…As 42 couples tie the knot at Holy Family Parish, Festac Town
The Dean of Festac Deanery, Catholic Archdiocese of Lagos and Parish Priest of Holy Family Catholic Church, Festac Town, Very Rev. Fr. Melvis Mayaki, has reiterated the Church’s stand on same sex-marriage, as he described the act as outrageous and unacceptable. Fr. Mayaki made this disclosure while speaking at the wedding of 42 couples whose marriages were regularised, according to Catholic rights, recently, at Holy Family Catholic Church, Festac, Lagos. Fr. Mayaki said marriage is between a man and a woman, as he insisted that it remains the foundation of family, which is the bedrock of the society and the surest way to save the world from the destructive impacts of secularism.
According to the Dean, the Church will continue to call people to the truth, adding that marriage should be built on the right foundation, Jesus Christ, and on biblical principles. According to Fr. Mayaki, “Whether or not the world is appreciating marriage, the Church continues to encourage young people today to get married, to agree to live together and start a family, to live together for better, for worse, and in good times and in bad times.” He said marriage is a covenant not a contract like the world sees it, as he described contract as exchange of goods and services, adding that a covenant is an exchange of lives. In his words, every time people get married, they are in a covenant till death parts them. He added that the Church elevates the covenant to a sacrament, which is a sign of God’s presence.
According to him, “The Church does not joke with sacraments, especially the sacrament of God’s love for His people expressed in marital love – a love that a man and a woman would have. “And that is why, from the beginning, a man would leave his father and mother and cleave to his wife – a real man and a real woman, not same-sex marriage, not man pretending and marrying another man, or a woman pretending and getting married to another woman. “Those things are outrageous fantasies that are not acceptable in the eyes of God, and it is against nature itself. No matter how the world covers or coats it, it is wrong; even animals do not undergo such arrangements.”
The priest commended the couples for successfully completing the process, as he urged them to take this sacramental marriage as a new beginning to love each other afresh, make the society better and love the ways of God and let His glory be seen in their marriages. He commended the parish CMO for bankrolling the event, recalling how in John 2, Jesus worked his first sign at a marriage feast in Cana and let His glory be revealed. Delivering the homily at the Mass, Rev. Fr. Hilary Ogunyemi, the Associate Parish Priest, urged the couples to always cherish marriage, armed with togetherness, love, commitment, tolerance and forgiveness as indispensables in the union. Urging the couples to accommodate each other, he reminded husbands to always love their wives, adding that a humble wife is a natural choice for the husband.”
For his part, Mr. Anthony Igboanugo, CMO Chairman, thanked God for inspiring the group to undertake the apostolic work, noting that having regularised their union, the couples are now full-fledged members of the Church. “By the grace of God, now they have all the enabling grace and opportunities to work out their salvation with fear and trembling, as the bible told us”, he added. Also commenting, chairman of the organising committee, Mr. Kenneth Nkenchor said 45 couples initially registered for the exercise, but three dropped out for reasons like health, distance and family, besides having to manage the challenges of participants working outside Lagos. He said: “For us, it was really a very tasking exercise. Funny enough, we were expecting to see people of 40 years and above, but surprisingly we have some under-30s.
That means they are just starting their new life. “Bringing them all together was not easy because some are working and some are outside Lagos, but thank God for the telecommunication device, through which we were able to reach them to receive the necessary documents.” This year’s Mass wedding organised by the parish CMO is the third in the history of Holy Family parish, Festac. The first was conducted in 1987 by late Rev. Fr. John Burke, SMA; and thereafter by Rev. Fr. Anthony Obadina CMF, 14 years ago.
