It was a beautiful gathering on Thursday, 19th March 2026 at St Jude Catholic Church, Iwo Road, Ibadan as Christ’s faithful of Oke-Paadi deanery gathered and rallied round the Archbishop for the celebration of this year’s Cathedraticum.

The Chief celebrant of the Mass was the Archbishop of Ibadan Most Rev. Gabriel Leke Agbegunrin, concelebrating at the Mass were the Deans of various deaneries across the Archdiocese, coupled with priests from different parishes within the deanery.

The homilist, Rev. Fr Felix Akinyode gave the historical background of Cathedraticum as the tradition which dates back to the 6th century, (at the council of Braga), where every parish is expected to pay a specified sum of money for the up-keep of the Bishop. This care has evolved with time to also accommodate those to whom the Bishop extends his hands of charity.

Furthermore, he highlighted two major things we need to learn as regards the gathering. Firstly, it teaches us that the Mass of cathedraticum on one hand, is our responsibility to take care and provide support for our local ordinary, the Archbishop. On the other hand, as it concerns our coming from the different parts of our deanery to carry out this responsibility hopefully with joy and happiness, it is a practical demonstration of our unity, a manifestation of our oneness as a community of faith, united with our Archbishop as he carries out one of his primary duties of “feeding the sheep” (John 21:17).

Fr. Akinyode stated that the invitation to live charitable lives, a constant admonition to reach out to those in need is both a responsibility and a calling. It is a core aspect of our faith as Catholics, a fundamental character of the discipline and demands that this Holy season of lent is known for. He also made it known that the day’s event should be seen as a spiritual exercise and not just a carnival.

Speaking on the day’s solemnity which is the solemnity of  St. Joseph, the husband of Mary. According to him, the mystery of the incarnation corroborates in an extraordinary way, the significance of the Mass of cathedraticum. Disregarding the popular saying that God will not leave his throne in other to interfere in the affair of men, our Lord Jesus Christ left his throne in heaven, and changed the course of human history when he became man like us. That was made possible by the positive response by the blessed virgin Mary in whose womb the Lord took flesh. As such while the blessed virgin mother represent a good number of us today who committed our hard earned resources, time, and presence in making the Lord visible in the Church today through the gift which we brought to the alter of God, there are so many also in our communities who are like Joseph who will need to be spoken to directly or in a vision before they come on board to make Christ visible among the most vulnerable person in the world.

Fr . Akinyode added that as Christians we most imitate Christ in this act of self-giving, charity must never be interpreted as duty, it must never be just an attempt to fufill all righteousness. Rather , charity should be a way of  life. It must be a way of giving ourselves to others without any reservation.

In conclusion, he advised that every member of the family should participate in the Mass of cathedraticum not minding the quantity; every child of the family should be made to contribute something, so it becomes a way of life towards the charity arm of the Archbishop’s office.

Immediately after the presentation of the gifts, the Archbishop gave a general blessing over the gifts brought by the paristioners for the cathedraticum, followed by the order of thanksgiving.

After the celebration of the Holy Eucharest, the Archbishop further thanked the priests, religious and catherists. He appreciated all the parishes for the support. He said that all of are extension, we are all part of Him.

His Grace admonished the lay faithful not to use abusive words on one another, or insult one another or say negative things about one another, instead we should pray for one another.

Speaking on the Artificial Intelligence(AI), the Prelate said that we should be very careful about it because majority are fake. He advised that we should investigate thoroughly before we talk about something. He prayed that as Easter is fast approaching, May God count us worthy to celebrate it. May He continue to guide and protect our families(Amen).

Group photographs were taken after the Mass while a sumptuous lunch was given to everyone thereafter.

 

Beatrice Adigun