Catholic Diocese of Oyo

28/05/2025

*THE SOLEMNITY OF THE ASCENSION OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST*
The universal church tomorrow 28th May 2025 celebrates the Solemnity of the Ascension of our Lord Jesus Christ. This is a day of Obligation celebrated after forty (40) days of Jesus' Resurrection. Jesus after His resurrection did not go back to heaven. He was always appearing to His disciples in order to make strong their belief in His resurrection. So after 40 days that He has been with them, ascended back to heaven where He came from. This Solemnity is what is celebrated tomorrow as an important one in the church. So as a day of Obligation, kindly be present at Mass tomorrow morning by 6:00am. Try and struggle to be at Mass even if it is not convenient. Note that the kingdom of God is now for the strong and not for the lazy ones.
GOD BLESS ALL YOUR STRUGGLES. AMEN
HAPPY CELEBRATION IN ADVANCE.

20/01/2025

THE HOMILY AT THE OPENING MASS OF THE YEAR 2025 OYO DIOCESAN PASTORAL SEMINAR( FEAST OF BLESSED MICHAEL IWENE TANSI. BY REV. FR. ANTHONY ADEPOJU
THEME: CHRIST IN TODAY'S WORLD, THE HOPE THAT DOES NOT DISAPPOINT' (ROM. 5:5): A PASTORAL APPLICATION OF THE JUBILEE YEAR OF HOPE
DATE:SUNDAY 20TH TO FRIDAY 25TH JANUARY, 2025
VENUE: ST PAUL PASTORAL CENTER, AWE, OYO STATE.

20/01/2025

THE PRIESTS OF OYO DIOCESE SINGING THE GLORIA AT THE OPENING MASS OF THE YEAR 2025 OYO DIOCESAN PASTORAL SEMINAR( FEAST OF BLESSED MICHAEL IWENE TANSI.
THEME: CHRIST IN TODAY'S WORLD, THE HOPE THAT DOES NOT DISAPPOINT' (ROM. 5:5): A PASTORAL APPLICATION OF THE JUBILEE YEAR OF HOPE
DATE:SUNDAY 20TH TO FRIDAY 25TH JANUARY, 2025
VENUE: ST PAUL PASTORAL CENTER, AWE, OYO STATE.

19/01/2025

THE OPENING SESSION OF THE YEAR 2025 OYO DIOCESAN PASTORAL SEMINAR.
THEME: CHRIST IN TODAY'S WORLD, THE HOPE THAT DOES NOT DISAPPOINT' (ROM. 5:5): A PASTORAL APPLICATION OF THE JUBILEE YEAR OF HOPE
DATE:SUNDAY 20TH TO FRIDAY 25TH JANUARY, 2025
VENUE: ST PAUL PASTORAL CENTER, AWE, OYO STATE.

30/12/2024

*NEW TABERNACLE AND ALTAR BLESSED IN KISHI MISSION OYO DIOCESE*

Grassroots evangelization is one of the key duties of the universal Church. In places where people would rather not go, probably due to a lack of basic amenities or infrastructure, the Church still seeks to fulfil the evangelical injunction to go out and proclaim the good news. The Church in Oyo Diocese, being largely rural takes this to heart, and goes all out to do her best in reaching to both the easily accessible places and to the more rural and farther ends of her territory. One of the mission areas of the diocese namely Kishi, a border town in Oyo State and a muslim dominated community, recently put up a new lectern, a new altar, and a new tabernacle in the Church building. These sacred liturgical furnishings were blessed for use by the Bishop of Oyo Diocese, Most Rev. Emmanuel Adetoyese Badejo, on the Feast of the Holy Family, Sunday 29 December 2024. Only recently, through the undaunting efforts of the bishop, the priests who have worked in the area since the inception of the mission over thirty years ago, the presence and cooperation of the religious and lay faithful, a bigger and more befitting Church building was recently constructed to replace the old one which was built with mud and had been in use for about twenty-five years.

At the Mass, celebrated by the Bishop, Most Rev. Emmanuel Badejo and concelebrated by the Parish Priest, Rev. Fr. Peter Ojeniyi, the prelate, thanked God for the growth of the Church in Oyo diocese, especially in the grassroots and mission territories such as Kishi, Igbeti and Igboho. He noted that what is seen today is the result of the hard work of the pastoral agents who had worked assiduously over the years. He called on the members of the community not to rest on their oars as they work to make the Church spread farther. He commended the efforts of the priests who have worked in St. Anthony Catholic Church, Kishi, and praised the religious and the lay faithful for cooperating with the priests. He reminded them of the importance of the family as the bedrock of the society and the domestic Church. He, however, told them that the best example of family to emulate is the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. Bishop Badejo encouraged all present to use the family for good character formation. According to him, this will put society aright in a huge way.

After the Mass, the Parish Priest and the lay faithful expressed their appreciation to God and to the diocese for the spirit of togetherness, which has helped to build the Church in Kishi. They noted that the Pastoral Plan of the diocese, which is focused on Co-responsibility for Evangelization and for Salvation is very evident in the successes the Church is having in the grassroots and especially in Kishi.

