To all Priests and Religious Working in the Archdiocese of Lagos, and the Lay Faithful. Dear Brothers and Sisters in the Lord: May the Peace, Love and Joy of the Lord be with you all! 1. The Month of November: Welcome to the penultimate month of the Year. During this month, the Church commemorates the Solemnity of All Saints (Nov.1) and All Souls (Nov.2) to remind her faithful of the importance of sanctity and the reality of mortality. These feasts resonate with the theology of Communion of Saints i.e. the charitable link with the faithful who have already reached heaven (Church Triumphant), the faithful departed who are still undergoing the pains of expiation for their sins in Purgatory (Church Suffering) and the faithful who are still on pilgrimage in this world, working out their salvation amidst the vicissitudes of life (Church Militant). “In this wonderful exchange, the holiness of one profits others, well beyond the harm that the sin of one could cause others….” (CCC, 1475). The Holy Father asks all the faithful to join him in offering special prayers during this month for priests who are experiencing difficulties, that they may find comfort in their suffering, support in their doubts, and confirmation in their fidelity. a. All Saints’ Day: All Saints Day is a Holy Day of Obligation set aside to remember and celebrate all the Saints and Martyrs throughout Christian history, known or unknown, canonized or beatified whose holy and virtuous lives have earned a beatific place in our heavenly home. The feast inspires tremendous hope and reminds us of the universal call to holiness (Lumen Gentium, 40). We rejoice with them and hope that their prayers will bring us God’s love, mercy and forgiveness. All Saints, Pray for Us. b. All Souls’ Day: Directly following the Feast of All Saints is the feast of All Souls. This feast reminds us of human finitude and mortality. On this day, the Church remembers and prays for the Souls of the Faithful Departed especially those who are atoning for their sins in the purifying fires of Purgatory waiting to join the league of the saints. The Sacred Scripture declares that “it is a holy and wholesome thought to pray for the dead, that they may be loosed from their sins.” (2 Macc 12: 46). We are therefore encouraged to express our solidarity with the souls in purgatory through public and private prayers, and obtain plenary indulgences by offering the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, visiting a church or cemetery and giving alms to the poor. The Church mandates all Priests to celebrate three (3) Masses on this day: one for the faithful departed, one for the priest’s intention or any person, and one for the intention of the Holy Father. We will do well to remember victims of the various disasters in the world especially the victims of air crashes, Boko Haram insurgence and other untimely deaths in our country Nigeria. 2. Gratitude and Thanks: We express profound gratitude and thanks to our guest speaker, our invited guests, Priests, Religious, and Lay Faithful who honored our invitation with their physical presence and financial contributions at the 6th edition of the Anthony Cardinal Okogie Annual Lecture/Foundation Re-launch. May God reward you all abundantly. Our hearts equally go out in thanks to the organizers, coordinators, participants and entire faithful of the Lagos Ecclesiastical Province for the huge success recorded at the just concluded Year of Faith Pilgrimage at Sagamu in Ijebu-Ode Diocese. As the speakers exhorted, we have an urgent duty to rekindle the fire of faith and bear authentic witness to the good news of Christ, beginning with our families through our Churches to the nooks and crannies of our modern society. May the spiritual benefits and pastoral fruits of our encounter with Jesus at the pilgrimage yield an increase of faith, a renewed vigor to serve God and a congenial solidarity with our fellowmen. 3. Year of Faith: The Year of Faith officially comes to a close on November 24, 2013. In our Archdiocese, there will be a closing Mass at Holy Cross Cathedral by 10.30a.m to be immediately followed by a Corpus Christi procession from Holy Cross Cathedral to St. Gregory College, Obalende. During this procession, we commemorate the coming reign of Christ as King of the Earth and his completion of the renewed creation that marks the fullness of the Kingdom of God. Let us all march out and proclaim Christ the Universal King. There is no doubt in my mind that the Year of Faith has been a spiritually renewing year of rediscovering the Catholic Faith and reaching out to people with the Gospel message. More so, it has been a year of evangelical Catholicism marked by catechesis, doctrinal pedagogies, grassroots evangelisation and works of charity, among other methods adopted in our Archdiocese through the year. We pray that the fruits of this fiduciary exercise will be seen in the day to day profession and practice of our faith. We are encouraged to attend this closing ceremony. 