…As St. Kizito celebrates Silver Jubilee
Catholics have been tasked to build strong, faithful, united and caring communities, which the Lord demands of them as they labour to bring the Church to its next level of growth, and hand over these to generations to come. The charge was given by Most Rev. (Dr.) Alfred Adewale Martins, Catholic Archbishop of Lagos, during the 25th anniversary celebration of St. kizito Catholic Church, Iju, Agege, Lagos, held recently in the Church.
Archbishop Martins thanked God for the priests He appointed to take care of the faithful in their different parishes, and those He sent over the years to shepherd His people in St. Kizito, as he paid tribute to the priests for the role they played in helping to build up the community of faith. He thanked God for the dynamic efforts of the lay faithful at the time, men and women, who along with their priests, set the tone for what is being celebrated now, a big church from which the people are being fed with the word of God and the Holy Eucharist.
The Archbishop commended the efforts of Msgr. Julius Oni, the first indigenous priest, and SMA Fathers who served in building up the community of faith where the people worship today. The Archbishop commended the Diocesan priests who have worked over the years in the parish for the dynamism and enthusiasm with which they tended the flock, as well as the lay faithful and leaders who have worked with their priests in order to build up the community, urging them not to sit on their oars, as they begin to look forward to the next 25 years and what they are going to hand over to the next generation.
He commended the Parish Priest for his leadership, which he said is responsible for the spiritual and physical growth witnessed in the parish, as he asked the parishioners to continue to work together to make the parish the model that it is expected to be in the archdiocese Rev. Fr. Sebastian Ngene, the Parish Priest thanked God for His blessings, guidance and protection that the seed sown many years ago is still bearing fruit. Fr. Ngene described St. Kizito as a wonderful parish with a unique history of being an outstation for over 30 years before it eventually became a parish.
He thanked the Archbishop for his love and sacrifice for the people, as well as the priests who worked there when St. Kizito was an outstation and when it became a parish. He commended the parishioners for their cooperation whenever they were called upon to support projects in the parish. Highlights of the event included the Archbishop administering the Sacrament of Confirmation to over 200 candidates, marking of the 10th anniversary of the dedication of the church building and blessing of the Rectory Extension.
