Beatrice ADIGUN

The 18th Annual General Meeting of Ibadan Archdiocesan Laity Council was held on Saturday, 6th December, 2025 at Maria Assumpta Catholic Church, Olubadan, Ibadan. The theme of the AGM is: “Catholic Laity in the Jubilee of Hope: Renewed faith, Active witness.” The event which was started with the Holy Mass had the Laity Chaplain, Very Rev. Fr. Paul Asawale as the Chief celebrant, concelebrated with him were the former Archdiocesan Laity Chaplain, Very Rev. Fr. Richard Omolade and the Parish Priest, Maria Assumpta, Rev. Fr. Vincent Annuniru.

In his homily, Fr. Annuniru encouraged the Lay Faithful to go and do the same just as Jesus instructed his disciples in the Gospel reading of the day to go out and proclaim the good news.

After the Mass, the Councilors proceeded to the venue of the meeting. The meeting was presided over by the Archdiocesan Laity President, Mr. Felix Oladokun who welcomed all the parishes and lay organizations to the meeting. The president in his welcome address thanked the Almighty God who made it possible for them to gather this year for another AGM despite all odds.

Speaking further, he said that the essence of the gathering was to evaluate the previous activities, to see where they have done well and where they need to make improvement. Also, to celebrate the jubilee year of Hope after which, there was a keynote address on the Jubilee year of Hope by Very Rev. Fr. Richard Omolade. He described, Catholic Laity as ordinary members of the Catholic Church who are neither clergy nor recipients of Holy Orders as vowed to life in a religious order or congregation.

The laity forms the largest group in the Church, therefore have their unique role to play in the world, especially sanctifying the temporal order. Their sphere of influence is the world and in particular the world of business wherever the demands of their daily life place them.

 Speaking on the ‘Jubilee’, Fr. Omolade stated that the origin of the Jubilee dates back to the ancient Jewish tradition of YOVEL, which was celebrated every fifty years. He stated some key elements of the Jubilee of Hope as:

• Pilgrimages designated centres
• Celebration of God’s mercy through forgiveness of sins and obtaining indulgences
• Reconciliation of people with God and among people themselves
• ‘Giving’ hope to people especially those on the margins, e.g. the sick, the poor and prisoners.
• In the area of Hope, Pope Francis had indicated that the first sign of hope is our desire for peace in our world because of the tragedy of wars all over the world.
• Appreciation for the intrinsic goodness of human beings. We need to recognize the immense goodness present in our world, lest we be tempted to think ourselves overwhelmed by evil and violence.

The priest also highlighted some of the expected fruits of the Jubilee year of Hope as:

• Encountering God
• Eternal life
• Readiness to forgive others
• Witnessing to the presence of God in our lives.
• To become agents of mercy and compassion
• Becoming an agents of peace

Speaking further the priest said that Jubilees are a celebration of joy for God’s people and during the year, we were once again called upon to experience God’s mercy by availing ourselves of the riches of the sacraments especially the sacrament of reconciliation.

Fr. Omolade encouraged the Laity to be more involved in their individual parishes. “Your involvement comes with responsibility and accountability to your parish priests”, the priest added. He also admonished them to spend their time for God and His people, to use their talents to make life better for people around them. “Your resources, wealth and goods are not meant for you alone because you have been blessed so as to become a blessing to others”, the priest stated.

“The more we respond to the demands of God’s call to us, the better we make the world, the better we help to ensure the kingdom of God is well established in our time. We must not fail in this regard. Your Church needs you, make yourselves available,” the priest reiterated.

Fr. Omolade also stated that we are not given a good Church or bad Church. The Lord has given us a Church. It is up to us to make it good or bad.

Speaking on the theme; “Renewed faith, Active witness. The priest posed some mind-searching questions. “As the Jubilee year comes to a close, what have you gained? Has your faith been renewed? Has the Jubilee of hope formed and transform your life?”

According to him witnessing cannot be done privately or in half measure. It has to be done with vigor and zeal, with boldness and courage, with determination and purpose.

In conclusion, the priest ended his address with some words of inspiration from St. Theresa of calcuta. “I can do what you cannot do, and you can do what I cannot do. Together we can do great things”. He urged the lay faithful of the Catholic Archdiocese of Ibadan to rise and bear concrete witness to their faith. Help us build the Archdiocese the priest pleaded. He prayed that we find God our loving father at the end of our pilgrimage through this life (Amen).

The meeting witnessed the report of past events within the last one year: 2025 Laity week, 2025 Lay Apostolate Harvest, 2025 Laity Seminar. There were reports from parishes, which were contained in the AGM brochure, 2024/2025 financial statement, Auditor’s report and 2026 Blueprints.

The Laity Chaplain, Very Rev. Fr. Paul Asawale in his address, thanked all the Councilors who found time to attend the AGM.

Speaking on the projection for the New Year 2026, the Chaplain stated that our vision remains rooted in formation, collaboration and evangelization. He highlighted the areas to focus on as:

• Deepening the formation programmes for Lay Leaders to strengthen spiritual and pastoral competence.
• Encouraging youth involvement and leadership development within the Laity council.
• Strengthening our financial base through innovate and transparent means.
• Fostering stronger partnerships with other Church societies and commissions to advance the mission of the Church.
• Promoting more community outreach and social impact projects that demonstrate the love and presence of Christ in our society.

In conclusion, the Chaplain stated that the mission of the Laity is not a task for a few but a shared vocation for all baptized faithful. He then encouraged the laity to serve with humility, to lead with wisdom and act with love. Bearing it in mind that our reward comes from God alone.

It was a beautiful gathering as there were refreshments and entertainment with solemn music. The vote of thanks was given by Mr. Felix Adoroh.

The closing prayer was said by Mrs. Victoria Akinwalere while Very Rev. Fr. Richard Omolade gave the blessing. After which everyone departed to their various destinations hoping to come together for yet another Annual General Meeting.