…Dedicates St. Lawrence Church building
Catholics have been asked to ensure that they make their church premises the centre of activities and life of their parish, and desist from going from home to home in order to carry out these activities. The charge was given by Most Rev. (Dr.) Alfred Adewale Martins, Catholic Archbishop of Lagos, during the dedication of the new church building of St. Lawrence Catholic Church, Idimu, Lagos, held recently in the parish.
Archbishop Martins disclosed that some Catholics turn their houses into places of worship, and counseling centres, despite being members of a parish. The Archbishop reminded them that they have the priests in the Church, and Jesus in the Blessed sacrament, adding that these must be the centre of their activities as Catholics. According to him, “Catholics who go from home to home, or who go from one place of worship to another, and left the centre of the place of worship are Catholic by words, but not in practice.” Archbishop Martins said like King Solomon, God has given the people of St. Lawrence the privilege to build and bring the place of worship to completion, as he commended the priests; past and present, as well as parishioners, urging them to approach the house of God with utter reverence and respect.
He said: “The Lord calls on you to use this house of prayer with reverence. We must approach this church with reverence and with utter respect; the altar in which the sacrifice of Jesus will be celebrated, which we have anointed with the oil of Chrism, and nothing else other than the sacrifice of the altar of Jesus can be done on this altar. “Jesus Himself is present. He is present, soul and divinity in the blessed sacrament of the altar.
Therefore, we must enter the church with utter reverence.” The Archbishop reminded Catholics to always acknowledge the presence of God, by making the sign of the cross whenever they enter or pass by the Church, urging parents to teach their children the value of making the sign of the cross whenever they go past the Church.
“Make it a habit to make the sign of the cross, not only to bless yourself, but also to show others who you are, a Catholic who knows that Jesus is present in the Church”, he said. For his part, Rev. Fr. Paul Okobi, the Parish Priest, said the people’s resilience, diligence, collaboration and family spirit have been their sources of focus and catalyst of mobility in the journey which the parish celebrates, despite the time, experiences and intricacies.
He appreciated the Archbishop for his love for the people, and care for the flock, as well as priests and religious who worked in the parish, and the parishioners who he said supported his visions since he arrived the parish. Fr. Okobi also acknowledged their financial support, prayers, encouragement, and ever willing spirit to go beyond the ordinary.
