… Commissions Facilities for Standard Education at St Mary’s High School, Ifitedunu
By Michael Nnebife and Ebube Edieh
The Catholic Bishop of Awka Diocese, Most Rev Dr Paulinus Ezeokafor, has appealed to parents and guardians to prioritize the moral and spiritual aspects of life of their children and wards for them to be morally useful.
The Catholic Bishop made the appeal while delivering a homily during a Holy Mass to mark his pastoral visit to St Mary’s High School, Ifitedunu in Dunukofia Local Government Area, Anambra State, on Friday, 13th December, 2024.
The Bishop, who continued to emphasize the reasons for Catholic Education, noted that academic excellence was good but needed to be moderated by good spiritual life and morality; while reiterating that human beings had two aspects; soul and body.
According to him, ‘Catholic Education takes into cognizance the whole person that is made of body and soul, created in the image and likeness of God.
‘So, in the formation and training, we make sure that the two aspects of an individual are taken good care of.
‘So, parents, when you are making a choice of school to send your child or ward, always consider the moral and spiritual life of the child.
‘It is not enough to talk only about the academic aspect, but there is a need for it to be moderated by good spiritual life and morality.
‘You can get this in a well-organized Catholic school like St Mary’s High School, Ifitedunu, where the two aspects of a human being are taken good care of. With Catholic Education, you will be able to get a balanced personality.
‘Very often, what we see are people who are very intelligent, but are criminals.
‘Supposing they passed through Catholic or Christian Education, they would have been taught things about God and good conduct.
‘So, parents, find for your children, schools where they will get academic learning and also knowledge of God,’ Bishop Ezeokafor urged.
The Bishop expressed optimism that when a child was schooled in a Catholic or Christian School, ‘you get somebody of integrity, and somebody who is balanced.’
He applauded the school Management for their service and thanked some individuals, especially Pastor Ben Akabueze, whom, he said, contributed immensely to the development of the school, and appealed to the general public, particularly the alumni of the school, to support its growth and development.
Bishop Ezeokafor, who doubled as the Proprietor of St Mary’s High School, admonished the school’s teachers to teach the students by their character.
The Proprietor enjoined the students to be disciplined so as to make headway in their learning.
In his welcome remarks, the Manager of the School, Rev Fr Dr Ugochukwu Ngana, thanked Bishop Ezeokafor for what he described as his unwavering fatherly love and care the school enjoyed.
The Manager expressed gratitude to the guests for identifying with the school, the old boys and the parents and guardians of the students, for their contributions to the development of the school.
He further thanked and advised the teachers and the students, saying that in this academic session the school would focus more on character formation and sincerity, as keys to success.
‘As a teacher and a student, be sincere to yourself, to your parents, and to God.
‘If you do this, definitely you will end up having a formidable character which is our set goal,’ the Manager urged.
Speaking with Fides, the President General of Ifitedunu, Mr Steve Ofuaro, appreciated Bishop Ezeokafor for his visit and for the contribution of Awka Diocese in the Education Sector.
The President General disclosed the intention of his Ifitedunu Community to institute awards for best students in academic work and behaviour in all the schools in the community, to encourage holistic formation of human beings in the community.
Highlights of the event, which attracted the heavy presence of Catholic priests in Awka Diocese and community leaders of Ifite-Dunu, included the administration of the Sacrament of Confirmation to 165 candidates; blessing of a new chapel; enthronement of the Blessed Sacrament in the Chapel; commissioning and blessing of Manager’s House; Teachers Quarters; Science and computer Laboratories; toilet Facility; presentation of awards of academic excellence to best students, inauguration of 2024/2025 Academic Session; among others.
