Aboard the papal plane, 21 September, 2023 / 9:44 pm (ACI Africa).
The 11 newly ordained Priests for the Catholic Archdiocese of Lagos in Nigeria have been urged to pay keen attention to their life as ministers of the word of God and the Eucharist, preparing their homilies with diligence.
In his Thursday, September 21 homily during the Priestly ordination celebration at Holy Cross Cathedral of Lagos Archdiocese, Fr. Emmanuel Ayeni who serves as Administrator of St. Gregory College South - West Ikoyi counseled the 11 Deacons to live their Priesthood as “faithful stewards”, preaching Jesus Christ, being sources of hope and blessings, and cautioned them against issuing curses, among other counsels.
“A Priest must be a believer who converses with God. You must therefore, seek the guidance of the Holy Spirit in the preparation of your homilies,” Fr. Ayeni said, and emphasized, “Never make a mistake of ever ascending the pulpit to preach the word of God without diligently preparing for it.”
In your life as Priests, he said, “don’t turn down those who approach you for the sacrament of confession. Be firm and faithful to the Church’s teachings in the discharge of your pastoral duties. You must be faithful stewards of the Church’s spiritual and temporal goods.”
Fr. Emmanuel Ayeni, the administrator of St. Gregory College South-West Ikoyi preaching at the Holy Cross Cathedral of Lagos Archdiocese during the ordination of 11 Deacons to the Priesthood. Credit: Lagos Archdiocese