The Bishop on the Niger, the Rt Rev Dr. Owen Nwokolo last Sunday, ordained nine priests, collated three canons and three archdeacons of the diocese.
The bishop while performing the various rites at the All Saints’ Cathedral, Onitsha, reminded priests of the realities of their calling, challenging them to always be ready for the responsibilities characteristic of their vocation.
He demanded that priests should not only accept the discipline of the church but also be diligent in prayer and in reading the Bible, insisting that they should strive to minister the word of God and the sacrament of the new testament.
Nwokolo who took the newly collated archdeacons and canons and the newly ordained priests through
the taking of various oaths of allegiance prayed that God who gave them the will to respond to the call be merciful enough to endow them with the strength to fulfill the demands of their vocation.
The Bishop further advised priests to always beware of divided loyalty, saying that the problem with many Christians was that some of them were neither here nor there. While counseling priests to guard against infidelity in their marriage, he charged them to “zip up” and be satisfied with their wives, advising them not to allow immorality to deprive them of the bliss of the kingdom of God.
In the homily that preceded the ceremonies, a guest speaker, the Rt Rev Nedison Foreman of Jalingo Diocese, Taraba State, admonished the young priests to always be faithful in the ministry, adding that God never forgets His faithful servants.
In the sermon he tagged, “Faithfulness in service”, Bishop Foreman said that God always looked for faithful servants who he said were difficult to get but explained that whenever faithful persons were found, they were given elevated positions.
The newly ordained priests included Charles Azubuike, Able Chukwuanonye, Nwankwo, Samuel Ifeanyi, Nwafo, and Somtochkwu C. K.
Others were, Frank Tochukwu, Izuchukwu Odinakachi and Chibueze Udoka.
Also, those made Canons were; Rev C.C. Eze, Rev Godwin Chiezie, and Rev Dr. Cajathan Anuforo.
The other three ministers collated as Archdeacons included; Rev Dr. David Anozie, Rev Canon Ikechukwu Egbonu, and Rev Canon Mike Okoh.
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