Bishop Ogun Interacts with Children

By Staff Reporter

Children are a gift from God. The Psalmist acknowledges this when he writes: “Sons are a gift from the Lord; the fruit of the womb is a reward” (127:3). Children are precious and priceless.

They bring joy and happiness to families. They also give strength and hope to the Church and to the world. Recognizing the inherent dignity and value of children, the Church appreciates, celebrates and promotes their general well-being. It is against this backdrop that Most Rev. Dr Donatus Ogun, the Bishop of Uromi diocese deemed it necessary to make the 2017 Children’s Day Celebration a unique one for children between the ages of 9 and 16 years from the four corners of the diocese, Catholics and non-Catholics alike by hosting and engaging them in an Interactive Session. This event took place on Saturday 27th May, 2017 at Lumen Christi International High School, Arue Uromi.

Present at this Interactive Session were our beloved children from the length and breadth of the diocese, the convener, his Lordship Most Rev. Dr Donatus Ogun, Very Rev. Fr Francis Omonlumen, Vicar General of Uromi diocese, Very Rev. Fr Hilary Oseabulu Odenore, Chancellor of Uromi diocese, Very Rev. Fr Fdelis Arhedo, Director Justice, Development, Peace and Caritas Initiative (JDPCI), diocese of Uromi, Rev. Fr Dr Theophilus Itaman, host and Principal of Lumen Christi International High School, Arue Uromi, Rev. Fr Michael Akhighu, Director for Pontifical Works, Uromi diocese, Rev. Fr Kelvin Ibhaze, Diocesan Youth Chaplain, Rev. Fr Gregory Abuya, Personal Secretary to the Bishop, Rev. Fr Living Joseph Okosun, Parish Priest of St Michael’s Catholic Church, Ibhiolulu, Rev. Fr Precious Martin Umanhonlen, Vice Principal of Lumen Christi International High School, Arue Uromi, and Rev. Fr Leonard Elomien, Assistant Director, The Catholic Witness. Sr Angela Chidiogo Okeke, DDL, Diocesan Coordinator Holy Childhood Association (H.C.A.), Sr Regina Njoku, SSH, Sr Ifeoma Arinze, DC, and Sr Ursula Okpara, RJM, Parish Coordinator Holy Childhood Association (H.C.A.), St Gregory the Great Parish, Ekpoma were also present. The diocesan presidents of the Laity Council, Lady Prof. Eunice Omoregie, Catholic Men Organisation (C.M.O.), Mr S. I. Okhurebor, Catholic Women Organisation (C.W.O.), Lady E.O. Ikhidi, and Nigeria Federation of Catholic Students (N.F.C.S.) Udenwagu Chibueze Luke equally graced the occasion. Mr Ted Inegbedion was present as Special Guest. The members of staff, Justice, Development, Peace and Caritas Initiative (JDPCI), diocese of Uromi were also present at this event.

Before the commencement of the Interactive Session with the bishop which was the main event for the celebration, having begun the celebration with the opening prayer led by Very Rev. Fr Francis Omonlumen, guests were welcomed by Sr Angela Chidiogo Okeke, DDL. Then followed a sensitization drama on Child Trafficking, and cultural display by the members of the H.C.A. The event witnessed over 1500 children from all over the diocese.

The bishop began his Interactive Session with the children by expressing sentiments of appreciation and joy. “I am very happy to see the children of our diocese gathered to enjoy the company of one another. I also enjoy your company.” He then thanked the Principal of Lumen Christi International High School, Arue Uromi for “accommodation us”. He equally thanked Parish priests and Priests in Charge of Churches for mobilizing the children for this gathering. Gratitude was expressed to the diocesan director of the Pontifical Mission Society and the

Coordinator of Holy Childhood Association for all that they have been doing. The drama group had a share in the appreciation for acting for us the reality and dangers of human trafficking.

Remembering with nostalgia the glorious past, he said that May 27th was a very significant day he looked up to while growing up. That day saw children gather at the Stadium for Children’s Day celebration. Turning to the children he said that the purpose of the Interactive Session is to meet them as children and as the future of the Church and of the society. “We are happy to have you as young people. We are happy to see the joy that is in your face. With you we have a very promising future.”

The bishop enjoined the children to pay attention to the moral instructions the Church gives for the formation of our conscience. Such formation also entails the need to be responsive and committed in the home in doing domestic chores like sweeping and assisting at the kitchen. On the need to work hard, he asserted: “hard work has never killed anybody. Hard work does not kill.” Hard work rather makes us strong, industrious and productive. Drawing the attention of the children to the recent canonization of the shepherd children, Francisco and Jacinta, two of the three seers to whom our Lady was pleased to appear at Fatima, Portugal with a message of salvation for humanity, the bishop stated that these saints, the first children to be canonized in the history of the Church without having suffered martyrdom, should challenge us. The first question posed by the bishop to the children is as follows:

A question was directed to the children by His Lordship: What can we do to help you as children to grow up better? The responses were quite revealing of the yearnings and aspirations of the children for excellence. They equally manifest the faith of the children and their desire to have this faith deepened. Given that some of the children repeated the same yearnings, we are presenting the main content of their responses without including the names of the children who responded. Here are their responses.

– Pray for us to be responsible.

– Provide good teachers to teach us the Catechism of the Catholic Church.

– Provide more societies that will help us to pray better.

– The Church should tell Catechism teachers to include the life of the Saints in our Catechism.

– The Church should provide vocational skills to children whose parents cannot afford their fees.

– The Church should establish more parishes and provide quality catechism teachers.

– The Church should encourage more parents to be involved in the teaching of catechism.

There was yet another question: What do you think your parents should do for you to make you better children? The children gave the following responses:

– Our parents should show us good example.

– Our parents should always call us to counsel us. They are not to counsel us only when we go wrong.

– They should teach us good moral lessons.

– They should teach us the Bible and help us to have role models from the Bible.

– They should teach us to be honest and truthful.

– They should provide us with good education so that we can become great.

– They should provide our basic needs.

– They should provide decent dresses for us and not dresses that will expose our bodies.

– They should teach us to pray by leading us in prayer.

On a special day like this, the children did not only respond to questions, they equally had time to ask questions centering on Church doctrines and celebrations. Other activities that made this day remarkable were games, music and, of course, refreshment. Before the celebration was brought to a close, the presidents of the Laity and the various organizations addressed the children. They advised them on how to grow up to become great personalities in the Church and in the society.

May God bless our children. May he bless our Bishop for giving us this opportunity to celebrate children on their day. May he also bless all who contributed in one way or the other to make the celebrations of this day a success.