Members of the Franciscan Sisters of the Immaculate Conception (OSF) in Nigeria have been urged to foster “Communion” in the spirit of the ongoing preparations for the Synod on Synodality, which the Holy Father has extended to 2024.
In his Wednesday, November 2 message on the occasion of OSF Provincial Assembly in Nigeria, Bishop Emmanuel Adetoyese Badejo said that the spirit of Communion can be fostered by breaking down “all forms” of barriers that hinder fraternity.
“The Synod on Synodality reminds us that the mother Church has a tradition of Communion, which you all must fall back to, that of using your congregational values, and your coming together in your various communities and apostolates to break down all forms of individualism, division, discrimination, competition, clique dominance and stereotyping,” Bishop Badejo said.
He described the Synodal process as the prophetic way in the “modern age”,which OSF members in Nigeria can explore to be prophetic witnesses through collective actions in community living.
“Prophetic witnessing in this modern age would then be to bring your wealth of experience to walk the talk of community living and solidarity through your collective action in practical terms,” the Local Ordinary of Nigeria’s Oyo Diocese said in his message titled, “Prophetic witnessing in our changing world in the light of Synodality”.
He urged OSF members in Nigeria “to live Synodality at all levels” and to use their “wealth of experience” to lead all people to the path of conversion.
“As those always present among the poorest, the Synod’s preparatory documents and the Vademecum invites you to pay special attention to the peripheries and be the first to undertake this new task of evangelization,” he said about the next Synod of Bishops to be held under the theme, “For a synodal Church: communion, participation and mission”.
The Nigerian Bishop encouraged the Catholic Sisters to tap into their “deep communion with Christ and put into action their best talents according to their spiritual and apostolic charisms” in view of boosting their evangelization mission.
The Local Ordinary of Oyo Diocese who doubles as the President of the Pan African Episcopal Committee for Social Communications (CEPACS) called on OSF members in Nigeria to be at the forefront on the promotion of family values, Christian unity, interreligious dialogue, caring for the poor, the sick and those who are suffering.
The fostering of these values is relevant to the mission of Christ in the African context and must not be neglected, he said.
Bishop Badejo who was appointed a member of the Vatican Dicastery for Communication on 3 December 2021 went on to underscore the need for good leadership in the OSF Order, capable of facilitating the overcoming of challenges and limitations.
“The Congregation needs self-effacing, broad-minded, mature and visionary leadership which will be able to untie the knots of material limitations, human prejudices, and spiritual indolence,” he said.
The Catholic Church leader told OSF members in Nigeria to strive for “leadership that will affirm not disarm members of your congregation, a leadership which will inspire you to stay united when you face challenges which are bound to emerge.”
To realize such leadership, Bishop Badejo called for discernment. “Your choice of leadership for the future is critical and will definitely determine the level of success you get in attaining your objectives and mission as a congregation,” he told members of OSF in Nigeria during the November 2 event.
The Bishop who started his Episcopal Ministry in October 2007 as Coadjutor Bishop of Oyo Diocese urged the Catholic Nuns to “see yourselves as family not a club with cliques and sects, as collaborators and not competitors.”
“You must remember that you are ambassadors of your Congregation, the Diocese where you work, and the Church at large,” Bishop Badejo told members of the Religious Order that was founded in 1847.
Such ambassador role, he added, “demands doing everything positively possible within your means to maintain the good image of where you are, and of the Church at large.”
The Nigerian Catholic Church leader further acknowledged with appreciation OSF members’ contribution to evangelization through education, healthcare, and catechetical ministry among other services.
“I wish to state that your Congregation has done very well for so many years helping the Church to fulfill her mission of evangelization. Your involvement in education, healthcare, social work, catechesis, and family life in many Dioceses has raised and formed many people,” he said.
Bishop Badejo urged OSF members in Nigeria to build on their past legacy and to use the Provincial Assembly “to chart together what is the best way to upgrade the good works of your past legacy to relevance in the contemporary times we live in.”
“I am happy to note that you yourselves have in theory done a lot of work on this,” he said in reference to OSF members’ efforts to “upgrade” their past legacy, and added, “You have your Mission Strategic Plan 2 (MSP2), which sought to establish what your strategy and ethos as a religious congregation ought to be.”