By Emma Ihemeje
Rev. Fr Basil Okelu, the parish priest of Our Lady Queen of Peace Catholic Church, Housing Estate, Fegge Onitsha, and some executive members of the Catholic Men Organisation (CMO) have stated the need for fathers to live up to their respective familial responsibilities. This, according to them, has become necessary in view of the dwindling morality in society and the prevailing economic situation in the country.
Speaking to newsmen after Mass, the chairman of the parish’s 2023 Fathering Sunday celebration, Chief lkechukwu Maduka (Onwa), stated the need for fathers to live up to the challenges of familial responsibilities as the pillars of their respective homes. He advised all the fathers not to toy with their responsibilities, pointing out that the family system is not only an important institution but it is also indispensable and the first unit of socialisation in every organised society.
Also speaking, the chairman of the parish CMO, Sir Ben Agbalizu, reminded fathers of the need to be committed to church activities, which will always make them live responsibly and also enable their children to be useful to society by emulating their fathers’ good conduct. He disclosed that the coming celebration of Fathering Sunday in the parish will focus on teaching the CMO members the need to be good fathers in their respective homes.
He also acknowledged the role wives play in family upbringing, noting that the roles of the fathers and mothers are complementary in the family system. He similarly expressed appreciation for the fatherly roles Rev. Fr Okeluo was playing in the parish.
Meanwhile, the secretary of the parish CMO, Mark Chikwem Dike, has charged parents and guardians in the country to henceforth monitor the kind of friends and companions their children associate with, as well as the manner they interact on social media, noting that a sizeable number of our children get corrupted through these means. He also noted that parents and guardians are trying in teaching their children important lessons about life but regrets that modern civilisation and technology such as television and internet services still wreak havoc in the lives of many people.
