Catholic Archdiocese Celebrates Feast Of Exaltation Of The Holy Cross

September 23, 2022206 views0

Catholic Archdiocese Celebrates Feast Of Exaltation Of The Holy Cross

2022-09-23T09:13:17+01:00

By Church News

The Catholic Archdiocese of Lagos has celebrated the Feast of Exaltation of the Holy Cross and the 50th memorial anniversary of Most Rev (Dr) John Awao Amuzu Aggey.Aggey was the first African Archbishop of the Metropolitan See of Lagos and the First African Bishop.The event which took place at Holy Cross Cathedral, Lagos was organised to honour and pay tribute to Most Rev John Aggey and also a thanksgiving for the price Jesus paid on the cross.In a homily by the Catholic Archbishop of Lagos, Most Rev Alfred Adewale Martins, who was represented by Vicar, Lagos Region Arch Diocese, Very Rev. Msgr. Bernard Okodua, extolled the virtue of the late Arch Bishop, describing him as a man who stood for the truth and described him as a peacemaker.The Bishop stated, “He took time to explain to the government, that the Catholic Church is not partisan, and peace reigned. He was generous to a fault. People were not disappointed that came to him for either financial or moral advice help. A humble servant of God, he operated an open-door policy. You did not have to write a letter to see him. He was a shepherd and a good man of God.”Rev. Msgr Okodua referred to the Exaltation of the Cross as the triumph of the Cross.He noted that Jesus Christ came to save man from sins through his suffering and death on the cross.“In the Christian world, the cross of Jesus Christ is what we are venerating and remembering and honouring. It is not just the wood, it stands for salvation. That means without the cross, no resurrection, and if Jesus did not rise from the dead, then our faith and preaching have no meaning,” he said.Archbishop Aggey, a Togolese was born on the 5th of March, 1908. As a priest and an Archbishop, he was a powerful preacher, fluent in both English and Yoruba languages. He was, therefore, a great asset to the church in the area of evangelism.ALSO READ The Archdiocese Of Beijing Marks Reopening Of Cathedral