By Olivia Obijiaku
The Catholic Diocese of Zaria is set to implement the Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults (RCIA). During the two-day seminar, organized for the successful implementation of the rite in parishes and outstations across the diocese, the Local Ordinary, Most Rev. Dr. Habila Tyiakonaboi Daboh, explained that he decided on the training for animators of different categories, as a means of catechizing catechumens properly.
His lordship thanked the facilitator, Rev Fr. Lawrence Dim of the Catholic Diocese of Yola for a well-anchored seminar and training, praying God to continue to bless and increase him, so that he may continue the good work he has been doing. He also thanked participants for attending the seminar, even as he acquired the resource materials needed to prepare catechumens, for all who participated in the exercise.
Fr. Dim commended Bishop Daboh for his interest in implementing the rite, charging the priests to carry animators along and to assign duties to them, since, the rite is an initiative of the Church, which is meant to benefit all her members. He proffered dedicating a Sunday to create awareness on the rite, in parishes and outstations, so that the faithful may better understand and appreciate it.
The resource person listed some of the resource materials needed to prepare catechumens for the reception of the sacraments of initiation to include: ‘The Holy Bible’, ‘Our Journey Together’, ‘To be A Catholic’, ‘RCIA Syllabus’ by Fr. Salihu’ ‘Pictorials’ and some other books that he authored. He also itemized the attendance register, catechumen card, and the catechumen register as the documents needed to keep records of the catechumens who are in the age bracket of fourteen and above.
On his part, the Diocesan Chaplain of members of the Association of Catholic Trained Evangelizers of Nigeria, Rev Fr. Dr. Ezekiel Danlami Tijjani, who also thanked the facilitator for a job well done, implored evangelizers to make the best use of the opportunity and the knowledge they have acquired in the course of the seminar.
The seminar which held in the Catholic Pastoral Centre, Graceland Zaria, from Friday, 26th to Saturday, 27th September, 2025, had the clergy, religious, catechists, trained and commissioned evangelizers, as well as catechism class teachers in attendance.