4. Monsignor Pedro Martins turns 103: The 103rd birthday of our Baba, Monsignor Pedro Martins, comes up on the 16th of November, 2013. Once again he breaks records and makes history as the oldest living Clergyman of the Church in Nigeria. Great indeed are the works of the Lord. We are proud of him and pray God to grant him steady mind, good health and the grace of final perseverance. Ad Multos Annos! 5. Mode of Dressing and Appearance: A popular maxim says, “Dress the way you wish to be addressed.” It has come to our notice that some priests put on Roman Collar shirts on Jeans trousers and some others make Roman Collar shirts with materials that end up disguising their priestly identity. In accordance with our previous statement on this which has been corroborated by the CBCN, we enjoin all to pay attention to the directive that we adhere to the approved modes of dressing for the clergy in Nigeria. We all know that a Catholic Priest is an ambassador of Christ and spiritual leader. His appearance and mode of dressing must be seen to reflect his priestly identity and give a good account of the Church. This should be adhered to strictly. 6. ANNOUNCEMENTS a. Archdiocesan Circular Announcements in Parish Bulletins: We have noticed that some of Parish Priests do not publish information and announcements from the Archdiocesan Circular in their Parish Bulletins. Dear confreres, the Archdiocesan Circular as you know is addressed to all Priests, Religious and Lay faithful in Lagos. All Parish bulletins are expected to have a column for announcements from the “Archbishop’s Desk” where information from the Chancery especially the ones that concern the Lay faithful and are beneficial to them should be published. This will keep them abreast with the goings-on and help them participate in Archdiocesan events and meetings. Kindly ensure this is implemented henceforth. b. Meetings with the Archbishop: As part of the efforts to interact and receive the thoughts of the priests and Religious on the life of our Archdiocese, the following meetings have been scheduled to hold on the respective dates below by 10.00am at the Holy Cross Cathedral Hall; Lagos Archdiocesan Priests : Thursday 7th November, 2013 Male Religious : Tuesday 12th November, 2013 Fidei Donum Priests : Wednesday 20th November, 2013 Female Religious : Wednesday 4th December, 2013 c. Meetings of Archdiocesan Curia and College of Consultors: The statutory meetings of these two bodies come up on the 5th and 19th of November, 2013 respectively at the Chancery. The time is 10.00am. Members are encouraged to be punctual. d. Archdiocesan Liturgy Committee: The next meeting of this committee comes up on Saturday 9th November, 2013 at Regina Mundi Catholic Church, Mushin, Lagos at 11.00am. All Parishes are expected to send their representatives to this meeting. Parish Priests should kindly ensure their parishes are duly represented. e. 2014 Directory: The year 2013 is gradually winding down and 2014 is fast approaching. Kindly go through the current Directory and point out possible corrections, omissions, amendments, updates and make suggestions for the improvement of our Directory. Please send your comments to the Chancery on or before November 10, 2013. You may also reach the Chancery through its e-mail address: arclagos@yahoo. Please treat as urgent. We look forward to hearing from you. f. Marriage, Family and Human Life Unit Training Programme: This is to bring to the notice of individuals who wish to be trained to work in the area of marriage, family and human life as facilitators, counselors or social workers of the courses by the Marriage, Family and Human Life Unit. Christian Counseling Course (Part 1); one Friday a month (for 3 months) starting from 15th November, 2013 Human Psychology and the Christian Experience (Part 2 of the Christian Counseling Course); one Friday a month (for 10 months) starting from 11th October, 2013.Venue: Church and Society Complex, 19, Maye Street off Commercial Avenue, Sabo Yaba, Lagos. Time: 9:30am - 4:00pm. Cost: N3, 500.00 per session (includes Tea break and Lunch). For further inquiry, call 08033804494; 08028489999. g. Advent Season: The Season of Advent is around the corner again. The word Advent means “coming.” It is a season of expectation and longing for the Messiah who is to come. We sing the song “O Come, O