 2013: 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. Please note that on no account should the Sanctuary be profaned with Harvest Banner; for the sanctuary is a sacred place of worship, and the Blessed Sacrament, our focal point of worship, takes prominence. 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, sowing of seeds and Handkerchief Sundays etc. These extraneous and non-catholic practices must stop. 5. In discussion with the College of Consultors, the Archdiocesan Curia and the Archdiocesan Finance Council, we have decided that the Archdiocese needs to continue to respond to the requests of other ecclesiastical jurisdictions and similar bodies for support and assistance in their various needs. However, it shall be done in a way that ensures that all the faithful are helped to understand that such assistance is being offered as a fulfillment of our obligation to participate in the spread of the Gospel in all parts of the nation and beyond. As we have been blessed by God with the resources at our disposal, we should in solidarity with others share that which have been entrusted to us. To that effect, we have decided that the following procedure shall be followed in responding to requests from outside the Archdiocese: 1. Representatives of Dioceses that request for help shall go to express their needs at Sunday Masses in a number of parishes between March and May every year. 2. Whatever funds are collected during those Masses shall be put in a Special Fund. 3. During those months, collections for Local-Churches-in-Need shall be made in other parishes which may not have any one doing the mission appeal. That shall be a symbol of all the faithful in the Archdiocese sharing in the work of the mission in other parts of the Country. 4. The money so collected shall be administered by a Committee to be made up of priests, Religious and members of the Archdiocesan Finance Council. 5. The Committee shall have the responsibility of considering the requests that come and of disbursing the funds according to the needs expressed by those who make requests. 6. The collection shall be made every year. 7. A part of the funds so-collected shall also be set aside for responding to emergencies that arise from natural disasters to support victims of such disasters wherever they may occur in the country. This is necessary so that we would not need to wait for special collections in order to be the keepers of our brothers and sisters in such needs. ANNOUNCEMENTS: a. Small Christian Communities’ Leadership Workshop: This comes up on Saturday, August 3, 2013 at the Parish Hall of Holy Cross Cathedral, Lagos by 10.00am. b. Archdiocesan Education Week: This Archdiocesan event begins from Sunday, July 29th and concludes on August 4th, 2013. The theme is: Transmitting Effectively Christian Faith & Values: A Challenge to the Church. All Parishes are expected to observe this week at a convenient time to encourage active participation. A second collection for Education is to be made on the 4th of August, 2013, which is to be remitted to the Chancery. Parish Priests should kindly send Education Committee members to pick up the poster enumerating the Week’s activities drawn up from the Religious Education Department office. For further inquiries please call, 08033574050. c.70th Anniversary of Priestly Ordination: Our highly respected Baba, Rt. Rev. Msgr. Pedro Ayodele Martins will celebrate the 70th anniversary of his priestly ordination on the 8th of August, 2013. A thanksgiving Mass will be celebrated at St. Charles Borromeo Catholic Church, 1004 Flats Housing Estate at 12noon prompt. You are cordially invited to rejoice and thank the Lord with him for his tireless services to the Church in Nigeria especially in the Archdiocese of Lagos. We pray for the grace of final perseverance for him. d.Family Week: The Family Week, a national celebration of Family life is being facilitated by the Marriage, Family and Human Life Unit of the Archdiocese. It will hold between the 11thand the 18th of August, 2013. All Parishes should observe this week with the activities proposed by our MFLHU. Holy Family of Nazareth; make our families like unto yours. e.INVITATION: The Sisters of the Eucharistic Heart of Jesus cordially invite the Clergy, Religious and Lay Faithful of the Archdiocese of Lagos to the celebration of the Silver Jubilee of Religious Profession of: Sr. Helen-Maris Oyekanmi, Sr. Anne-Marie Ezenwa, Sr. Josephine Mary Akwaowoh, Sr. Mary Anthony Opara, Sr. Mary Patricia Oboavwoduo, Sr. Josephine-Marie Iteghite and Sr. Rosemary Ogale and the Final Profession of Vows of: Sr. JaneFrances Mary Onyilo, Sr. Jacinta-Maris Samaaya, Sr. Veronica-Maris Aiyekun and Sr. Esther-Maris Okoro. Date: August 15, 2013; Venue: Sacred Heart Catholic Church, Ojota-Lagos; Time: 10.00a.m f. Singles’ Day with the Archbishop: comes up on Saturday 17th August, 2013 at St. Dominic Catholic Church, Yaba. The programme is being planned by the Directorate of the Catholic Lay Apostolate in conjunction with the Archdiocesan body of the Block Rosary Crusade. Theme: “Single Parenthood: A Substitute for Marriage?” Time: 9.00 a.m. The interaction will begin with the Holy Mass and will have the Archbishop, Most Rev. Dr. Alfred Adewale Martins as the Chief Celebrant. We implore