…As Catholic Men hold convention
Christians, especially Catholic men have been urged to look after things that God has entrusted in their care, especially the spouses and children that God has gifted them. The charge was given by Very Msgr. Anthony Obanla, Chancellor, Catholic Archdiocese of Lagos during the 2022 Annual Convention and 20th anniversary of Catholic Men Organisation, Nigeria (CMON) Archdiocese of Lagos with the theme ‘Men, where are you?”, held at St. Gregory’s College, Obalende, Lagos. Msgr. Obanla reminded the men that the children they have are their children, but they are ultimately children of God as they are entrusted to the fathers as gifts and talents. He urged them to take their parenting seriously like St. Monica whose memorial coincides with their event. Msgr. Obanla urged the men to take advantage of the wonderful gifts that God has given to them so that at the end of their lives they will be welcomed by the master as good and faithful servants. He urged them to detach themselves from material things, adding that a man’s life does not depend on what he has.
“Anything we do in this world we must always remember our end. We must always remember that one day we shall return back to our creator.” He urged them to work hard to get to the kingdom of heaven, as he advised them not to ignore the invitation of God when the preacher preaches to them. He said: “The Word continues to remind us that when we are in the world we are stewards that are entrusted with things according to our ability and capability and at the end of our life we shall give an account of how we have lived our lives. In his message read by Rev. Fr. Magnus Ijeh, Bishop Adeshina commended the CMON members for a timely topic of discussion as it addresses one of the challenges the Church is currently facing of poor participation of Catholic men in Catholic programmes.
He commended the choice of this topic by the team and prayed that the fruits of the convention will help in the growth of LACMON, as he assured them of his prayer for a successful and fruitful convention. Very Rev. Fr. Francis Ike, Chaplain, CMON, Catholic Archdiocese of Lagos commended the men for coming together in their numbers for the spiritual exercise of recommitting themselves to God and forging a way forward for the enhancement of the group. In his welcome address, Barr. Vincent Otiono, President, LACMON, called on Catholic men to be more involved in politics, government and decision making processes from the grassroots to the top, adding that they should finance and promote the evangelisation plans and moves of the Church.
