As for all parishes throughout the country and indeed the world, the virus Covid 19 has had its impact with NPHET, HSE and Government restrictions. However, we very quickly embraced technology with offering Facebook and You Tube Mass on line until Webcam was installed into the Church early April.  Phone calls and zoom meetings became the norm and we embraced technology with open arms – as these were the only arms we had to reach out to our parishioners. 

These are the ways we in the English/Scottish Province are preparing to celebrate Christmas in the midst of the pandemic.

There seems to be no smile on the faces of those whose livelihood have gone down the drain because of the COVID-19 lockdown. Hence, preparation to welcome the infant Universal King at Christmas might seem meaningless. Nevertheless, it is our communal responsibility to bridge the gap between joyful expectation and hopelessness and thus help people to find meaning in life.

Christmas celebration has been a thing of joy in many villages and towns in Nigeria, as it reminds Christians of the birth of Jesus Christ whose coming into our world brought us tidings of great comfort and joy. Also, Jesus, while ministering here on earth, brought joy into the lives of the people through the many miracles he performed. As the Scripture says, “How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power; He went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil, for God was with Him” (Acts 10:38). Therefore, as followers of Christ, we all are invited to bring joy into the lives of the people around us, especially in this most challenging period of Covid-19 Pandemic that is ravaging the whole world.

This is the million-dollar question that has been asked around the globe in the last five to seven months since the advent of the most discussed pandemic affecting our world called coronavirus. It the question of WHERE IS GOD IN THE MIDST OF COVID-19? The Coronavirus 2019 also known as Covid-19, on the 31^st December 2019, the World Health Organization (WHO) was informed of an outbreak of respiratory disease in china affecting the city of Wuhan in Hubei province. 

 Human Rights Day is observed annually on 10 December, marking an important milestone when the General Assembly of the United Nations adopted and proclaimed the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948.  A non-binding document that outlines common standards, values, rights, and freedoms everyone everywhere is entitled to.

This Sunday, 15^th November marks the fourth World Day of the Poor, a time to reflect on how poverty is prevalent in societies around the globe.  Taken from the book of Sirach (Sirach 7:32) this year’s theme is “Stretch forth your hand to the poor”. A message that is vitally important in a year where global poverty is expected to rise for the first time since 1990, as the world reacts to the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Sunday 18th October 2020

World Mission Sunday an annual celebration where Churches around the world in every Catholic community join together to renew their commitment to the missionary mandate. The day signifies a moment of solidarity among brothers and sisters in Christ who are living in situations of poverty, violence and oppression.

16th October 2020

World Food Day is an international day that falls annually on the 16th October, founded in 1945 to mark the launch of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization. The main principle of World Food Day is to raise awareness for food security, especially in times of crisis.

World Mental Health Day October 10th 

World Mental Health Day is observed on 10^th October annually as an international day for global mental health education, awareness and advocacy against social stigma. This year has been like no other as people around the globe have had to adapt to a new way of living as the Covid -19 pandemic swept from country to country. It has been a difficult year for everyone but particularly for those who live with mental health illness, their families, friends and carers.