okeychris:
By Okechukwu Onuegbu
Awka

Awka Diocesan Priests, Religious, 2018/2019 out-going and 2019/2020 in-coming episcopal household last Sunday, August 25, 2019 filed out at St. Patrick's Catholic Cathedral's refectory to witnessed the celebration of Bishop Paulinus Ezeokafor's annual iwaji festival. The visibly elated Priests were seen in their numbers adorning all manner of traditional attires.

Speaking immediately after cutting the roast new yam and declaring it open for consumption, the chief shepherd of Awka Diocese, expressed gratitude to God for his mercies and good health and for allowing them to participate in another round of iwaji celebration.

Bishop Ezeokafor who described yam as the king of all crops, said the period of iwaji was actually a period of thanksgiving to God for His benevolence and for granting the farmers bountiful harvest, noting that he (Bishop Ezeokafor) would continue to appreciate culture and tradition, describing it as Igbo's identity.

The Catholic Prelate who ate the roast yam with well garnished sauce in the full glare of those who came to celebrate with him, urged Ndigbo to upheld their cultural heritage, noting that it was only an insane fellow and dimwit that would undermine their culture.

The chief Shepherd of Awka Catholic Diocese announced that the celebration at the Cathedral would be carried out simultaneously in all the parishes in Awka Diocese, noting that he was not alone in the celebration.

The Local Ordinary flanked by the Awka Diocesan Chancellor, Very Rev. Fr. Dr. Francis Chidume; Msgr. JPC Nzomiwu, said he saw nothing wrong in people celebrating their culture provided it was not done in a fetish way.


Bishop Ezeokafor called on government at all levels to give culture a facelift by providing incentive and also to pay adequate attention to the celebrants.

In their separate speeches, the Awka Diocesan Chancellor, Very Rev. Fr. Dr. Francis Chidume; Cathedral Administrator, Very Rev. Fr. Dr. Matthew Attansey and the Bishop Ezeokafor's secretary, Rev. Fr. Dr. Michael Monwe harped on humility and diligence.

Meanwhile, Bishop Ezeokafor was on the occasion received 2019/2020 Episcopal Household Seminarians (Two seniors and nine junior seminarians). This is even as the out-gone seminarians who served in the year 2018/2019 appreciated their priests with gifts as approved by Bishop Ezeokafor

The out-gone seminarians are as follows: Seniors- Obiagba Nelso (Projects); Odilimmuo Innocent (CADADD) and Emmanuel Onnkwo (Priests Welfare Home). Juniors- Aso Kingsley, Okechukwu Joseph, Amanchukwu Patrick, Paul Obiora, Okafor Johnbosco, Okafor Pascal, Okoye John Paul, Obiagboso Patrick and Anaeto Pascal

Newly received seminarians are as follows: Seniors, Chibueze Damian (Project) and Igbanugo Kingsley (CADADD). Juniors: Arinze Kierian, Nwankwo Stanley, Abasili John, Onuzulike John Bosco, Onyeka Collins, Ozoemena Joseph, Ikeorah Shedrack, Udora Festus and Mmaduadichie Bernardine.

Nice share !

peacettw:
Thank you my Bishop for recognising our culture.
Sadly in my church, the new yam festival is being declared occultic.
To this day, it truly baffles me why we all cannot worship God whilst still upholding our many harmless traditional values.

Some of these festivals have their root in occultism.

gazilion:
Our priests and other men of God in the North are dying and being slaughtered in the persecution of their faith, these ones are celebrating satanic festival of eating yams. May God have mercy on our pastors and leaders. We need a Revival in Nigeria!!

Tell that to adeboye and co

Jayslicky:


Where is ekweremadu? Won't he come and eat yam.

he is still recovering

gaetano:


Ode, you call an African traditional that has been existing before time satanic but you are quick to embrace the white man's tradition. You even abandoned your own way of wedding and embraced their WHITE WEDDING. wake up

What's the significance of new yam festival? Why yam? Nigeria isn't even close to the top 5 countries when it comes to yam production. So what exactly has the festival given to you or your country? Your so called yam won't even grow without the white man fertilizer yet dum.bfvcks give the credits belonging to the white man fertilizer to a senseless atmospheric god of yam.

And btw, traditional wedding has not been abandoned in all Nigerian homes. Some of us only delected the irrelevant part of the culture especially those that sound occultic.

No responsible Christian would sit in the midst of traditional occult men to celebrate New Yam festival.