The Catholic Diocese of Oyo in the Kishi mission in Oyo diocese runs a primary and secondary school, through which she reaches out and makes impact on society. Many of those who attend the schools are the children of the internally displaced persons and the less-privileged, who are brought from the surrounding hamlets around the Kishi town. Also despite being a muslim dominated community, the efforts of the Catholic Diocese of Oyo in the area of inter-religious dialogue, has contributed in no small measure to the peaceful coexistence between the Church and other faiths in the community, for which many of the pupils in the school are from other faiths. The Immaculate Heart of Mary Congregation of Reverend Sisters works in the schools.

*Communications Commission*
*Oyo Diocese*

17/07/2024

17/07/2024

JUBILEE YEAR OF PRAYER

15/07/2024

JOIN US AS WE CELEBRATE THE YEAR OF PRAYER

13/02/2024

LENT: TIME FOR THE GOOD SAMARITAN
Bishop Emmanuel Adetoyese Badejo,
Oyo Diocese

Lent is the 40-day period of fasting prayer and almsgiving which precedes Easter Sunday. The Sundays of Lent are not counted because they are resurrection days when “the “bridegroom is still with us.” (Mk 2:19-20) Of course, every day, especially during Lent, is a period of preparation towards the Passion Week of the sacrifice and death of Jesus on the cross and for His resurrection at Easter, the most important event in Christian history. It is a time for rejecting sin, living in holiness and drawing closer to God through His Word, (Ps 119:115) prayer and fasting. It is a time for doing more good works, especially helping the poor. Concern for the poor shows that we are all one family and that the wealth of the world belongs to all. Sharing our food, drink and wealth with others shows that everything comes from God and that we are all stewards. In doing that we help build a better country because a hungry man cannot be a patriot.

Lent is a time for more intense prayer. Through prayer, we get direction and inspiration from God to face the challenges of daily life. Prayer must be a humble plea for God’s mercy, a dialogue with God, not a show off, shouting, giving God a timeline or deadline for him to act. Such acts merely draw attention to the person praying not to God. Prayer must be charitable and respectful, not commanding God to destroy perceived enemies or foes.

Fasting is a tool of repentance, mortification and purification. In denying ourselves of food and drink we make provision for others and show total submission to God the giver of all things. Fasting must be done in humility and preferably in secret if we are to hope for God’s approval and attract his mercy. It must never become a source of pride. (Cf Jer 7:3-11, Is.9; Matt. 6:16-18)

This year, however, Lent asks us many questions. Most Nigerians are already sitting in poverty sickness, and deprivation. How do we ask hungry people to fast? How can repentance be relevant to people already brutalized by insurgency, kidnapping, joblessness, escalated cost of living, and insensitive governance and lack of basic amenities?

But the call to repentance is addressed to everybody, the poor, the sick, the suffering because it addresses the purification of the heart rather than external manifestations. That is why God lamented: in (Is 29: 13. Matt: 12) These people honour me with their lips…... Pope Francs has asked us in recent times to always speak the language of the heart which is of mercy and compassion. To purify the heart will help the world and society because out of the heart comes all sort of evil from calumny to murder to all the wars we see. The gospel said so in Mark 7: 14-23. So, purify the heart and the world will become sane again. God continues to decree comfort for the poor and suffering people and His promise is sure. (Is 40).

Perhaps the best lesson for this Lent is that each of us should become a Good Samaritan to another. The Good Samaritan took pity on the needy man, not considering tribe, religion or status. In fact, we are all in need of God’s mercy and the Good Samaritan is the model for that mercy, channelled through a fellow human being. Be a good Samaritan to somebody to alleviate their suffering in this period of Lent. Majority of Nigerians have become like the man lying down wounded by the wayside. They await a Good Samaritan to come along and bind their wounds. That would be a good way to respond to God’s call. “Come back to me with all your heart”. (Joel 2:13-14)

Let our politicians repent, discharge their duties live justly themselves and restore what they have stolen. Let our civil servants, businessmen, artisans and technocrats do the same. Let Security Chiefs break unjust fetters and pay fair wages to soldiers and agents under them (Is. 58). Let religious leaders stop lying on false prophesies and let us all stop stealing cheating one another. Let us heal the world and prepare for heaven, then our light will shine like the sun and peace and prosperity will break out in our land. Maybe this year LENT should mean: “Leave Every Nigerian Transformed”, that means, change them for better.

Ash Wednesday is the first day of that 40day period which is called LENT. On that day for thousands of years the Church applies ashes on the heads of the faithful to remind them that God made us out of dust and there we must return (Gen. 3:19) By the way same applies to all creation for all must decay and pass away. In the Bible, ashes have always served the purpose of repentance and supplication for God’s mercy (Jud. 4:11, 15, 9:1; Esther 4:17; Job 2:8; Ex. 27:30; Dan 9:3; Jonah 3:6; Matt 11;21; 2 Peter 2:) Ashes remind us of the necessity to remain humble before God and others. When applying the ashes, the words said by John the Baptist and Jesus are said: “Repent and believe the good news”. Ashes on our heads teach us to be humble before God and fellow humans so that mercy and grace can descend upon us in our sinfulness.