Preach the truth, Okodua tells church leaders

The Parish Priest of St Anthony  Catholic Church,  Rev Monsignor Bernard Okodua has charged church leaders to remain committed to the preaching of the truth of God’s word and shun mundane thing.

Okodua has said this at a press conference announcing the commencement of the 60 days celebration as part of the event lined up to celebrate the Diamond Anniversary celebration of St Anthony  Catholic Church, Gbaja, Surulere in Lagos, said that  ministers of the gospel are expected to preach the undiluted message of Jesus that saves and prepare men for heaven.

The programme will featured A Day with elder, 70 years and above slated for 27thth April, 2021, Parish Youth Day will hold on the 2nd of May, Men’s Day with the Parish Priest, 8th, May and Children’s Day Celebration on the 23rd of May, among others.

He cited the words of Paul to Timothy when he admonished him to preach the truth and insist on it whether they want to hear or not because a time is coming when people will be tired of hearing the truth and will be looking for teachers who will teach what they want to hear.

He noted that we must continue to close the moral gaps that exist in the society through the gospel, we must not be enmeshed in the corruption in the society so that our message will be effective and impactful/.

He asserted that the Holy Bible teaches us not to lose hope and not despair or be dismayed. The risen Christ has brought light to the world and we must let his light shine by proclaiming the good news among men.

He posited that part of this good news is that our Parish has continued to grow in leaps and bounds from the humble beginning of 1961 into prominent Parish within the firmament of Lagos Archdiocese.

He said our anniversary day is our annual feats day, the feast of St Anthony, we have decided to celebrate in a grader day of celebrations. We have also decided to begin early as a build up to the D-day, hence 60 to 60 catchphrase.

In his words, the Associate Priest of St Anthony Catholic Church, Rev Fr Victor Okhiria noted that the celebration of our Diamond anniversary is not merely simplistic but a strong assertion of our values and belief which we held for the past 60 years: the contributions of the Parish to its immediate environs: and more emphatically a message to all about our unrelenting commitment and continuous response to needs and growth of the immediate community.

He started that the role of the church in the modern world as a transformation and change agent cannot be exaggerated. All over the ages, the church has been involved in the life of humanity, structuring of society with its functions and institution and in shaping the form and quality of political systems.