all Parish Priests and Priests-in-Charge of Parishes in the Archdiocese to send their Parish’ Animators (at least 2) to be part of the Planning Committee meetings which hold every Tuesday by 4.00 p.m. at the Catholic Lay Apostolate Centre, Ebute-Metta. Please call any of the following Phone numbers for further information: 08034930736, 08038631603, 08026274625, 08080301005, or Director’s office: 07036217870. g. Priestly and Diaconate Ordinations: By the special Grace of God, our deacon, Rev. Michael Hunkokoe will be raised to the Order of the Priesthood and seven of our seminarians raised to the Diaconate on the 4th of September, 2013, at St. Michael’s Catholic Church, Ketu, Lagos. Kindly keep them in prayers. May God bless his Church with holy and dedicated ministers. h. Legal Year Mass/Annual General Meeting: The 2013/2014 Legal Year Mass and Annual General Meeting of the National Association of Catholic Lawyers, Lagos Chapter, comes up on the 22nd September, 2013 at Holy Cross Cathedral, Lagos. The time is 11.00am. Parish Priests and Priests-in-Charge should endeavor to communicate this information to their parishioners. i. Children’s Day with the Archbishop: This annual programme comes up on Saturday, 12th October, 2013, at the Catholic Church of Ascension, Airport Road, Ikeja, beginning with Mass at 10.00am. This year’s celebration is with a difference because His Grace, Archbishop Alfred Adewale Martins, wishes to celebrate the “YEAR OF FAITH” with all the children of the Archdiocese. Each Catholic child is to register in his/her parish (or Catholic School) with N500 only. Registration starts immediately and will close at the end of August. We strongly appeal to parents and guardians to register their children now and not wait until the last minute to start rushing! We also appeal to Organizations, Societies and generous individuals to kindly sponsor Children from less-privileged homes. They are all young missionaries who are the future of the Church. j. Notification on NUBAN-Compliant Cheques: The CBN has directed that all transactions in cheques be made with Nigerian Uniform Bank Account Number (that is, the ten-digit account number). All old cheques will no longer be acceptable for payment in the banks. Kindly comply with this regulation when making your quarterly returns and other payments to the Chancery. k. 2014 Directory: The year 2013 is gradually winding down and 2014 is fast approaching. Kindly go through the current Directory for possible corrections, omissions, amendments, updates and make suggestions for the improvement of our Directory. Please send your comments to the Chancery on or before the last week of October, 2013. You may also reach the Chancery through her e-mail address: arclagos@yahoo. l. Website of the Archdiocese: We are glad to inform you that the Archdiocese now has a rich, active and resourceful website. The address is: lagosarchdiocese.org Do find time to navigate this site and encourage your parishioners to do the same. If there are corrections, observations and suggestions, kindly forward them to the Chancery. We have also added links to sites that have apologetic materials on the teachings of the Church and sound doctrines on matters of faith and morals. These include: zenith;ewtn; catholicnews.org;catholic.org;catholic;newadvent.org;catholicnewsagency.org.They can be found on the Home Page of the Website. Parish Priests should kindly publish this information in the parish bulletins, newspapers and other avenues for disseminating information. Encourage your parishioners to visit the site as part of our efforts to help in building up the faith of the faithful. m. Priests’ Welfare Committee: The Priests’ Welfare Committee has been reconstituted. The new committee is headed by Revd. Msgr. Jerome Oduntan; other members are: Msgr. Paschal Nwaezeapu, Frs. Michael Umoh, Julius Olaitan, Matthew Ogunyase, Simeon Iwu, Stephen Akinsonwon and Peter Ayangbola. Kindly lend them your cooperation and support so that they can serve us better. n. Priestly Ordination Anniversary: We congratulate and request your prayers for the following priests whose ordination anniversaries fall within the month August: Reverened Monsignori John Aniagwu, Paschal Nwaezeapu, Ignatius Sotos; Frs. Christopher Arabi, Enearu Stephen, Olaitan Julius, Omofuma Pius, Opogah Innocent, Ikenna Ikechi, Cletus Anyanwu, Emmanuel Ekeri, Sebastian Ngene, Augustine Nnaemeka, Gregory Anosike, Osuntoyibo Patrick, Gabriel Agule, Martin Uwakwe, Thaddeus Okafor, Andrew Ukaonu, Samuel Agu, Kingsley Njoku, Francis Ealefor, Andrew Abhulime, Theodore Akaenyi, Cajetan Metu, Sixtus Uwagwe, Jacob Yebsonya, Jude-Mary Njoku, Stephen Owusu-Achaw, Joseph Ahakunna, Anumba Peter, and Jonathan Eburuche. o. Bereavement: We announce with a heavy heart, the death of Nze Remi Eze, the father of Rev. Fr. Lawrence Eze who went the way of his eternal rewards last month. There will be a requiem Mass at Holy Rosary Catholic Church, Arida, Ikotun, Lagos, on Saturday, 24th August, 2013 by 6pm. We are reminded of our obligation of celebrating Masses for the repose of the souls of parents of our fellow priests who pass on. May God grant him eternal rest. (Signed): + Alfred Adewale Martins Archbishop, Metropolitan See of Lagos.
Posted on: Thu, 01 Aug 2013 22:01:16 +0000