To the distinguished Participants:

1. GENERAL INTRODUCTION
          We are gradually coming to the end of this Synod. In this room, I experience commitment, patience, eagerness to work for Christ in the Church, genuine faith, and true love of God and neighbour.
          On the solemnity of the Trinity Sunday, our archdiocesan feast, we all assembled as a family: Bishops, Priests, Consecrated Religious Men and Women, families, men and women, children – all Christ’s faithful, to begin the week of deliberation. During the homily, our Archbishop recalled our past, which is today our glorious heritage. The stopping of the missionaries on our shores is nothing but the work of Divine providence. The early missionaries prayed that over their bones here at Onitsha that a great Church would arise. And so it happened. We thank God for the sacrifices made by both the past and the present generations of the People of God to receive and nurture the faith. We have today human resources with rich spiritual strength and physical structures to show the birth and growth of our faith.
          Your presence here, about 700 persons, is a happy response, an expression of the desire to help in spreading the faith.

2. OUR JOYS
  • About 1.8 million Catholics, of whom 99% form the lay faithful
  • We come from different places, speak different dialects and languages, but we share one love
  • Even though we do not have the same economic fortunes, the Church has a place for all of us.
  • Our priests have great zeal no matter where they are working
  • Our Religious Men and Women serve with extraordinary love
 
3. OUR CHALLENGES
  • Education
               a) in schools: moulding good character beyond mere passing exams.
               b) in parish setting; catechesis - teaching of the faith in parishes often done by inadequately prepared persons.
  • Caring for those at the margins of the society: the poor, the aged, the sick, and the disadvantaged because of geographical location and other impediments or disabilities
  • attention to the harmful aspects of our culture and tradition
  • administration of sacraments, especially, penance and anointing of the sick
  • placing the holy Eucharist at the centre of our faith.
  • “Adoration Centres” (a) We praise God for the good done at Adoration Ministries/Centres. They bring people together in large numbers. What is lacking is adequate catechesis and proper orientation of the faithful to Christ. (b) Normal Baptism and Matrimony require jurisdiction because records of their administration are preserved. Adoration Centres around us are temporary, and they lack this stability. Proper note should be taken of Canons 877,1 and 878 which are very often violated. According to Nigerian law, Marriages are celebrated in approved places to have a civil effect. Most adoration centres around us do not qualify.
  • Liturgy and what we do during celebrations: avoiding abuses and distractions.
  • Christian burial: checking excesses and controlling imposition of unnecessary burden on the bereaved.
 
4. RENEWAL AND COMMITMENT
          Faith is a gift. We thank God for it. We have talked about those who walked away and joined other groups for various reasons (some of which we examined). We pray for them to return to our fold. We work very hard to become a “living bible” to them. To those who are still with us but are tempted to leave, our Lord today asks “Do you want to leave too?”
            With Peter, let our response be:  “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We believe and know that You are the Holy One of God. (John 6,68).
 
5. CARE OF THE EARTH
We have the responsibility to take care of the earth. We have the duty to protect our environment.
 
6. JUBILEE YEAR OF MERCY
It providential that we are holding this Synod during the year of mercy. In our effort to promote new evangelization (new in ardour, method and expression), let us as Father be merciful.
 
7. WE REMEMBER OUR KEY PHRASES:
  • Know your faith
  • Live your faith, and
  • Share your faith.