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Beloved Parishioners,

Last week I shared a reflection on our new Pontiff Pope Leo XIV and today I share the concluding part of that reflection. The election of Pope Leo XIV, born Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, on the 8th of May, and his choice of papal name carry deliberate echoes of Pope Leo XIII. While addressing the cardinals at the General Assembly, Pope Leo XIV affirmed thus:

Beloved Parishioners,

Today I share with you a reflection on our new Pope. On the evening of Thursday, May 8, 2025, following the burst out of the most anticipated white fumes from the chimney aloft the Sistine chapel, Cardinal Dominique Mamberti, Cardinal Protodeacon of the Holy Roman Church, walked out of the Loggia of Saint Peter’s Basilica wearing a solemn warmth around him to announce the most prominent Latin phrase of the moment “Habemus papam!”

Beloved Parishioners,

I send you my warmest greeting from our seminary in Nigeria where I am teaching the second- and third-year theologians preparing for their priestly ordination. As I continue my time with them, I want to share a reflection on the role of Peter the first pope of the Catholic Church.

Beloved Parishioners,

May the joy and peace of the risen Lord inundate our hearts and lighten up our ways! The past couple of days have been laden with a lot of mixed feelings and sombre emotions for all of us and that’s quite understandable. We woke to the joy of Easter only to be greeted by the sudden passing of our dearest Pope Francis, an event that threw all of us into mourning.

Beloved Parishioners,

As we celebrate Divine Mercy Sunday today, which was instituted by John Paul II, I would like to share a reflection on Pope Francis the 266th Pope of the Catholic Church who passed onto the Lord on Easter Monday by Roman Time 7:35am at the age of 88. He comes across to many people as a great shepherd of the flock, a reformer, a pastor of souls, and to some as a controversial Pope.

Beloved Parishioners,

Easter teaches us to always hope in Christ, to always believe in him because he makes all things new. The Easter proclamation invites us to be aware we have a living God who is alive and with us even when it may be difficult to see him with our physical eye, but he is risen and alive.

Beloved Parishioners,

I wish to conclude my reflection on almsgiving which was started last week. As I said previously, almsgiving is a strong component of our Lenten observance and when practiced in humility draws the person closer to God and to the poor. Furthermore, almsgiving during Lent invites the Church to consider the root causes of poverty.

Beloved Parishioners,

As we continue our journey of Lent my reflection is focused on Almsgiving which is one of the three pillars of Lenten observance, alongside prayer and fasting, and is seen as an invitation to grow in solidarity with the poor and the marginalized in recognition that Christ himself identified with the poor.

Beloved Parishioners,

As we continue our journey into this Lenten season I share with you reflection on the transformative nature of Christ. Transformation happens when we accept Christ and open to his guidance of the Holy Spirit. Christianity, in functionality and practice is execrably transformative. Who can deny this? The birth of Christ remarkably changed the course of human history and introduced us to a new way of marking date — the Anno Domini (AD), year of the Lord.

Beloved Parishioners,

As we continue in our journey of Lent during this season, I wish to reflect on Temptation as Jesus himself was tempted by the devil after forty days of fasting.

Beloved Parishioners,

I wish to conclude the reflection I started on February 23rd on a topic I titled Simeon’s Hope. Many of you who follow my reflection in this column will remember that I had shared some part of the reflection from the Solemnity of February 2nd , the Feast of the Presentation of Jesus on the altar.

Beloved Parishioners,

As we begin this great season of Lent my reflection is focused on the battle we engage to combat the flesh to be able to journey with Our Lord these forty days of Lent. The image of soldiers throughout history has been a symbol of courage, discipline, and die-hard commitment to a cause.

Beloved Parishioners,

I lack the words to express my profound appreciation to everyone for the successful outing of our parish festival. The festival by all standards was a huge success. My joy was more at how the festival brought many of us together as a worshipping community. This is the first time ever we had so many parishioners volunteering at one event.