THE Catholic Archbishop of Ibadan Archdiocese, Most Reverend Gabriel Abegunrin, has called on Christians to love, pray, protect and provide for the church and priests.
He stated this at the Chrism Mass, on Thursday, at St. Mary’s Cathedral, Oke Padi, Ibadan, Oyo State.
According to him, “This is a feast for priests. I must commend the laity for their support for the priesthood. While we all share in the general priesthood through baptism, the ministerial priesthood belongs to a few. Today’s celebration is an annual event and priests renew their vows of service to God, and the people, without counting the cost.”
He admonished priests to use their sermons to glorify God and not man, and encouraged them to make their pronouncements clear so that they were not misunderstood.
After the sermon, the priests renewed their vows, and there was the blessing of the oil for the sick; the oil for the catechumen and the oil of chrism which is used for anointing priests and bishops and for baptism and confirmation.