THE CHRISTIAN FAITH OF OUR PEOPLE IS INCREDIBLE

I had the opportunity today, the 24th Sunday of the Year, after returning yesterday from the conference of the Catholic Bishops’ of Nigeria in Sokoto, to  pray with parishioners of St. Francis Parish Fwapwa,  who gathered in Doi village of Jos South Local Government in honour of  the 17 persons killed and 11 injured and now hospitalized during the attacks on Doi, Lepanzet and Dura villages by  the so-called “unknown gunmen” at about 7.30 pm on the 2nd of September, 2018. The perpetrators of such horrific evil vanished into thin air and as usual, may never be found out. The Christian faith of our people is incredible. The local  chiefs and their people gathered to welcome me as early as 5.30am for the Mass in which they participated actively. Together with their parish priest, Fr. Philip Idode, they sang praises to God, calling on Him for protection and asking Him to reveal the perpetrators of such evil so that they can be apprehended. We prayed fervently for the eternal repose of the souls of the departed, for quick recovery for those receiving treatment in various hospitals  and for the internally displaced persons to be able to return to the safety of their homes and to find sustainable means of livelihood. While God answers prayers, the civil authorities at the federal, state and local levels must do the needful on their part. The people have been unable to do their normal  farming  activities this year because of the  fear of constant attacks. They certainly need  help with feeding, medication, clothing and more so,  to be  able to return to their homes to start rebuilding without any further molestation by the merchants of evil.