Catholic Diocese of Maiduguri

16/08/2026

CATHOLIC DIOCESE OF MAIDUGURI CELEBRATING THE ASSUMPTION OF OUR BLESSED VIRGIN MARY INTO HEAVEN- 15 AUGUST 2026

This feast demonstrates the Easter of Our blessed Mother; and at the same time it shows our destiny as Children of God. The Church every now and then gives us the opportunity to know and celebrate the fundamental characteristics of Mary our blessed Mother as seen reflected in the Marian dogmas; these are truth of our faith. These are the 4 fundamental traits of the identity of the BVM. These dogmas- divine truth show us how we can relate with the BVM. I believe we all know the 4 Maria dogmas; The first is the Divine Motherhood of the BVM: the Mother of God- the second is the the Perpetual Virginity of the BVM: that the Mother of God remains a Virgin- before-during-and after the birth of Christ. The third is the Immaculate Conception- that she was conceived without the original sin. And the last, the most recent Dogma promulgated by Pope Pius the XII is the Assumption of BVM into heaven. Therefore, simply put we have the Motherhood; the Virginity, the Immaculate conception, and the Assumption of the BVM. These are the 4 distinctive signs of BVM. Today however, we as a family in the diocese of Maiduguri we are celebrating in a grand fashion the Assumption of Mary into heaven; but what does this great Marian feast really and truly signify?
Most importantly the feast of Assumption of the BVM reminds us that all our readings and interpretations of this life must be in the light of the Paschal Mystery- the BVM is not simply a Woman who believes in the resurrection, but she is a woman who carries already the consequence of the Resurrection; and was assumed body and soul into heaven. She carries on herself the ultimate destiny to which we are all called. The Pascal mystery is already realised in the BVM. You know what this means? we do not believe anymore that some day the pascal mysteries will be realized, but we now know and believe that the resurrection has happened already to one of us, because Mary is one of us- to whom the Paschal mysteries have been realised- this is the truth of faith. In the Creed we profess every Sunday, we say “We look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen.” The Assumption is the Easter of the BVM-the Easter of humanity- the Easter of you and I- our destiny.

The solemnity of Assumption of the BVM reveals Mary as the Queen of Heaven, because 7 days after this feast; that is on the 22nd- August- the church celebrates the Queenship of Mary. This indicates that the Assumption of BVM has placed her in the condition of power|strength- it gives her the very power that comes from the resurrection of the dead, and such strength that comes from the resurrection gives us then the power to love God and our neighbours.

Pope Benedict XVI taught that the Assumption of Mary—being taken body and soul into heaven—proves that God and heaven are real, tangible homes for humanity. In his annual homilies on the Solemnity of the Assumption, he emphasized that Mary's bodily entry into glory offers profound hope that love is stronger than death. This has a direct theological relevance to us all - the church in Maiduguri- the bleeding church - the suffering church; because the good news brought to us as we celebrate this feast is that Love is stronger than death, (the love God has for us is greater than the calamities and sufferings we face) because the assumption proves the;

Triumph of Love: Benedict XVI described the feast as a day of supreme joy, proving that God's goodness and love ultimately conquer sin and death.
Humanity’s True Home: He explained that in the Assumption, we see there is "room for man" in God; heaven is not a distant, unknown place, but our definitive destination.

The magnificat has a central place in the gospel reading today; but why the Magnificat today? This is because the only thing that riches and earthly powers cannot produce is the resurrection of the dead. Earthly might can give you many things but the gift of the resurrection, and when Mary signs the magnificat saying clearly and eloquently the Lord brings down the might from their thrones and raises the lonely; the BVM was signing the resurrection of the dead. The Magnificat in the gospel today reveals that the “no bodies” of this world have a place in God. And the BVM was never scared to share that she belongs to that group: the dregs of the society- the no bodies of our world today.

Beloved in Christ, We celebrate this feast every year, but what personal benefit do we derive from this celebration? The fact that we consecrate and reconsecrate ourselves to the Immaculate heart of Mary invites us to appreciate even more these Marian feasts we celebrate- they become like additional opportunities to help us solidify our relationship with Christ through Mary his mother. And when we do this- we shall only but count our blessings- looking at our diocese today we know that we can feel the maternal presence and protection of the BVM, despite all difficulties.

To conclude, Maximilian Kolbe whose feast we celebrated yesterday says “we cannot love Mary too much” Never be afraid of loving the blessed virgin Mary too much, why? Because you can never love her more than Jesus did. So to want to be like Jesus is to love his mother. The more we love Mary; the more we are drawn into the very love that she has- which is for Christ; a love that is holy and obedient and ordered entirely to the glory and will of God the FATHER.

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09/03/2026

AD LIMINA 2026

The second group comprises bishops from the ecclesiastical provinces of Abuja, Calabar, Jos, and Kaduna, and have arrived in the Vatican City -Rome for their Ad Limina Apostolorum Visit.

The "Ad Limina Apostolorum Visit" is the periodic visit that diocesan bishops make to Rome, usually every five years. The Latin expression means “to the thresholds of the Apostles,” referring to prayer at the tombs of Saints Peter and Paul in St Peter's Basilica and Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls, as well as in the other Major Papal Basilicas, Archbasilica of Saint John Lateran and Basilica of Saint Mary Major.- During the visit, the bishops pray, renew their apostolic commitment, meet with the Roman Curia, and have an audience with the Holy Father while presenting a report on the pastoral life of their dioceses. It is a profound expression of communion with the successor of Peter and with the universal Church.

This morning, the bishops celebrated Holy Mass, presided over by Most Rev. Joseph Ekuwem, Archbishop of Calabar, at the Basilica of St. John Lateran, the Cathedral of the Pope as Bishop of Rome. This sacred celebration marked the official commencement of the Ad Limina Apostolorum Visit of the second group of the bishops of Nigeria to Rome. At the conclusion of the Mass, the bishops gathered around the Cathedra (Seat of the Bishop of Rome), a symbolic gesture expressing their communion with the Holy Father and their unity with the See of Peter.

In the days ahead, as observed above, the bishops will meet with various dicasteries and ecclesial institutions of the Holy See, visit the major basilicas and other sacred sites, and engage in moments of prayer and reflection. The visit will culminate in a personal audience with the Holy Father, strengthening the bonds of communion between the local Churches in Nigeria and the universal Church.

The first group that has just concluded its visit includes: Benin, Lagos, Owerri, Onitsha and Ibadan Provinces. This goes to show the Catholic Church at its highest level of organisation and communion -both as an "Organisational Institution" and as the "Body of Christ" tied to the Successor of St. Peter the Apostle.

We invite you to keep the bishops in your prayers, that their Ad Limina Visit may bear abundant fruit, strengthening the mission of the universal Church, and that God may grant peace to our troubled world.