Acidosis:


What's the significance of new yam festival? Why yam? Nigeria isn't even close to the top 5 countries when it comes to yam production. So what exactly has the festival given to you or your country? Your so called yam won't even grow without the white man fertilizer yet dum.bfvcks give the credits belonging to the white man fertilizer to a senseless atmospheric god of yam.

And btw, traditional wedding has not been abandoned in all Nigerian homes. Some of us only delected the irrelevant part of the culture especially those that sound occultic.

No responsible Christian would sit in the midst of traditional occult men to celebrate New Yam festival.

Igbos have farmed yam long since before the white men became civilized and were still living in caves.

Stop being a dimwit in here. It doesn't fit you.
As for fertilizer? No one has the monopoly of fertilisers, Igbos have made their own fertilizers and fertilized their soil for farming right before the white man became white.

There is nothing occultic about Yam! Yam is Igbos major crop! It is the most farmed produce of the Igbo nation!
Honestly, I am tired of the way you people ascribe anything that relates to our culture as occultic.

Now tell us how Yam and celebrating of the Yam harvest is occultic?
Even the Israelites in the bible celebrated their harvest and went up to the temple to do so.

okeychris:
By Okechukwu Onuegbu
Awka

Awka Diocesan Priests, Religious, 2018/2019 out-going and 2019/2020 in-coming episcopal household last Sunday, August 25, 2019 filed out at St. Patrick's Catholic Cathedral's refectory to witnessed the celebration of Bishop Paulinus Ezeokafor's annual iwaji festival. The visibly elated Priests were seen in their numbers adorning all manner of traditional attires.

Speaking immediately after cutting the roast new yam and declaring it open for consumption, the chief shepherd of Awka Diocese, expressed gratitude to God for his mercies and good health and for allowing them to participate in another round of iwaji celebration.

Bishop Ezeokafor who described yam as the king of all crops, said the period of iwaji was actually a period of thanksgiving to God for His benevolence and for granting the farmers bountiful harvest, noting that he (Bishop Ezeokafor) would continue to appreciate culture and tradition, describing it as Igbo's identity.

The Catholic Prelate who ate the roast yam with well garnished sauce in the full glare of those who came to celebrate with him, urged Ndigbo to upheld their cultural heritage, noting that it was only an insane fellow and dimwit that would undermine their culture.

The chief Shepherd of Awka Catholic Diocese announced that the celebration at the Cathedral would be carried out simultaneously in all the parishes in Awka Diocese, noting that he was not alone in the celebration.

The Local Ordinary flanked by the Awka Diocesan Chancellor, Very Rev. Fr. Dr. Francis Chidume; Msgr. JPC Nzomiwu, said he saw nothing wrong in people celebrating their culture provided it was not done in a fetish way.


Bishop Ezeokafor called on government at all levels to give culture a facelift by providing incentive and also to pay adequate attention to the celebrants.

In their separate speeches, the Awka Diocesan Chancellor, Very Rev. Fr. Dr. Francis Chidume; Cathedral Administrator, Very Rev. Fr. Dr. Matthew Attansey and the Bishop Ezeokafor's secretary, Rev. Fr. Dr. Michael Monwe harped on humility and diligence.

Meanwhile, Bishop Ezeokafor was on the occasion received 2019/2020 Episcopal Household Seminarians (Two seniors and nine junior seminarians). This is even as the out-gone seminarians who served in the year 2018/2019 appreciated their priests with gifts as approved by Bishop Ezeokafor

The out-gone seminarians are as follows: Seniors- Obiagba Nelso (Projects); Odilimmuo Innocent (CADADD) and Emmanuel Onnkwo (Priests Welfare Home). Juniors- Aso Kingsley, Okechukwu Joseph, Amanchukwu Patrick, Paul Obiora, Okafor Johnbosco, Okafor Pascal, Okoye John Paul, Obiagboso Patrick and Anaeto Pascal

Newly received seminarians are as follows: Seniors, Chibueze Damian (Project) and Igbanugo Kingsley (CADADD). Juniors: Arinze Kierian, Nwankwo Stanley, Abasili John, Onuzulike John Bosco, Onyeka Collins, Ozoemena Joseph, Ikeorah Shedrack, Udora Festus and Mmaduadichie Bernardine.

Idolaters will always dwell in idolatry.
From demon Mary to god of fertility - astoreth.

asuustrike1:

Some of these festivals have their root in occultism.

