Support for Pastoral Agents in Awka Diocese
By Jessica Akubueze Chukwudebe
With the establishment of the Migrants and Refugees Unit in all the dioceses in Nigeria, following the provisions of the Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria, the Unit in the Catholic Diocese of Awka has organized a Capacity-Building Support for Pastoral Agents in the Diocese.
The event which took place on Wednesday, July 23, at Sacred Heart Parish, Ngozika Housing Estate, Awka, was graced by three Monsignors and more than 100 priests working in the Diocese of Awka.
In his address of welcome titled: “I was a Stranger and You Welcomed Me”,(Matthew 25:35), the Awka Diocesan Coordinator of the Migrants and Refugees Unit, Rev. Fr. Constantine Okoli, assured the priests that care for migrants and refugees was a charitable act and one that required the attention of all pastors of souls.
‘Jesus Chirst gave us the instruction to care for and welcome strangers; and even presented it as one of the criteria for accessing our Father in Heaven,’ he said. (cf. Matthew 25:35).
Speaking on the reason for the seminar, Fr. Okoli said, ‘As Pastors of souls, it is also imperative that we know the policies and methods that should be employed in seeing the poor and disadvantaged, drawing near to them and caring for them.’
Furthermore, he explained that the Migrants and Refugees Unit fell under the Dicastery for the Promotion of Integral Human Development which was created by the Late Pope Francis on August 31, 2016 and charged with the task of setting the direction for the migrant ministry in the contemporary era.
‘It is the work of the Migrants and Refugees Unit to promote the Church’s teaching on migration and refugees and to coordinate humanitarian response and advocacy efforts,’ Fr Okoli noted.
On another note, the paper presenter, Eucharia Onyemaobi, the founder of Zaram Life Foundation, who is also the State Coordinator of Network Against Child Trafficking Abuse and Labour (NACTAL) Nigeria; and the State Coordinator, Civil Society Network on Migration and Development (CSOnetMADE), Nigeria, made an insightful presentation titled: “The role of the Church in Combating Irregular Migration”.
She explained that though migration was the right of every human being, it was always propelled by some factors like poverty and the claim that it was greener at the other side.
According to her, the priests had an enormous role to play in educating the parishioners and others on the importance of hardwork, discipline and contentment.
‘Life is a gradual process and our youths should be made to know that slow but steady wins the race,’ she averred.
While thanking the priests for always speaking up for the marginalized in society, she tasked them to always sensitize the people on issues related to irregular migration and human trafficking.
In their different speeches, the Chairman of Awka Catholic Diocesan Priests Fraternity, ACDPF, Rev. Fr. Dr. Ignatius Onwuatuegwu; Rev. Fr. Prof B.A.C. Obiefuna and Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Udu, thanked the Awka Diocesan Migrants and Refugees Unit Coordinator and the paper presenter for what they described as their immense efforts in creating awareness on the menace of irregular migration and its attendant consequences.
Similarly, the Diocesan Coordinator of the Migrants and Refugees Unit, Rev. Fr. Okoli, thanked the Bishop, Most Rev. Paulinus Ezeokafor, for making it possible for the seminar to be organized for the priests.
He thanked Fr. Augustine Akhogba of the Unit at the Catholic Secretariat Abuja and Mission, for their support.
He equally thanked the Chairman of Awka Catholic Diocesan Priests Fraternity, Rev. Fr. Dr. Ignatius Onwuatuegwu, and all the priests, for their presence.
Other highlights of the event were question and answer session, and taking of group pictures.