A Muslim woman, Hajiya Aisha Adamu last Sunday, August 2nd 2015 at St Michael’s Catholic Church, Awa, Orumba South L.G.A of Anambra State, baptized her four children into the Catholic faith.

The woman who is in her late 30’s, said she took the action because she had seen in the Catholic faith the essential rudiments that would bring about proper formation of individuals. Hajiya Adamu who out of her volition brought the four children, and had them baptized by the parish priest of St. Michael’s Catholic Parish, Awa, Rev. Fr Lawrence Onwuaso, said she loved the Catholic Church and her teachings.

The children who were baptized as Elizabeth, Peter, Paul and Perpetua were aged 7, 4, 2years and 2 months old respectively. Fides gathered that Hajiya Adamu has lived in Awa for over 15years with her husband, Alhaji Adamu, who gave his consent for the children to be initiated into the Catholic Church through the Sacrament of Baptism. The children who are also pupils of the Catholic Diocese of AWKA-owned Community School, Awa, are proficient in the Igbo language as well.

It was also gathered that although Hajiya had baptized her children in the Catholic faith, she however maintains a dual faith, as she worships in both the Catholic Church and the mosque. Earlier, Hajiya had also gone for thanksgiving at St. Michael’s Catholic Church, Awa, in gratitude to God for the survival of her last baby who was born a premature.

In his homily at the Holy Mass, the parish priest of St. Michael’s Catholic Parish, Awa, Rev. Fr Lawrence Onwuaso, charged Christians to establish personal relationship with Jesus Christ, saying that it was only when such relationship existed that they would be closer to Christ, and He (Christ) would fulfil their needs.

Drawing from the readings of the Sunday, Rev. Fr Onwuaso chided Christians against seeking Christ for mere worldly reasons and for bread to satisfy their hunger just as the Jews did. He enjoined the faithful to seek Jesus Christ for personal relationship with him, for the life he gave and for eternal life with him in the end. The Catholic priest enjoined the faithful to attach due respect and honour to the Holy Eucharist, saying that it was through the worthy reception of the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ that they would establish the needed personal relationship with him.

He described the Holy Eucharist as the food of the soul and an antidote to sin which the pilgrims needed in their journey to eternal life, and stressed the need for the faithful to receive the Holy Eucharist in states of grace. This was even as he noted that just as the manna which God gave to the Israelites sustained them in their journey to the promised land, so the Holy Eucharist would sustain the faithful and lead them into eternal life