The Archbishop of the Metropolitan See of Lagos, Most Rev. (Dr.) Alfred Adewale Martins has issued a call to all parishes within the Archdiocese to undertake the Enthronement of the Word of God on Sunday, January 26, 2025. This clarion call aims to rekindle a deeper love and reverence for Sacred Scripture. He charged all Priests to promote a deeper understanding of the significance of the day to their respective parishioners. In the Lagos Archdiocesan circular addressed to the clergy, religious and lay faithful, the Archbishop urged Priests to emphasise the importance of observing Sunday, January 26, as a day dedicated to the Word of God.
He wrote, “The celebration of the Sunday of the Word of God for this year comes up on Sunday January 26, 2025. On this day, all parishes in the Archdiocese shall have the Enthronement of the Word of God. “Hence, we direct that all priests should begin to sensitise the faithful about this special Sunday and the prominence of the Word of God in the Life of the Christian. “The rite of Enthronement of the Bible shall be used. You will notice that the rite is embedded in the Mass of the day and it gives prominence to the Word of God. “The Bible remains enthroned until Tuesday, March 4, 2025, the day before Ash Wednesday.” The Enthronement of the Word of God is a sacred ritual that involves the ceremonial placement of the Bible in a position of honour within the altar of the Church.
This act symbolises the parish’s commitment to making the Word of God the centerpiece of their spiritual lives. Archbishop Martins recalled that on September 30, 2019, the Holy Father, Pope Francis established the 3rd Sunday in the Ordinary Time each year as the Sunday of the Word of God. The circular read in part, “On that Sunday, the Holy Father invites all Catholics across the world to deepen their appreciation, love and faithful witness to God and His Word. That day is to be observed as a special day devoted to the celebration, study and dissemination of the Word of God.” The Enthronement of the Word of God is not only a celebration of the Bible’s importance in the life of the Church but also a call to action. Parishes are encouraged to develop programmes and activities that promote biblical literacy, reflection, and application.
…Tasks lay leaders on good conduct at Laity Council AGM
By Constaincia Uruakpa
Catholic Archbishop of Lagos, Most Rev. (Dr.) Alfred Adewale Martins has expressed displeasure at the manner in which elections are conducted among the various groups, at the different levels in the Church, as he tasked the lay faithful to ensure they are willing to render selfless service to God and humanity for positions they seek to occupy. Archbishop Martins made the remark while speaking during the 2025 Lagos Archdiocesan Laity Council (LALC) AGM, with the theme, “Hope in Crisis: The power of prayer, faith, and community”, held recently at Catholic Church of the Resurrection, Magodo, Lagos.
The Archbishop said it had come to his notice that sometimes conducting of elections in associations in the Church have become quite difficult, as it has been turned to a political affair, where people seek power by bribing others and blackmailing one another. According to Archbishop Martins, people are campaigning for positions and are not giving the idea of service, which is supposed to be the major thing for occupied positions in the Church. “They are giving it a bad name, and for which reason there was the need to do some study and make some regulations with regards to elections”, he said.
The Archbishop identified some of the difficulties that have been noticed over time and which is important to address to include, finances and the use of funds. He commended the LALC Chairman who he said has worked well in ensuring that the regular rule stands for Parish Priests and Chaplains to be part of the signatories of associations’ accounts. On people being overtaxed, he said studies are being conducted in order that the Archdiocese will have some finance regulations that will help to streamline things.
He said: “For this reason, there has been some consultations with the leaders of associations, in order that we can have a wholesome guideline with regards to finances. I hope that, that will eventually see the light of day and will help us to relieve some of the problems that have been identified. “We are intentional in ensuring that we provide guidelines and regulations to ensure that there is good order in the way things are done.” Reflecting on the theme, Rev. Fr. John-Oscar Obi, Director Lay Apostolate Centre and Chaplain, LALC, said the world is confronted with numerous challenges, adding that Nigeria is grappling with financial, social, moral, and economic difficulties.
Fr. Obi however, said even in the darkest of times, there is a beacon of hope that shines brighter than any adversity, made possible by the power of prayer, faith, and the unwavering support of our community. For his part, Mr. Julius Ezeifedi, Chairman, LALC, expressed joy at the turnout of 41 lay groups in the Church, represented by their leaders. “I am very happy that all our efforts are yielding fruit. If we can have 41 groups in the Archdiocese, it will be helpful to the Lay Apostolate and the Laity Council”, he said.
