The celebration of consecrated men and women was instituted by Pope John Paul II in 1997. This celebration is associated with the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord on February 2, day which, with candles, presents Christ as the Light of the whole world. The Nigerian Church considers this festival to be very important, emphasizing that Christ is the light that shines and guides the path of his disciples.
Every year, the Catholic Diocese of Oyo organizes this feast in a very special way for the consecrated men and women who serve in the diocese. This year, the Catholic Bishop of Oyo diocese Most Rev Emmanuel Badejo declared the feast to be celebrated at St Peter Catholic Church, Sabo in Oyo.
With the religious men and women of the diocese, gathered in the church, Holy Mass began at 10 a.m. with the blessing of the candles and the procession, in the presence of the bishop, the parish priest, the Reverend Father Anthony Olarenwaju, and the Reverend Father Michael Eke CMF, vicar for the religious of the diocese.
The parish priest and all his parishioners took great care to keep the site clean and organised. The liturgical aspect of the celebration was perfectly planned. The choir, readers, altar servers, etc. brought the liturgy to life, and many prayer intentions were formulated, by different groups, for the consecrated persons.
In his homily, the bishop thanked God for the gift of consecrated men and women who serve in the diocese. He urged all the religious present to remain committed to their vocation and to look to the Virgin Mary as their model of humility, holiness, and a life of prayer, always looking to Christ, their King and their Light, to guide them on their journey. Using the Gospel of the day, Luke 2:22-40, where Christ is presented in the temple, he exhorted all those present to live for Christ, to serve him by remaining faithful to their daily ‘yes’, as Mary did.
After the Eucharistic celebration, the Consecrated persons had their thanksgiving together, singing, dancing, and praising God. The entire church joined them in expressing their joy for the gift of their vocation.
At the end of the Mass, different groups including The Catholic Men Organization, Catholic Women Organization, Catholic Youth organization of Nigeria, prayed and expressed their messages of supports to the entire celebrants.
The various parish groups, women, young people and the Holy Childhood Association then made various presentations, offered gifts and sang to the delight of the celebrants and the religious of the diocese, which comprises eight different congregations, including the daughters of the Holy Spirit (DHS).
At the end of the celebration, the Vicar for Religious, Father Eke, and the President of the Religious of the Diocese, Sr Mary Assumpta, expressed their gratitude to God for the success of the celebration. They also praised the efforts and support of the Bishop, the host parish priest and all the parishioners for their contribution.s for their love and contribution to the success of the celebration.
It was a memorable day for the consecrated persons and for the whole diocese of Oyo.
Sister Patience EFFIONG, DHS. Published on 6 February 2025