come, Emmanuel” with eager hope and longing, not because we seek a Messiah yet to come to the world, but because the Christ has come and we long for him to come to us again. Let us therefore avail ourselves the opportunity that Advent provides to renew our relationship with the King who is to come so that we can reap the fruits of Christmas. h. Admission into St. Augustine College of Education: Admission into St. Augustine College of Education for 2013/2014 academic session is on. The College which is affiliated to the University of Ibadan, offer the following programmes: N.C.E, B.Ed, Professional Diploma in Education and M.Ed. It also offers Catechetical and Pre-Degree programs. The College is at 2, Moronfolu Street, Akoka. For further inquiries, please call 07051491674; 07051091871; 07051592559. i. Annual Priests Retreat: The Annual Retreat of Priests in the Archdiocese will come up between 1st and 14th of December, 2013. The first batch begins on the 2nd and ends on the 6th of December while the second batch begins on the 9th and ends on the 13th of December, 2013. The venue is Eucharistic Heart of Jesus Generalate’s Domus Fidei, Ikeja, Lagos. To this end you are kindly requested to promptly fulfill your financial obligation through the Priests Welfare Committee Chairman, Rev. Msgr. Jerome Oduntan. Please note that the retreat is obligatory and not optional. Hence, ALL must attend. j. Small Christian Communities’ Leadership Workshop: There shall be a leadership workshop for leaders and facilitators of the Small Christian Communities in the Archdiocese. Venue: Parish Hall, Holy Cross Cathedral, Lagos. Date: December 7, 2013. Time: 10.00am. k. Archdiocesan Pastoral Council Meeting: This is to inform all Parish Priests and their delegates as well as Priests representing the Deaneries that the next Archdiocesan Pastoral Council meeting has been scheduled for December 7th, 2013 at St. Dominic’s, Yaba. The time is 10.00am. Kindly take note, leave the day free in your diary and attend punctually. l. Archdiocesan Advent Pilgrimage: This Year’s Advent Pilgrimage will be hosted by Agege Deanery, Lagos. It is scheduled to begin by 9.00pm on Friday December 13th and end by 5am on Saturday, December 14, 2013 at St. Sabina Catholic Church, Idimangoro, Lagos. All priests and parishioners are expected to participate actively in this spiritual exercise. Kindly take time to encourage your Parishioners to come in their numbers. m. Veritas University of Nigeria Abuja (VUNA): We are expected to remit 5% from the Harvest proceeds to the Chancery for Veritas University. The Cheque should be made payable to the Catholic Archdiocese of Lagos with Veritas University written behind. Grateful for all previous contributions. n. Quarterly Returns and other Returns: Please be reminded that the returns from the following Special Collections are to be made in the third quarter of the year: Peter’s Pence, Education Sunday and St. Augustine’s College. We also remind all Parish Priests who have not remitted the Quarterly returns from their Parishes to please do so. It is only right and just that we do not hold on to that which belongs to the common purse. Also, when making your returns kindly ensure you attach the blue sheets with the first page stating the names of the parishes and the quarter for which returns are being made. This will assist us to set our records straight. o. Priestly Ordination Anniversary: We rejoice with our brothers in the vineyard whose sacerdotal ordination anniversaries are in November, namely: Rev. Msgr. Erinle Anthony, and Rev. Frs. Adeyemi Peter, Obayomi Patrick, Nwanua Joseph, Opara Hubert, Onwudiegwu Michael, Ethelbert Ukpabi, Ibe Hyacinth, MordiCosmas, Osuntope Peter, Udoh Gabriel, Abulu Jude, Amadi Marcellus, AnokereJoseph, Emeana Denis, Maiku Peter, Teko Marcellinus, Omoregie Jerome, Okonkwo Christian, and Ogidan Andrew. Kindly remember them in your prayers. Ad MultosAnnos! p. Bereavement: We announce with a heavy heart, the death of Mrs. Salome Omoye Akinyemi, the mother of Rev. Fr. Jerome Akinyemi, Pa Joseph Eshikhena, the father of Fr. Noel Eshikhena CssR and Mr. Anthony Chika Anoliefo, the brother of Rev. Fr. Raymond Anoliefo, who passed on last month. The Christian wake and funeral Mass for Late Mr. Anthony Anoliefo come up on the 6th and 7th of November, 2013 at the Anoliefo’s compound in Umudunu, Awka-Etiti, Anambra State. We are reminded of our obligation of celebrating Masses for the repose of their souls. May God grant them eternal rest. (Signed): + Alfred Adewale Martins Archbishop, Metropolitan See of Lagos.
Posted on: Wed, 06 Nov 2013 19:40:14 +0000
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