It was another glorious outing on Sunday, February 16, for members of the Archdiocese of Ibadan Catholic Men Organisation, AICMO, as they held their first quarterly general meeting of 2025 at St. Patrick Catholic Church, Bashorun, Ibadan. 

As it is traditional to attend Masses at meeting venues, delegates which comprised parish CMO Presidents, Secretaries and any other nominated member from all the parishes in the Archdiocese, most of them in their uniforms, thronged the 9am Mass officiated by the Parish Priest, Rev. Fr. Sylvester Odugbemi. 

Drawing his homily from the readings of the day, Fr Odugbemi harped on Charity, especially towards the needy and contributing to the growth of the work of God, who, he emphasized, is the source of all that humans possess. While using the occasion to welcome the AICMO to the parish, fondly referred to by its members as the Basilica of Ibadan Archdiocese, the priest charged men to rededicate themselves to the service of God and continue to live up to their earthly vocation as pillars of the Church and leaders of their families.

In an address during the Mass, the AICMO President, Mr Felix Adoroh, who incidentally is a member of the parish, described the current AICMO as a moving train, urging men in the Archdiocese who have not seen the need to officially join the group to do so, stressing that innovations were being introduced to make the organization more attractive.

Highlight of the Mass was a Thanksgiving by the CMO delegates massively supported by the parish Catholic Women Organisation (CWO) and other members of the Church.

Shortly after the Mass, the delegates posed for a group photograph at the imposing St. Joseph Grotto before settling down for the meeting under the canopies mounted at the open space behind the Church, as the parish hall was reported to be undergoing a massive renovation.

After declaring the meeting open, the President, Mr Adoroh, thanked members across the Archdiocese for their commitment and called for more support to advance the cause of AICMO.

Issues such as the Jubilee Year programme and an upcoming AICMO retreat to coincide with this Years's Fathers’ Day celebration were reported and deliberated upon. 

Another key issue for deliberation at the meeting was the new Archdiocesan uniform. To make the choice of design more unanimous, a vote was conducted and members were able to pick the ankara and t-shirt designs that best suit the organization while the uniform committee led by Dr Lawrence Ajibola was lauded for doing a yeoman's job.

To properly reposition AICMO, apart from the Uniform Committee, several special Committees were inaugurated. They are Protocol, Media and Publicity Committee headed by Mr Pius Nsabe; Socials, Welfare and Visitation Committee chaired by Mr Bolaji Alamu; Finance Committee led by Mr Pelumi Adegunju; Retreat, Seminar and Religious Committee led by Sir Augustine Okeleke as well as the Investments and Projects Committee with its interim chairman as the immediate past Secretary of AICMO, Barrister Anthony Adie.

The new appointees, who pledged to give their best to justify the confidence reposed in them, were issued their appointment letters and other paraphernalia of office.

According to their letters, the Committee Chairmen have automatically become members of the AICMO executives while other members are automatic delegates irrespective of their status in their various parishes.

There was a rapturous applause when delegates from St. Anthony, Iwo, announced their presence for the first time in the meeting. Prince Alloysius Adesokan, who led the delegation, said the reason the parish had not shown up at meetings was that CMO in the parish was inaugurated only in 2023 and had hitherto been working on its leadership. He promised that the parish would henceforth always be fully represented at meetings now that its formation had reached an advanced stage.

The meeting also provided the group the opportunity to celebrate its indefatigable Chaplain, Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Ajewole, who marked his 50th birthday on February 8. A birthday song was sang for him while the group presented what the President described as a token of their love. The elated Fr. Ajewole, whose invaluable advice has over the years provided direction for AICMO, thanked the group for the honour and urged the current EXCO to keep up its good works and not to disappoint the members. He urged the executive to make CMO in the Archdiocese so attractive and viable that prominent men in the Church who had not shown keen interest in its activities would yearn to be members as well.

After the meeting, members were  entertained with food and drinks.

The next meeting will be hosted by St. Kizito Catholic Church, Oluyole, Ibadan, on May 18 and members said they are looking forward to yet another robust deliberation that would take the CMO in the Archdiocese to greater heights.