Bishop Nkuo calls on women to adopt priests as sons

By Florence Mbong Nganji
His Lordship Bishop George Nkuo has called on the women of Kumbo Diocese to adopt priests in the diocese as their own sons. The Bishop made the call in St. Theresia’s Cathedral Church Kumbo on March, 19, during the traditional come together marking the birthday of the priesthood.

The event brought together 64 priests and three deacons from the 25 parishes and institutions of the diocese. Also present to give thanks to God for the gift of Priesthood were religious men and women and many lay faithful.

During the Holy Mass that is usually celebrated on the occasion, the oils of catechumen and the sick are blessed and the Holy Chrism consecrated. The celebration owes its name to the Holy Chrism, ‘Chrism Mass’.

In a 25-minute sermon, Bishop Nkuo called on all the women of Kumbo Diocese to be spiritual mothers to all those who have been called to the priesthood. He said the vocation of spiritual mother to priests is neither known nor understood by Christians.

All women, irrespective of their ages and civil status, may be spiritual mothers to a specific priest even without the knowledge of the priest, the Bishop explained. These women pray for the priest and accompany him throughout his life. This equally applies to women missionaries and religious who offer their whole life to God for the sanctification of humanity.

The Bishop also called on each parish in the diocese to start intensifying and promoting what he described as true and proper “Upper Rooms”, where consecrated and lay people can join in a spirit of communion to pray for genuine reparation and purification through continuous Eucharistic Adoration.

Mgr George Nkuo sent a special public invitation to all religious women and members of Catholic Women Association in particular and to the entire womenfolk of the diocese in general, to become true spiritual mothers to the priests of Kumbo Diocese.

He appealed to all the Christians to pray for their priests because prayer is very important in the apostolate of priests. Christians were also told that prayers for the priest started in the days of St. Peter, the first Pope, and St Paul, the Apostle to the Gentiles. They needed prayers to sustain and strengthen their lives as priests, Kumbo Christians were told. In the same vein, today’s priests need prayers.

The Bishop reiterated that priests come from the society and are therefore susceptible to human frailties. He pointed out that instead of giving them flask of food and other material things, prayers remain the most precious gift to offer priests.

All the 6 deaneries that make up the Diocese of Kumbo were represented at the celebration. Gifts were presented mostly in kind to the bishop at the offertory according to the various deaneries. The Holy Mass was animated by the Tabenken Deanery.