The Grand Second Vice President of Lagos Grand Commandery, Knights of St. John International, Sir Charles Okonkwo was recently in the forefront of drumming up support for catechists in the Lagos Archdiocese.
At a breakfast session, organised at Radisson Blu Hotel, Victoria Island, Lagos by the Friends of the Catechists of Lagos Archdiocese (FOCAL) the Catholic Archbishop of Lagos, Most Rev Alfred Adewale Martins said that ‘a poorly formed catechist is a danger to the Catholic faith’. He said that, although the Archdiocese is now training its catechists at the St. Augustine College of Education, it is however encouraging the entry of more trained and equipped persons into the catechism.
The Catholic Archbishop of Lagos had recently invited Okonkwo, Sir Emmanuel Okene, Sir Nnamdi Duru, Sir Calis Onwuegbuchu and Prof. Fidelis Njokanma, among others to the breakfast meeting, which he hosted 40 top business executives, urging them to help in elevating and celebrating the stature of catechesis by identifying with the mission through mentorship and financial support.
The Archbishop used the opportunity to highlight his programme for catechists in the Archdiocese, aimed at repositioning and reequipping them for better catechesis delivery.
Okene thanked the Archbishop for the opportunity and pledged to key into the catechist development programmes because ‘as a defender of the Catholic faith, one of the things that must be done is to adequately equip those who are teaching our children the faith’.
On his part, Duru thanked the Archbishop for the invitation, stressing that ‘it is an invitation to mission, since people go to the mission by giving and others give by going, I am ready to go on this mission by giving’.
Making a presentation on behalf of FOCAL, Barrister Ifeyinwa Osime said that the idea was to raise fund with the view to invest it with Petra Microfinance Bank and use the accruing interests to fund the welfare of catechists in the Archdiocese through loans to invest in their businesses, as well as teaching them skills.
Onwuegbuchu thanked the Archbishop for the opportunity to be part of the mission, pledging his continued support for the cause of catechesis in the Archdiocese.
Echoing the same sentiments, the Commandant of Nigeria Army School of Finance and Administration, Major General Julius Osifo assured the Archbishop of his commitment towards his dream of repositioning the catechist vocation in Lagos Archdiocese, promising to bring his teaching experience to bear.
At the end of the breakfast, all the participants made donations and pledges of various financial commitments towards the welfare of catechists in the Archdiocese.
