… As St Kevin’s Parish Ichida Joins Rank of Dedicated Churches
By Gloria Ibesi and Ebube Edieh
It was a day filled with activity and excitement, a day to be reminisced with pride and gratitude, especially amongst the parishioners of St Kevin’s Parish, Ichida and the entire Ichida Catholic Community in Anaocha Local Government, Anambra State, as His Lordship, Most Rev Paulinus Ezeokafor, Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Awka, consecrated the magnificent edifice serving as the parish’s place of worship, built and donated to the Church by a God-fearing and generous son of the soil, Chief Elias Ezike Nwosu (Dim IV of Ichida), on 19th November 2023.
While celebrating with grateful hearts, the parish thanked God for the gift of life, their dedicated church building and for raising a charitable giver amongst them who built a house for Him.
In the Sacred Liturgy comprising dedication rituals, the parish church building was dedicated to God and set apart for holy use. The chief celebrant, Bishop Paulinus Ezeokafor, during his homily, reminded the faithful that the Church is a symbol of God’s presence where liturgical cerebrations and administration of sacraments, which, according to him, helped us attain salvation, take place .
He also said the Church belonged to God, urging the faithful to endeavour to come to the presence of God with cheerful hearts and less distress, as people coming to the house of their father.
Emphasizing the need for the dedicated church building to be properly revered by the faithful, the prelate explained that the act of dedication is ‘the total consecration; a spiritual consecration which changes the essence or the intuitive nature of a thing’, noting that the dedication of a church was done when the majority of the faithful were gathered and ought to be recorded and celebrated annually as a solemnity.
Furthermore, the bishop recognized in a special way, the church donor, Chief Elias E. Nwosu and family, for their tireless effort in financing the multi million Naira church building to completion. Bishop Ezeokafor thanked the family for their generosity to the church and people of God, assuring them that it would serve as a great legacy through which they would be remembered.
Following the homily, was the invocation of saints; anointing of the altar and pillars of the church; incensing of the altar and the church; and lighting of the altar and the church; done in fulfillment of other rites of dedication.
The milestone event also featured blessing of the parish’s Chapel of Perpetual Adoration, Grotto of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the Parish Podium; all, solely built and donated to the parish by Dim Elias Nwosu.
Fides gathered that the parish which began as an outstation formerly known as St Joseph’s Zone, Ajani, in Ichida, was created on 9 September 2022 and was renamed after late Engr. Kevin Edozie Nwosu, the deceased son of Chief Elias Nwosu who was fully involved in the work for the establishment and growth of the parish with his father until his untimely demise, following a consensus by the parishioners.
In his tributes of appreciation, the Parish Priest, Rev Fr Paulus Maria Okafor thanked God for the success of the church dedication which he described as a good thing that happened to them. He thanked the bishop for coming to dedicate their church and prayed God to continuously bless and strengthen him.
Fr. Okafor thanked the host of priests and religious in attendance, including their indigenous sons and daughters who came from different parts of the state. He specially commended the church donor and his family while asking God to bless and enrich them and all who contributed in various ways in aiding the accomplishment of the Dedication Ceremony.
The parish benefactor, Chief Elias Nwosu (Dim IV of Ichida) while speaking to the press during the occasion, said his inspiration came from the fact that no matter where one went, a day would come when one would need to go back to one’s roots. He therefore said it was considered important to invest in the vine yard of God in one’s home town.
The community hero encouraged the members of the parish to stand firm in their faith in God and not relent in their service towards the growth of the parish and church in general.
The day’s event also featured the reception of the bishop in a grand style by the parish and Ichida community which was accompanied by wining and dining, presentation of gifts to the bishop and other entertainment activities.
Lots of dignitaries, including the former governor of Anambra State, Mr Peter Obi; the Igwe-in-council of the community; politicians and many government officials graced the occasion.
