…As Bishop Ezeokafor Harps on Catching Them Young, Lauds Organizers, Sponsor
By Mmaduabuchi Onwumelu
The Young Catholic Students of Nigeria (YCSN), Awka Diocese, in collaboration with Angelic Voices Foundation, on Saturday, 22 November 2025, organised the 2025 Bishop’s Carol with over thirty three secondary schools participating.
This year’s Bishop’s Carol was sponsored by the Managing Director of Princeton Specialist Hospital and Orthopaedic Centre, Awka, Dr. Amaechi Nwachukwu.
The event which was preceded by a Concelebrated Eucharistic celebration, witnessed different renditions and cultural displays from all the participating schools.
In his homily, Bishop Ezeokafor, who dwelled on the theme of this year’s event, “Let The Children Come To Me” (Mark 10-14), said the Church would continue to provide the enabling environment for the young ones to grow and become better individuals that would be useful to themselves, families, Church and society at large, exhorting the students to leverage the numerous opportunities presented to them by the Universal Church. He assured that the Mother Church would keep working for the students’ spiritual and moral development.
Addressing the schools before the march past, Bishop Ezeokafor expressed delight with what he described as the organizational skills of the organizers and also the comportment, neatness, uniformity and the discipline exhibited by the students, saying that with what he had witnessed from the beginning of the Mass to the second phase of the event, he could comfortably beat his chest and say that the future remained bright and beautiful.
Bishop Ezeokafor said the children should always be guided, watched, nurtured, and trained in a manner they would not deviate from the laid down standards when they fully grew up.
Lorreto Special Science School, Adazi; St. John of God Secondary School, Awka; St. Patrick’s College, Awka; Igwebuike Grammar School, Awka; National Secondary School, Awka; were among the schools that participated in this year’s Bishop’s Carol.
Among those who attended the event were the Diocesan Chancellor, Reverend Father Charles Ndubisi; Awka Diocesan Financial Administrator, Reverend Father, Paulinus Okonkwo; the Diocesan Bursar, Reverend Father Nicodemus Izuchukwu; the founder of Angelic Voices Foundation, Dr. GeorgeFranklin Umeh; Barrister Anthony Agbasiere, among others.
In their separate speeches, the Chaplain of YCS Awka Diocese, Reverend Father Henry Oduenyi, and the Assistant Chaplain, Reverend Father Cosmos Emengini, commended the Bishop for spending the whole day with them, noting that his presence impacted positively on the lives of the students, tutors, guests, organizers and the sponsor.
Fr. Oduenyi described Bishop Ezeokafor as a lover of education and children, emphasizing that they were gradually and steadily implementing the Bishop’s clear-cut vision and mission in YCSN, Awka Diocese, adding that the students were truly blessed and lucky to have had the opportunity of showcasing their talents before the world every year.
In a vote of thanks, the founder of Angelic Voices Foundation, Dr Umeh, thanked the Bishop, the Chaplain, Assistant Chaplain, the Sponsor and all the guests, assuring that next year’s edition would come in another style and new additions.
Healthy competitions, ranging from the presentation of drama, songs, cultural displays, and calisthenics, among others, formed the high points of the occasion.
