Encomiums have continued to pour in for The Catholic Herald weekly newspaper, as Bishops in the country felicitate with the publisher, and staff on the celebration of 100 years of existence of the publication. In a letter written by Most Rev. John Akinkunmi Oyejola, Bishop, Catholic Diocese of Osogbo, he noted that it has pleased the Lord to sustain the Church as effort of concrete witnessing through the media thus far, as he added that the humble efforts that started in 1924 have matured and yielded many fruits in the formation of human conscience and the growth of the Nigerian nation.
According to Bishop, Oyejola, “No, doubt, so many people have contributed to the successes recorded by The Catholic Herald weekly, and God has really been faithful to us. May all glory and honour be His forever and ever.” On behalf of Priests, Consecrated Persons and the Lay Faithful in the Catholic Diocese of Osogbo, the Bishop, congratulated Most Rev. (Dr.) Alfred Adewale Martins, Archbishop of Lagos and all whom God has used in the past 100 years, to disseminate His truth and love to humanity through The Catholic Herald medium. “May this celebration of the Centenary anniversary reposition the paper for a more robust and transforming witnessing”, he prayed.
Recalling the gospel of Matthew 10:27, he said the directive of Jesus Christ to all His disciples should continue to be taken seriously, adding that Jesus himself remains the message wenproclaim, and the truth of our proclamation. On God’s blessings on the people, Bishop Oyejola encouraged Archbishop Martins and other stakeholders of The Catholic Herald Weekly, to continue courageously to communicate truth in love to all and sundry without counting the cost. He prayed that the celebration of this great milestone will renew commitment, and open more doors of opportunity for the Church’s work of witnessing through the Media. “
May Our Mother Mary, the Star of evangelisation, continue to pray for the success of our various efforts. Ad Multos Annos! May our hearts continue to be Christ-like” he prayed. For Most Rev. Emmanuel Badejo, Bishop of Oyo Diocese and President of CEPACS, he expressed delight and honour to receive the invitation of Archbishop Martins to the anniversary lecture of the Catholic Herald and to be designated a Special Guest too. The Bishop congratulated the Archbishop, the archdiocese, the Editor, Management and Staff of the Catholic Herald weekly for the milestone, testifying that the weekly has played a pivotal role for the dissemination of information, reportage and catechesis over these years, and has played an important role in pastoral development and the work of evangelisation in the Archdiocese of Lagos and beyond.
He commended the commitment of the staff which has brought the Herald to its current enviable standard, adding that this commitment was put on full display when the Archdiocese hosted the Golden Jubilee and assembly of the Pan African Episcopal Committee for Social, Communication (CEPACS) in November 2023. He expressed confidence that the Herald will play an increasingly vital role in evolving the Church profile as we engage the new digital era and the Artificial Intelligence realities as he prayed for a successful anniversary lecture and presentations.
