ArchBishop Okeke Charges Christians To Live Christlike Life …As He Feeds, Donates Food Items, Toiletries, Others To Inmates
By Julie Sylvia, Onitsha
The Archbishop of Onitsha Metropolitan, His Grace Most Rev.Valerian Okeke on 25 Dec. charged Christians to live christlike life, to be the light that shineth on the darkness and to ensure there is trust wherever they are.
Arch Bishop gave the charge in his homily during the Christmas mass celebration with the inmates at St Maximilian Kolbe Chaplaincy Onitsha.
Okeke on emphasizing on the message of the day “The light shineth on darkness and darkness cannot overcome” cited what happened in the beginning of churches, when the Christians were hiding in fear of being killed, stating that instead of wiping Christians, Christianity keep on multiplying .
He also cited the birth of Jesus Christ and it’s mystery, when King Herod wanted to kill him because of kingship, saying that it was the shepherds who were not taken so important at that time were the people that visited Jesus at his birth, adding that with that visit of the shepherds, heaven were happy.
ArchBishop stated that God has a preference for the marginalized and the forgotten and advised the inmates”Don’t take yourself as useless because God will remember you, we are concluding the year of hope, God will change your condition,be a new person, you will see that God will change your condition.
He also advised them to utilize the golden opportunity of the schools, the open university, to enroll themselves and acquire certificates to degree level so as to become a better person when out of the correctional center.
He also stressed on the importance of remembering the forgotten, the oppressed , stating that God will remember whoever that remembers the oppressed and the forgotten.
According to the Prelate,”Ensure you partake in the light and overcome the darkness, ensure somebody is happy in this Christmas because of you.
In his words of appreciation, the Priest in charge of the Chaplaincy, Rev.Fr Bathlomeo Okpalugo
thanked the Archbishop for his fatherly love and care to the inmates, especially his frequent visits to the yard which aimed at putting smiles on the faces of the inmates.
He stressed on the achievements of the Archbishop which includes renovation of schools, standardizing of the infrastructural facilities within the correctional center which resulted in making the Onitsha Correctional Center the center for open university examinations, construction of skill acquisition center and others.
The Officer in charge of the Onitsha Correctional Centre, Mr Anthony Eke thanked ArchBishop Okeke for his kind gesture for the inmates, also thanked the dignitaries present.
The Archbishop presented Christmas cake, cooked coolers of rice with a cow, toiletries, different types of cartons of biscuits, toothpastes that will reach all the inmates who are almost 800 in number, a life cow and others
He also thanked Mrs Vera Nwadinobi, the Chairman of ASUDEB, Chief Ebubeogu and Charismatic renewal for presenting three life cows to the inmates for Christmas.
There was also cutting of Christmas cake by the Prelate and priests present.
