By Daruwana Daku
The Nigerian Conference of Women Religious, Awka Area, comprising female Religious Congregations in Awka Diocese, gathered at the Confraternity of Little Sisters of Jesus Convent, Isuaniocha, last Saturday, July 27, for her second annual business meeting and seminar presentation.
The business meeting which also featured the handing over of the new executive, was, according to the body, for them to deliberate on crucial issues concerning the congregation.
While the business summit also paved way for the congregation to receive two separate seminars on “The dignity of the human persons as basis for safeguarding and promoting the rights and well-being of women religious in Nigeria”, and ”The formation of consecrated persons for the modern world, in the face of neo-paganism”, which incidentally was the theme of NCWR for the year, it was also a place for reconnecting with the religious and sharing ideas on ways to strengthen the congregation.
Rev. Sr Jimoh (OP) who spoke on ”The dignity of human persons as basis for safeguarding and promoting the rights and well-being of women religious in Nigeria”, called on members of the NCWR to always carry themselves with dignity, noting that women religious could be abused for not anchoring on dignity.
She encouraged the sisters to, at all times, be intentional and attentive to every form of abuse, even as she also charged them to be models of God’s image to enable them to carry themselves with self-respect.
For his part, Rev. Fr Maximus Muojeke harped on foreknowledge on the modern worship of idolatry, which, according to him, was neo- paganism. He further noted that paganism was of two stages; incipient and explicit paganism.
While noting, “Me, others, political dabbling, materialism, world”, amongst others, to be constituents of incipient paganism, he also noted absolute denial of the divine, liberal inclusion of what captivated sanctuary charlatans and leveling recognizing or non-recognizing of sacred hierarchy, to be explicit paganism.
Fr Muojeke called on the religious women to strive for personal encounter with Christ through honest living and fidelity to God’s will, as well as the study of the scripture. He added that those were parts of the formation of consecrated persons.
The summit which ended with a thanksgiving cum inauguration Mass that was presided by Fr Muojeke, also had the new executive members to be: Srs Oby Okoye HFSN (President); Martina Ezerebo DMMM (Vice President); Letitia Okafor, O.P (Secretary); and Bakhita Ogene, IHM (Treasurer).
The out-gone executive, in their remarks as presented by the out-gone President, Sr. Emmanuela Chioma Okafor, O.P., thanked the Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Awka, Most Rev. Paulinus Ezeokafor; Vicar for Religious, Rev. Fr. Festus Nweke; and the out-gone executive members and the entire congregation, for giving them the grace to spearhead the affairs of NCWR for two years.
While she also called on the congregation to support the new executive members, she charged them to always look out for each other. In her words: ‘No one should not be lost in the crowd.’
Part of the event highlights were thanksgiving Mass and prayers for the new executive members to take charge of NCWR with divine grace from the Lord.
