From Ogbonnaya Ndukwe, Aba

Parishioners at the Sacred Heart Catholic Church, Umuogor, Aba South Council Area of Abia State, are still celebrating the recent visit of the bishop of the Aba Diocese, Prof. Augustine Echema, to their parish.

It was the first pastoral visit of the bishop to the parish since it was established six years ago.

Their joy was without bounds and, to express their gratitude, the parishioners rolled out the drums to receive the bishop and his entourage.

The atmosphere was electrifying and ecstatic as shown by the displays from the various groups as well as the array of clerics in attendance among whom were Very Rev. Fr. Godswill Eche, Secretary to Bishop and Chancery of Aba Diocese, the Parish Priest, Rev. Fr. Brendan Obiji, Rev. Fr. Godwin Okpa from Okigwe Diocese, Rev. Fr. William Bassey, Chaplin, St. Joseph’s Hospital Ohabiam, and Rev. Fr. Ikedichukwu Ethelbert from Two Hearts of Love.

In his address at the event, Bishop Echema said there was much bickering in the land among the rich and the poor in the pursuit of wealth.

He admonished Nigerians, irrespective of ethnic nationalities or religion, to have love for their country and one another, to be acceptable before God.

He urged the youths not to sit at home waiting for the wealth their parents will leave for them, rather to strive and hustle to create their own legacies while they continue believing and serving God in whose hands life and death revolved.

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He said: “Our youths are dynamic but quarreling over properties left over by their fathers has created problems and even brought destructions on families that ought to be united in love, peace and societal development. Stop discriminating against one another and focus your attention on God because everyone is a stranger wherever he found himself to reside in.”

As soldiers of Christ, he challenged the parishioners to be steadfast in working for God in faith and prayed that they will receive His blessings as reward.

The bishop advised the Federal Government to plan its annual budgeting on fiscal realities within the country, instead of relying on borrowed funds from foreign lands. He warned that excessive borrowing will mortgage the future of coming generations of Nigerians if the government derailed in repaying such loans.

According to him, what the leadership of Nigeria ought to be doing was to think of saving of the future instead of reaching out to foreign countries, especially those whose interests was to muzzle up the poor ones, for loans that were used in servicing rather than production processes.

The bishop further said: “Our leaders should stop borrowing money from foreign lands.  Budgeting should only be focused on our earnings and not what we will borrow. Our leaders should be thinking of saving for the future instead of making and accumulating wealth for children yet unborn while the masses suffer.”

In his brief remarks, the parish priest, Rev Fr Obiji, thanked the bishop for the historic visit to the parish and commended the members for their faithfulness.

No fewer than 485 new members were inducted into the sacrament of holy communion, with 15 couples joined in mass wedding, while 37 church supporters received the bishop’s awards at the occasion.

Some of the recipients of the awards were Benjamin Onu Benjack (Dikeoha of Sacred Heart); Prince Evaristus Eze (Pillar of Sacred Heart), Damian Ezedeyi (Akaji Ide Nke Izizi of Sacred Heart), Emeka Nwosu (Nmiri Oma of Sacred Heart), Titus Nwaokafor (Nkuru Oma of Sacred Heart), Chibeze Aguyi (Omeudo of Sacred Heart) and President of the Catholic Women Organisation (CWO) of the parish, Mrs Victoria Emeh (Ezinne of Sacred Heart), among others.