By Godwin Utuedoye,
Most. Rev. John Oke’Oghene Afareha, Catholic Bishop of Warri has charged Rev. Michael Oyibo, a newly ordained deacon to love and be faithful to the church which he is ordained for.
Rev. Michael Oyibo was ordained on the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary by the bishop of Warri diocese at the Sacred Heart Catholic Cathedral.
Admonishing the ordinand, Most Rev. Afareha noted that “as a deacon, you are called to serve and not to be served”. He adds, ” You must use your time positively, and you must be dedicated to the service of God, His people, and hold tenaciously only to the teachings and the doctrines of the Catholic Church in which you are called to serve”.
He also charged the ordinand to be ready to serve and to be a positive instrument of Jesus Christ through his service to the church. He further called on him to be ready to assist the priest in the celebration of the Holy Eucharist wherever he is assigned to work as it is his duty to serve the people of God but not to be served.
Speaking on the qualities of a deacon as recorded in the scripture, he urged the ordinand to be of good character and not a man of double standard.
He advised him to be blameless in the course of his ministry to God’s people and to be a man of prayer who will hold unto the book of prayers, and firmly prepare for the liturgy of the word as he cannot do without the word of God.
While reflecting on the Feast of the Assumption of Mary to Heaven, Most Rev. Afareha stated that Christians especially Catholics, cannot love Jesus without loving his mother Mary as both cannot be separated.
He said the Assumption of the Vigirn Mary is a divine gift from God to her for her faith, hope, and willingness towards the services of God. He called on Catholics to emulate the footsteps of Mary to be holy and blameless so as to gain their inheritance of heaven.
The high points of the ordination ceremony were the laying on of hands and prayer of ordination over the candidate, vesting with stole and Dalmatic before he was presented to the congregation amid cheers of great joy. The newly ordained deacon was later joined by family members, Christ faithful of Warri Diocese as he offers thanks to God.