By Olivia Obijiaku
The Local Ordinary of the Catholic Diocese of Zaria, Most Rev Dr. Habila Tyiakwonaboi Daboh ordained Rev Michael Fidelis Abrak a priest of the Church, acquainting him with the harsh realities of the time. He also placed a ban on the collection of some collections in the Church even as he charged the faithful to help members of the clergy to remain the Catholic priests they have been ordained to be.
Taking these stands at the Mass for the priestly ordination which took place in Christ the King Catholic Cathedral (CKCC), Sabon Gari Zaria, Saturday, July 7, 2024, the shepherd also nudged families and individuals to reduce their cost of living because, ‘it is no longer business as usual. It is now business unusual.”
“Times are hard.” He reminded him. “Life has become extremely hard and expensive today in our country. Our people are passing through severe hardship and we are suffering too. We must journey with them. They are the ones taking care of us and we cannot pretend that all is well. This is the time you are been ordained.”
“You know that our country is passing through socio-economic and political turbulence. You will be expected to know this and mitigate the way you live your priesthood. You are ordained for a poor nation, Nigeria, You are not ordained to enrich community. Do not make life difficult for anybody.”
Calling on the faithful to cut down on their cost of living, he commended the priests who have been helping the needy members of their parishes and nudged them to continue helping out when they have the capacity to do so.
Bishop Daboh banned second collections and public seed sowing in parishes, conditioning that collections aside normal collections, mandatory collections and harvest collection must be authorized by him, though he excused sowing seeds personally to the parish priests. He blamed the faithful partly for the trend, imploring them to help the priests to remain real priests of God because “we not want to become Pentecostal reverend fathers. No, we want to remain authentic Catholic priests. Give us the chance.”
