-CECILIA OLAYIWOLA

Archbishop Gabriel Abegunrin while receiving the new executive members of the Catholic Women Organisation in his office 28 August said the Church “is currently facing a lot of challenges.”

AICWO should not negate the teaching of the Church, we are soldiers of Christ, we are to liberate the sons and daughters of God. In so doing, we should be careful of fake news carried in the social media and the world, said Archbishop Abegunrin.

He said we have a lot of battles to face but inasmuch as our Master is alive we should be ready to face the battle.

Referring to Pope John Paul II’s address to the Youth in Toronto, he told the youth not to be afraid because the Lord is not a pretender or deceiver; “he will see us through.”

The archbishop said the followers of Christ must be able to say the truth because Christ never told a lie. “But in the world today so many people are not preaching salvation and about heavenly kingdom; they are only preaching posterity.”

The poor, according to him, are the treasure of the Church and “anybody that does not show charity and love to another person created by God is a poor person.”

“We must be able to carry our cross, that Cross is essential for Christians, we must be ready to carry it every day, we would not be the only one that would carry it, but if Christ helps us it will be lighter for us to carry,” he said.

Leadership, according to the prelate, is not an easy task, but “if we work for Christ in good consciousness and in truth, Christ will give us the courage and the love to succeed.”

He said our appointment “is not for nothing for Christ is with us and he will support us.” Archbishop Abegunrin  explained that anything that is falsehood is not for the Church, we need courage to work for God, and “we should be ready to work for God.”

Leaders in the CWO are expected to work with people that are from other denominations and Muslims, he said and advised that the members that are being sent out for WOWICAN and interactive group should work very well and, as members of AICWO, “you should evangelise with our way of life and preach with our Bible.”

The local ordinary expressed joy that all the new AICWO executives are active in their different parishes and “you will move Ibadan archdiocese forward.”

 Chief (Mrs) Mary Ishioye, AICWO president, appreciated the archbishop for being “a father to us” and appealed to the archbishop to support them by talking to all the priests that “we are planning to train evangelisers.”