Daniel AGALA

The Ibadan Archdiocesan Board of Church Wardens holds her Annual Seminar at St. Jude Catholic Church, Iwo Road. The seminar, which was titled "St. Joseph, Protector of the Church, Patron of Church Wardens," was well attended by members across the Archdiocese of Ibadan. It was an annual event that provides an opportunity for wardens in the Archdiocese to learn and relearn about their service to the Church and the people of God.

The event started with the Mass, celebrated by Rev. Fr. Gabriel Azeez. In his beautiful homily, he said the journey to heaven comprises three categories of people, in which he used the medium to remind us of these categories, so we have to bear in mind that our service is not in vain.

The first set of people are those who are not true to their service, vocation, and calling; they carry out their duties with a mindset that is not of God. They are reminded of the need to be faithful and dedicated. It is good that we are still alive, we can still make a change, we have the opportunity to make amends and do it right. The second set of people are those making a sincere effort, those who are dedicated and faithful to their service. Do not give up, keep going and don't be discouraged, for your little efforts count. It might not seem so at the moment, but rest assured that those little efforts you thought were nothing are indeed something. The third set of people are those neither here nor there. You are not blowing hot, nor are you blowing cold; you can do better than you are doing at the moment. Embrace the strength that comes only from Christ, and God's light shall show you the path to follow.

He concluded his homily, with a word of advice to those who are doing well and receiving praises: do not let it get to your head. We should always radiate the goodness of God at all times and everywhere we find ourselves.

He then crowned it all during the seminar. He made it an interactive section. He started by asking the definition of a Church. Different replies were given as the definition of a Church. He, however, defined the Church as a hospital that houses different kinds of people with different illnesses, who come to be cured or get treated. As we stand at our duty post, we need to always keep that in mind, Wardens inclusive of those different people.

Wardens need a lot of patience, if you are not the patient type, then you are in the wrong place. If people know a Warden to be a particular type of person with a particular attitude, if that attitude does not find you, people will surely find you, and it sticks to you, you will be described with it. If we are working for the Church, we are fooling ourselves. However, we work for God through the Church. Disappointment is part of life. If we work for humans, we will be disappointed, but once we work for God, even when we feel it is a disappointment, it is still a blessing.

Patience is the key virtue in our line of duty. A lot of it is needed, everyone comes to Church with different problems to table them to God, Wardens often put theirs aside to focus on the task at hand, but then, our level of patience while on duty, while dealing with Parishioners who do not see the wrong in what they do, is in itself a prayer. We should always remember that we are Church Wardens and not God, so avoid being judgmental and show compassion. Be the reason people are in Church, be the reason people change for good. There is a need to be humble, see yourself as equal to the other person, regardless of social standing, and the fact that, at that point, you have the power to direct him/her as you please. He added that anything done as a Church Warden should be done faithfully and diligently; those who do their work diligently sit with the Kings.

 

He concluded by saying, in all we do, our approach matters a lot; under all circumstances, we should endeavour to make use of the best approach, which is always calmness. Your replies, your looks, and your gesticulations to every situation matter a lot, and that determines the outcome. As a warden, you have to risk your pride, your dignity, and sometimes, social time with your family so that God's purpose can be achieved. When that happens, always remember that your patron saint, St. Joseph, risked everything for God; he left his life and accepted the life God chose for him, even after he expressed his dissatisfaction. He sees it as something much bigger than himself. As a Church warden, it is important you learn and relearn; it broadens your knowledge, and we need to see what and all you do to be bigger than all of you and always put God first.

 

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