BISHOP ONAH CELEBRATES 60th BIRTHDAY IN NSUKKA PRISONS

Bishop Onah celebrates 60^th birthday in Nsukka prisons

By Alphonsus N. Ogili

It was cheers and smiles for the officers and inmates of Nsukka prisons on 18^th August, 2016 as the Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Nsukka, Most Reverend Professor Godfrey Igbwebuike Onah, with his entourage visited the prisons where he celebrated his 60^th birthday anniversary.

The ceremony which started at 10am with the celebration of a Holy Mass for the prison inmates led by the celebrant, bishop Onah with the assistance of some notable members of the clergy from the Diocese drew the attendance of Father Bishop’s teeming well-wishers from different nooks and crannies of Nsukka and beyond including the Chairman, Caretaker Committee, Nsukka Local Government Council, Professor Mrs. Rose Onah among other prominent dignitaries.

Commencing the Holy Mass that marked the beginning of the celebration, Bishop Onah thanked the prison authorities for welcoming his idea of choosing to celebrate his 60^th birthday with the inmates in spite of the security challenge that was experienced in the prison recently, adding that the choice of the venue was to seek God’s mercy and forgiveness on behalf of the inmates and all who graced the occasion.

“We want to celebrate the Jubilee Year of Mercy with the prisoners and those responsible for their upkeep; and I chose to celebrate it today, the 18^th day of August, my 60^th birthday,” he said. 

Bishop Onah in the course of his homily noted that God is a merciful Father who is more interested in saving His children than in condemning and punishing them.

“We are all invited to embrace God’s mercy; we are all invited to open our hearts and receive God’s mercy and be cleansed of all our sins no matter how grievous they may be; and we are also invited to open our hearts in such a way that having been touched by God’s mercy, we may also show mercy to others,” he noted.

Father Bishop further admonished the inmates to seek God through genuine repentance and total dedication of their lives to Christ, adding that prisons are good places for their reformation and reintegration into the society.

The Chief Shepherd urged the inmates to ensure they leave the prison as better citizens, expressing hope that they would be seen as sons of God rather than criminals after leaving the prison.

“If you repent of your sins, God will forgive you even though the law of the State must take its course; but there is a difference between committing sins and breaking the law. Sometimes, you break the law without committing a sin. You can also commit sins without breaking the law. But sometimes, when you break the law, you commit sins as well,” he remarked.