Follow Blessed Mother Mary who knows road, Bishop Denis Isizoh urges Christians
– International Rosary Crusade ends
By Nna Anulumadu
The annual programme of the International Rosary Crusade for Nigeria and the world in distress has ended at Our Lady Queen of the Holy Rosary Centre, Nsugbe. In his homily at the event, His Lordship, the Most Rev. Denis Isizoh, called on the faithful to look up to Mary to always lead us, her children, to her divine Son. He traced the indispensable role of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the economy of our salvation. He used the occasion to call on true Christians not to be used in the coming elections by greedy and wicked politicians who are desperate for power in order to enslave us all the more. He advised the participants to be good ambassadors of Christ in their businesses and places of work by avoiding all forms of cheating and dishonesty as we pray for a better Nigeria.
“Voting for a credible candidate remains the way out of our disgustful condition,” he said. He promised to continue to be part of the rosary crusade because of the efficacy of the devotion in obtaining divine favour and of its place in the life of the Church. He personally led the faithful who gathered for the programme to a recitation of five decades of the rosary to celebrate the feast of the holy rosary proper and intercessions before rounding off the event with a holy Eucharistic celebration.
Earlier in the night following the feast, the coordinator of the International Rosary Crusade, Rev. Fr Dr Benjamin Udeh, said that the grace attached to the rosary has the capacity to remedy every situation, even that of our nation. He advised every family and individual to make it a point of duty not to grow weak in the practice of the devotion at this critical moment of our human history. The event, which drew people from far places like Benue, Warri, Port Harcourt, Nsukka, Owerri, Ahiara, Orlu, Nnewi, Awka and Onitsha, featured a rosary procession in candlelights, talks on various aspects of our faith, presentation of various apparitions of Our Lady by Mary League girls and block rosary children to promote unity among Marian devotees. The speakers of the events include the chaplain of the All Marian Societies, Warri Diocese, Rev. Fr Benjamin Igbinovia, who delivered a talk on the “urgent necessity of prayers for the priests and religious”.
He encouraged the faithful to be part of the pious association already in place praying for the protection and successful mission of priests and the religious. He regretted the daily attacks, persecution and kidnapping of priests in recent times. He said that the holiness of priests and the religious depends much on our prayers for them, bearing in mind the enormous task assigned to them. Rev. Fr George Adimike from the Onitsha Archdiocese talked on the theme of the year’s crusade, “The Power of the Rosary”. He traced the history of the rosary to the time of St Dominic and how it helped to defeat the Albigensian heresy in the13th century. Brother Raymond Ezechi dwelt on the role of the Blessed Virgin Mary and her rosary in solving national and international problems.
Speaking to the press at the conclusion of the event, the public relations committee chairman, Brother Sunday Akpuogwu, announced that the theme of the 2023 International Rosary Crusade is “Give me an army that says the rosary and I will conquer the world”. The theme, according to him, was drawn from the speech of the Bl. Pope Pius IX. He advised all the participants to carry the message to all the nooks and crannies of the world because the situation of the nation and the world at the moment requires urgent divine intervention through the powerful intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Next year’s programme will be concluded on 6/7 October 2023. The highlight of the event was the renewal of the consecration of the nation to Mother Mary and consecration of the collective votes of the masses in the coming general elections to the Immaculate Heart of Mary by the bishop. Continue reading
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