…As Bishop Ezeokafor Enjoins Parishioners to Become Living Temples of God
The parish of St Patrick’s Catholic Church, Awgbu, in Orumba North L.G.A Anambra State, was a beehive of joyful celebrations as the much prepared and long anticipated dedication of the parish Church took place Sunday, 8th September, 2024, by the revered Catholic Bishop of Awka, Most Rev Paulinus Chukwuemeka Ezeokafor.
Report by Fides Media
The solemn Mass of Dedication which commenced at exactly 9.30am was well attended as the Church was filled to the brim by the parishioners who adorned themselves with well sewn dedication uniforms bearing the head of St Patrick of Ireland, the Parish’s Patron Saint.
Also in huge attendance were the friends and well wishers of the parish, including priests, religious and lay faithful. Delivering  the  dedication  homily,  the  presiding  and  dedication  minister,  Bishop  Ezeokafor, specially thanked Very Rev. Fr. Romanus Ezeisi, who is St Patrick’s Parish Priest, for his doggedness and the efforts expended to make this dedication a reality, even as he equally thanked the past parish priests of the parish since its creation 29 years ago in 1995.
Thanking other concelebrating priests, the Bishop recognized the presence of the Awka Diocesan Chancellor, Very  Rev  Fr  Dr  Charles  Ndubisi; the Dean, Awgbu  Deanery,  Very  Rev  Fr  Jonas Unegbu; the Diocesan Vocation Director, Very Rev Fr Dr PaulMary Chukwukebe; and a host of other priests.
Equally appreciating the lay faithful, Bishop Ezeokafor recognized the presence of the  Knights  of  the  Church  and  their  Ladies;  the  statutory  bodies  of  the  Catholic  Men’s Organization  (CMO); the  Catholic  Women’s  Organization  (CWO); the  Catholic  Youth Organization  of  Nigeria  (CYON)  and  the  Holy  Childhood  Association  (HCA).
He also recognized in a special way the presence of the Chief of Staff to the Anambra State Governor, Mr. Ernest Ezeajughi, an indigene of Awgbu but from a sister parish. Bishop Ezeokafor thanked him and other dignitaries for gracing the occasion.
Drawing richly from the readings of the dedication Mass, and echoing the words of Nehemiah 8:10, Bishop Ezeokafor enjoined the people of God to ‘Rejoice and be happy for this day is a day of the Lord. You must not be sad and sorrowful.’
He maintained that dedication of a Church was always a thing of joy, noting that he was especially very happy because he was the Parish Priest of All Saints, Awgbu when it was dedicated in 1989.
Bishop Ezeokafor further underscored the significance of dedicating the church to the parishioners, saying, ‘It has become a day of joy for you, and you must celebrate it every year. Every 8th September has become for you the Solemnity of the dedication of the Church of St Patrick’s Parish, Awgbu. This takes precedence over every other celebration.’
On what the dedication spiritually meant for the people, the prelate quoted the words of St Paul in I Corinthians 6:19, enjoining the faithful to be the real Temple of God.
‘Our bodies have been dedicated to God; we are the true temples of God; and as such, our lives should reflect what this dedicated Church stands for.’
On  the  importance  of  the  dedication,  Bishop  Ezeokafor  told  the  faithful  that  “Dedicating  a Church is quite different from a simple blessing of any building such as blessing of a  chapel. The dedicated Church is solemnly consecrated to be a place of worship of God, a house of prayer where faithful can come and meet God.’
The Bishop recalled in I Kings 8:22-30, that King Solomon, during the dedication of the Temple in Jerusalem, prayed God to hearken to the prayers of those who came into the temple to pray.
He said in the same way, ‘This Church has solemnly and solely become a house of prayer for all who come here to pray.’
On the symbolism of the dedication, Bishop Ezeokafor maintained that the Church had become a sign of God’s presence among His people, even as he echoed the words of Pope St John Paul II that ‘Every Church is our house and a house of God where we meet God’.
At about 11:20 am, the Bishop said the dedication prayers, anointing the altar and the pillars of the  Church  with  consecrated  Chrism  oil,  even  as  he  incensed  the  altar  using,  the  liturgical Thurible.
As  the  sweet  smelling  incense  smoke  filled  the  Church, the  congregation  sang sonorous tunes to the glory of God.
Other highlights  of  the dedication  included  the Bishop’s  unveiling  of the  Dedication  plaque, blessing of the Church Tower built by Nwajagu Family in memory of late Sir Godfrey Nwajagu and Late Lady Elizabeth Nwajagu.
There was also the Bishop’s blessing of the CWO hall built in memory of the late Catechist Mr Evaristus Obikwelu Obiekii; and the planting of the Dedication tree by Bishop Ezeokafor.
The joyous celebration ended with a resounding reception for Bishop Ezeokafor, the clergy, invited guests and the entire parishioners, as everyone ate to their fill.
At the end, the visibly elated and fulfilled Parish Priest, Very Rev. Fr. Romanus Ezeisi, thanked the Diocesan Bishop, Most  Rev. Ezeokafor,  for  graciously  obliging  to dedicate St Patrick’s Church, Awgbu. He equally thanked the committee who worked tirelessly to see that the dedication day became a reality, even as he thanked various donors and contributors to the financing of the entire project of preparing the Church for dedication. He prayed God to bless all and sundry.
