‘I was at the Archdiocesan Children’s Day celebration, I watched movies on ‘Life of St. Sebastian’
Children’s day is a day set aside to celebrate children all over the world. It is an annual event celebrated every May 27. The Catholic Church celebrates children’s day under the umbrella society of the Missionary Childhood Association (MCA). This year’s Children’s Day was celebrated with the Archbishop of Lagos on May 31, at the Holy Cross Cathedral, Lagos. It was well attended by MCA children selected from different Regions and Deaneries under the Archdiocese of Lagos such as Badagry Region, Festac Deanery and others.
The occasion started with a Holy Mass celebrated by the representative of Archbishop Alfred Adewale Martins. The MCA children sang at the Mass, took the Prayer of the faithful and served as Altar servers. There was reception immediately after the Holy Mass. It started with a movie show of a video entitled “Life of St. Sebastian”. St. Sebastian is the Patron Saint of Athletes, Archers and Soldiers. He was shot severally with arrows for his faith in God and Christianity. He did not die immediately as he was rescued by some people he converted to Christianity. When the Governor got the information that Sebastian was not dead but was alive converting more people to Christianity, he got angry and ordered the soldiers to beat him to death. His feast day is on January 20.
There was also a short movie about “St. Lucy” who is the Patron Saint of Epidemics and Diseases. She was martyred for her strong faith in God. After the movie show there was questions and answers with award of N500 given to person that got the answer correctly. There was a light refreshment and souvenirs gifts were given to the MCA children. It is my first time of attending Children’s Day with the Archbishop and I enjoyed myself. I learnt that as a child and as a member of MCA that it is good to pray always and have faith in God, especially in difficult times.
• Michelle Chikamso Odunukwe, St. Cyril Catholic Church, Okota, Festac Deanery, Archdiocese of Lagos.
‘The first impact on me was at the Holy Mass when the priest said we should avoid sin’
My experience on the last Children’s Day celebration on May 27, 2025. The following were activities that took place that day: 1. Holy Mass 2. March Past 3. Dancing Competition 4. Drama 5. News Casting 6. Bible Quotation 7. Selection of Master and Miss MCA. The impact of these activities on me as an MCA child is that first during the Holy Mass the priest said we should avoid sin and do what is right in the sight of God. As children of God we should do away with sin.
He said many children have died, but we are privilege to be alive, so we should live upright life so that we can share in God’s kingdom. Secondly, the March Past gave me the opportunity to know how to march and be fit among my fellow mates, and be able to take part in activities when called upon. Finally, the dancing competition made me to know how to dance, and it is a form of exercise to the body. These activities gave me the courage to be outspoken and it encourages me to be dedicated in doing God’s work.
• Udemba Ifeoma Emmanuella, St. Peter Catholic Church, Ejigbo, Isolo Deanery, Archdiocese of Lagos.
‘Our Children’s Day at the Archdiocese was a wonderful experience, the Mass was full of excitement and our Rev. Father really enjoyed it’
Children’s Day is a specific day which is chosen to celebrate the children of a specific country. In Nigeria, Children’s Day is celebrated every May 27, which fell on Tuesday this year, but we celebrated it on June 1, 2025. Our Children’s Day started with the Holy Mass and in that process the MCA participated in it. We served as the Altar Servers, Choir, Church Warden, Lectors, Cantors, and Eucharistic Dancers. The Mass was full of excitement, and our Rev. Father really enjoyed it. After the Mass, the programme started with the welcoming of people to the high table, including our MCA Chairman (a child), and it was followed by breaking of kolanut by members on the high table.
By the time our Chairman was giving his speech, we were ready to give our welcome song. We were filled with joy and expressed happiness to the church for celebrating us. After which we did some dancing competition, and then the competitors for the beauty pageant were asked to go and get ready and each representative were from the different S.C.C in our parish. Meanwhile, the MCA were getting ready for their cultural dance (egedege instrument). The representatives for the beauty pageant were called out to perform and, also the outgoing Queen from St. Alphonsus Navarete was called out. The eight S.C.C representatives came out one by one beautifully dressed, and they were asked questions and judged according to their dressing and the way they answered their questions.
Then the winner emerged, the outgoing Queen crowned the new Queen who is from st . Martins de Porres and they took pictures. The cultural dancers were called out and they performed excellently. The coordinators started distributing the food and every other thing followed such as; dress to school, and drama. Then the closing remarks was given by our MCA MAMA (Mrs. Tina Chuks); then dance! dance!! dance!!! Our Children’s Day was very exciting and wonderful. It was indeed, a wonderful experience and I felt happy to be a Catholic child and MCA member.
• Benard Esther Oluomachukwu, St. Mary Catholic Church, Iba New site, Iba Deanery, Archdiocese of Lagos.
‘My parish Children’s Day was amazing and great; we danced, played different games and ate enough food’
My parish Children’s Day was amazing and so great. I experienced many different types of activities such as games, dancing and many fun things. I had much fun with friends and families. On that day we danced and played different types of games and ate enough food, the day was good and great. A day before the celebration, we visited people in the hospital, as part of our Children’s Day celebration. T
here were many activities on the Children’s day itself such as dancing, playing of games and hospital visitation while few of us went to Eti-Osa Government hospital in Ajah. The celebration with all those activities impacted me by showing love to each other, encouraging us to be closer to Jesus, serving Him with all our hearts. It also made me know other places such as Ajah; and on our way going and coming back, I saw many beautiful things that I have never seen within my area. Children all over the world……. We’re always friends.
• Isaac Barnabas, Catholic Church of Pentecost, Jakande Lekki, Lekki Deanery, Archdiocese of Lagos.
‘The Archdiocesan Children’s Day was an unforgettable experience, we had games, talent shows, and catechetical sessions’
The Archdiocesan Children’s Day was an unforgettable experience for me. Children from different parishes came together for a day of fun and learning. We had games, talent shows, and catechetical sessions that taught us about faith, teamwork, and leadership. The talent show was a highlight, showcasing unique skills and talents. The catechetical sessions deepened our understanding of our faith and its importance in daily life. The event was impactful, reminding me of the value of community and coming together with fellow believers. It strengthened my faith and motivated me to grow spiritually. I left feeling inspired and renewed, eager to share what I learned with others. I’m grateful for the experience and the lessons it taught me about the power of faith and community.
• Oyigbo Joan Afomachikum, SS. Mulumba and David Catholic Church, Surulere Deanery, Archdiocese of Lagos.
