Members of St. Jude Thaddeus Society were in prayerful mood as they assembled at the Marian Shrine, St. Agnes Catholic Church, Maryland, Lagos, recently for the Lagos Ecclesiastical Provincial Council annual Marian Pilgrimage. The 2025 meeting which began with Rosary Procession, and themed, “Trust in God even in Hopelessness,” saw members from Lagos Archdiocese, Abeokuta Diocese and Ijebu-Ode Diocese that make up the Province trooped out in their numbers.
Delivering the homily at Mass, Rev. Fr. Moses Ani, former Director, St. Jude Apostolate, urged the people to always trust in God, even in the face of doubt, difficulties and trials. He assured them that God is ever willing and ready to come to their aid, even when it looks as if all hope is lost. On the encounter between Jesus and Bartimeus, who received his sight even when he had lost hope, he disclosed receiving healing after 28 years of suffering from rheumatoid arthritis, through the intervention of St. Jude Thaddeus, patron saint of difficult situations.
Rev. Fr. Alexander Oboh, the Provincial Chaplain, speaking on the situation of the country, asked members not to lose hope, but trust and communicate with God in prayer. He urged the leaders to do their best to ensure that the people are well catered to, by providing the basic needs for their well-being. “God remains ever benevolent, He is our father who will always provide for his children”, he said. Mr. Romanus Onyeulo, the Provincial President, speaking on the theme said the Church celebrates the Jubilee of Hope, as Nigerians are looking forward to change, hopeful, especially with the hardship in the country.
According to him, “People are facing so much difficulty, but the Church has given us a patron saint of difficult and desperate cases, St. Jude Thaddeus; it also calls to mind for us to pray, because we always believe that where there is prayer, there is hope. Then there is need to trust in God even in the face of hopelessness. With God all things are possible. Whatever situation we find ourselves in the world today, we should always trust in God.” On the gathering at the Marian Shrine, he said, “We all know that mother Mary is here. She has always been there for us. And she is our mother we always call on, and she is always there to answer”.
