By Rev Fr Robert Anagboso
St Patrick’s Cathedral Awka, was agog, Saturday 7 December 2024, as the Awka Diocesan Music Commission headed by Very Rev. Fr. Dr. Bernard Anaebene, held the 2024 Annual Diocesan Parish Choirs’ Singing Competition featuring the best of performances from the elite choirs of the Awka Diocesan Parish Choirs.
The sonorous event attracted the presence of the Diocesan Bishop, Most Rev. Paulinus Chukwuemeka Ezeokafor, whom Fr Anaebene described as an avid lover of liturgical music.
In his remarks, Bishop Ezeokafor described the event as a welcome and desired exercise, stating that it was very necessary to groom the youth into knowing and loving liturgical music, which, he stated, was necessary for worship during Eucharistic Celebrations.
Quoting the words of St Augustine qui bene cantat bis orat, ‘He who sings well prays twice,’ the Awka diocesan prelate urged all present, especially the youth who are gifted with musical talents, to embrace and join their parish choirs, as a way of praying to God, the creator.
“One of the things we shall be doing when we get to heaven is to sing, therefore I urge you to start here on earth to sing to the glory of God,” the prelate added.
While announcing the results of the competition, Fr Anaebene gave an in-depth analysis of how the 2024 Edition of the competition got to the present final. According to him, “Today is not the beginning and end of this year’s competition. It is the grand finale of just a group, actually Group A.”
Explaining further, he said the long selection process commenced at the zonal level. At that level of the competition, the Commission created six centres: St. Patrick’s Cathedral Awka; St. Matthew’s Parish, Amawbia; St Albert the Great Parish, Amansea; St. Martin’s Hill Top Parish, Abagana; St. Andrew’s Parish, Adazi-Nnukwu and St. James” Parish, Neni.
Each parish’s choir was sent to a centre nearest to it, with all the choirs that qualified in the zonal level competitions coming forward for the finals in a three-group division of Group A, Group B and Group C.
Each of the groups had their finals at different centres and dates. Group C finals took place at St. Anthony’s Parish, Enugwu-Ukwu, on Saturday 9 November 2024. In this group, St. Joseph’s Parish, Nri, won the competition, with 83.8%, followed by St. Paul’s Parish, Obeledu, and St Gregory’s Parish, Akwaeze, which came second and third with 82.9% and 82.6% respectively.
Group B final was held at St. Andrew’s Parish, Adazi-Nnukwu, on Saturday 16 November 2024, where St. Anthony’s Parish, Awka, clinched the first position with 83.2%, followed by St. Michael’s Akwaeze and St. John”s Parish, Agulu, which came second and third with 77.2% and 76.9% respectively.
“Today, Saturday December 7, 2024, we have the finals for Group A, and here at St. Patrick’s Cathedral Parish, Awka, after the amazing display from each parish choir in the competition, St. Mary’s Parish, Awka came first with 79.5%, while St. Patrick’s Cathedral Parish, Awka, took the second position with 72.3%
“St. Mark’s Parish, Abagana, filled the third position with 72%,’ concluded the Chairman of the Awka Diocesan Music Commission.
Earlier, at a seminar organized as a prelude to the preparations for this competition, Fr. Anaebene gave the major aims and objectives of singing competitions in the Diocese, stressing that it was primarily to better the quality of the Liturgical Singing at Holy Masses and other Liturgical Celebrations, as well as to get proper catechesis on the meaning and what singing entailed in the Catholic Liturgical Worship. Finally, he said it was to enhance and engender love and unity among choristers.
Concluding his vote of thanks, Fr. Anaebene profusely thanked the Diocesan Bishop, Most Rev. Ezeokafor, for sponsoring the competition spiritually, morally and financially, even as he urged all to pray for the “Good Bishop that God would grant him good health of mind and body as he dexterously carries out his Episcopal duties.”
