The Archdiocese of Lagos was agog with activities on Thursday, September 14, 2022 when it marked the Feast of Exaltation of the Cross and 50th memorial anniversary of Most Rev. (Dr.) John Kwao Amuzu Aggey, first African Archbishop of Lagos. The event was attended by priests, religious and lay faithful of the archdiocese who trooped in their numbers to the Holy Cross Cathedral, venue of the Mass to celebrate the two remarkable events. Very Rev. Msgr. Bernard Okodua, Episcopal Vicar, Lagos Region, Catholic Archdiocese of Lagos, chief celebrant and homilist, speaking on the cross said Jesus Christ came to save the world from sins through His suffering and death on the cross. He stated that without the cross and resurrection of Christ the Christian faith and preaching will be meaningless. Thanking God for the life of Archbishop Aggey, Msgr. Okodua called on Catholics to emulate the gift of humility and love for fellow human exhibited by the late prelate, as he urged them to carry their crosses like Jesus did, so that they can share in the glory of His resurrection.
Speaking on the life and times of Archbishop JKA Aggey, he said “Honestly. I was not in Lagos in his lifetime. I lived outside Lagos and he died just three months after my ordination. So, I only knew him as a seminarian. My relationship with him even as a seminarian each time I came home, he used to send us to parishes for pastoral work. When I met him on those occasions, he was a simple humble man. “From stories told of him, he was a true Christian and follower of Christ. He didn’t follow just by name; he followed by action.” The late Archbishop JKA Aggey, as he is fondly called, was born on March 5, 1908, in Anecho, Southeastern Togo. He was ordained a priest in 1944 in Lagos, and consecrated as Bishop in 1957. Archbishop Aggey died after a brief illness on March 14, 1972.
