By Mirabel Azangeh Tandafor Fru
One of the key activities leading up to the Bota Parish Centenary celebration should have been the dedication of St Pius X Catholic Mission, Middle Farms, on September 7. Just a few weeks to that event, which should have been accompanied by the administration of the Sacrament of Confirmation, another sacrilege ruined the event as unidentified people broke into the Church and disappeared with the altar linen.
This was not the first time a sacrilege of this nature was happening and may probably not be the last. This act has forced the Bishop to suspend the dedication of the Middle Farms Mission indefinitely. Christians, who had been expecting a dual event, were shocked when they were told after Mass that there would be no dedication after all.
While informing bewildered Christians about the situation, the Parish Priest of Bota, Fr Elias Fonji Elad, urged them to re-evaluate their faith. "Bota Parish you must grow up. Grow up!" he hollered. The sombre mood was reflected in the priest's dark cassock, he who is generally known to have a liking for the white cassock.
After narrating the incident, the priest asked Christians to suggest what could be done to make the church house more secure. He said the Bishop's decision to cancel the dedication ceremony was right and would be put into effect as long as things do not change for the better.
Meanwhile, Bishop Bushu had earlier administered the Sacrament of Confirmation to 221 Christians; 110 of whom were Anglophones and the rest Catholic Christians of French expression. In his homily during the Confirmation Mass, the Bishop told the congregation that Christians are called upon to correct their neighbours when they go wrong in the light of the gospel.
He said to correct someone, one must draw the attention of the person being corrected to his/her error in private. "If the person does not listen, do not disgrace him/her in public, do not gossip about him and do not judge because God will also judge you," Bishop Bushu said.
He also pointed out that those who fail to correct others when they go wrong, also sin. He therefore encouraged Christians to always correct humanely, and above all, to always ask God to give them the grace to treat others courteously. He warned the newly confirmed that the Sacrament of Confirmation was not a guarantee ticket to Heaven. He urged them to remain steadfast in the Christian lives.
Talking to the press after the Mass, Mgr Bushu explained that when Christians are administered the Sacrament of Confirmation, they receive the Holy Spirit which helps them to live their faith fully.
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