THE 150-YEAR remembrance of Mother Gerine Fabre foundress of the Dominican Sisters of St Catherine of Siena, was celebrated together with the diaconate ordination of five candidates of Ibadan archdiocese at St Dominic, Ogungbade, Ibadan, 31 December. 2017.

Archbishop Gabriel Abegunrin, explaining the uniqueness of Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph, said the presence of Jesus makes the family of Joseph and Mary holy.

Archbishop Abegunrin thus encouraged every family to make Christ present in their family to make it holy. The Church is holy because of the presence of Christ in the Church, he said. He then called on the faithful to protect and make holy the Church in Ibadan.

Ordained to the Order of diaconate are Thaddeus Falade, Stephen Udechukwu, Joseph Akerele, Callistus Orijika, and Onyema Charles.

Most Rev. Gabriel Abegunrin, said ordination “is a sacrament and every priest is an ambassador of the church.”

The prelate warned that ordination into diaconate office should not be misconstrued for a promotion which comes with ego, showoff and an avenue for personal aggrandisement. Rather, he said, as ambassadors of the Church, it challenges them to live a life of service and sacrifice worthy of emulation by all.

According to him, the diaconate office comes with a lot of responsibilities that include humility, service and sharing in the good way our Lord laid down for all.

The local ordinary, therefore, urged the ordinands to perform their duties generously without holding back or counting the cost. You must avoid materialism if you really want to serve God as no man can serve two masters, he said.

As teachers, he enjoined them to be more attentive so as to hear and learn from God, reminding them that “you have a master and so you can no longer do certain things.”

Speaking about good family life, the chief shepherd urged every family to emulate the holy family, which took prayer as its stronghold. He also said every family must belong to the Church, the holy body of God, from where we all draw strength. “Keep clinging to Him and always be part of His body, protect it and never allow the family to go astray,” he said.

-MARGARET OBOGO AND SIMON SENAYA