Then you will be shocked to learn that a significant portion of the Bible is also deeply rooted in paganism and occultism but here we are learning them as the gospel truth

peacettw:


Then you must be shocked to learn that a significant poriion of the Bible is also rooted in paganism and occultism

Where? Do Christians(born again not church goer) practice it?

asuustrike1:

Where? Do Christians(born again not church goer) practice it?

I really can't say but please do some research to confirm. It is an open secret

peacettw:


I really can't say but please do some research to confirm. It is an open secret

I stop celebrating some of these cultural festivals when I discover I will make allegiance to a deity.

Hope they didn't forget to invite the honorable senator Ekwerems?

laurentium:
is new yam festival not a traditional something again ?

instead of calling the Chief Priest
they went to come and go and be calling Catholic Priest. . . is it because both start with a C and P ?

This country sef

So, what is the different btw Igbo Catholic priest and Chief amadioah priest ? Btw of them are consulting the same gods.. one is opened about it while the other is secretly doing it .... Nyamiri amaka! God forbid that I should attend any church whose the leader is from the Yeast....

nelsonoba:


Oga, Jesus said YOU CANNOT SERVE TWO MASTERS AT THE SAME TIME. EITHER YOU SERVE GOD OR YOU SERVE MAMMON, BUT NOT BOTH!

If those new yam festivals involve making incarnations or some form of appeasement to the "gods of the land" or to dead "ancestors", then IT IS INDEED OCCULTIC and no genuine child of God has any business participating in it. But if the festivals can be conducted without any reference to gods of the land or ancestors and people can just bring their new yams to church and do Thanksgiving to Jesus alone, then it is VERY SAFE FOR A GENUINE CHRISTIAN TO PARTICIPATE IN IT. OTHERWISE YOU ARE ON YOUR OWN!

The Local Ordinary flanked by the Awka Diocesan Chancellor, Very Rev. Fr. Dr. Francis Chidume; Msgr. JPC Nzomiwu, said he saw nothing wrong in people celebrating their culture provided it was not done in a fetish way.


It is obvious u didn't read the write up. Else u wouldn't have wasted your time writing d epistle u wrote.

asuustrike1:

I stop celebrating some of these cultural festivals when I discover I will make allegiance to a deity.

So when u celebrate and give thanks to God in Jesus name for a bountiful yam harvest. Within you, u still believe the thanks is going to a deity? Ur God and the deity who is the LORD?

Very unfortunate somebody

Arysexy:


So when u celebrate and give thanks to God in Jesus name for a bountiful yam harvest. Within you, u still believe the thanks is going to a deity? Ur God and the deity who is the LORD?

Very unfortunate somebody

I worship a living God that gives freedom to choose what is good or bad whereas the acclaimed gods is only good at causing havoc if you refuse to show allegiance.

asuustrike1:

I stop celebrating some of these cultural festivals when I discover I will make allegiance to a deity.

I understand your conviction. Personally, I know that my God understands my true intent and purity of heart which is to celebrate my culture as is my birthright and not some alien culture of some white men.

PerfectlyPerfect:

New yam festival is a period of celebrating the bounties of the harvest. Nothing occultic about it. Besides, define occultic.
People rush to condemn our traditions and readily embrace stupid foreign traditions even when some of ours are better

Mr man stop lying to yourself! There was absolutely nothing good about our African traditional religion. Who did Amadioha help? Do you want to talk about all the human sacrifices that the "gods of the land" were always demanding from time to time? Or the killing of twins until Mary Slessor fought against it?

We may have a few good things in our culture such as respect for elders, etc, but certainly nothing good when it comes to traditional religion.

nelsonoba:


Mr man stop lying to yourself! There was absolutely nothing good about our African traditional religion. Who did Amadioha help? Do you want to talk about all the human sacrifices that the "gods of the land" were always demanding from time to time? Or the killing of twins until Mary Slessor fought against it?

We may have a few good things in our culture such as respect for elders, etc, but certainly nothing good when it comes to traditional religion.

Africans hating everything African. All religion is the same — acknowledgement of a supreme being. The manner of showing that acknowledgement differs among people, race and culture. Each people acknowledge that deity in the way the understand — their understanding and practices may not make sense in this time and age, but the intention is the same.

If you study all religions, you will see that each and every one of them is pointing to the same supreme being, even though the supreme being is addressed with different names — God, Jehovah, Yahweh, Allah, Chukwu, Olodumare, etc.

The same goes for serving beings — the angels. What Christians call Archangel Michael (the warrior), Yoruba call Sango (god of thunder), and Igbos call Amadioha (god of thunder).

It amazes me when people fight over religion. They're all the same — just coming from different perspectives.

Maynation