Nigeria: Katsina Diocese graduates first set of female Catechist

Sr Oluwakemi Akinleye fsp – Lagos

Recently, the Bishop and faithful of Katsina Diocese in Nigeria gathered together for the celebration of the graduation ceremony of catechists at the Saint Joseph Mukasa Catechetical Training Centre in Malumfashi. It was also a day of joy and thanksgiving, as it was the graduation of the first set of female catechists from the centre, alongside 36 male catechists.

A two-year training programme

Bishop Gerald Mamman Musa presided over the eucharistic celebration, which marked the conclusion of the two-year training of this present cohort of catechists. They come from the Katsina diocese and some of the dioceses in the north of Nigeria. Their studies at the catechetical centre include courses on evangelization, sacraments, leadership, communication and other doctrines of the Catholic Church.

In his fatherly address to the catechists, Bishop Gerald Musa reminded them, “As catechists, you are to hold firm to the values of prayer, daily reading and living of the Word of God and a life of dedication in your ministry.” To the female catechists, Bishop Gerald encouraged them: “Carry out your pastoral activities with the assurance and support of the Christian community.”

The Catechist is an instrument of love, faith and hope

Graduation of Catechists of Katsina Diocese

The catechists, in turn, thanked the Bishop for making their graduation ceremony memorable with his presence. They pledged to continue to renew their commitment to God through the imitation of the lives of the saints, as well as being instruments of love, faith, hope and a light to God’s people in the Christian communities where they live and work.

The Saint Joseph Mukasa Catechetical Training Centre in Malumfashi was founded in 1964 by the late Bishop Edward T. Lawton. Since then, it has trained hundreds of catechists for the Sokoto diocese, other dioceses of Kaduna ecclesiastical province, and the new Katsina diocese.