By Chinwendu Uzoatu
The Solomnity of Christ the King is a great feast in the Catholic church. The whole world proclaimed Christ as the universal King.
For the prestigious institution, Christ the King College (C.K.C.), Onitsha, it is a special day for both old and current students.
As well, the Old Boys Association, Awka Branch, joined their counterparts in the whole world to celebrate the great day in grand style. They did this in conjunction with the Old Girls Association of Queen of the Rosary College (Q.R.C.), Onitsha; their sister institution.
In the Pontifical Mass to mark the occasion, the Catholic Bishop of Awka Diocese, Most Rev Dr Paulinus Ezeokafor, thanked God as he stated that the commemoration of Christ the King marks the end of the church’s liturgical year, giving way to advent.
He called the people of God to always bear in mind that the feast of Christ the King is for salvation.
In his homily, he proclaimed that Christ is an everlasting king. He said: “Christ is the universal king. His kingdom has no end. He is the king of peace. His kingship has no boundary. It is important for us to to remember that the feast of Christ the King is for our salvation. It shows us love of God.”
Bishop Ezeokafor further urged everyone to allow Christ to reign in their hearts and in their actions.
He also called on leaders to set good example, as he said: “Allow the Holy Spirit to rule us all the time. If we allow Christ to enter in our spirit, he will bless us.”
He expressed his thanks to the C.K.C. Old Boys and Q.R.C. Old Girls, and encouraged them to always realise that Christ is their leader, and they should emulate him.
On his part, the President of the Old Boys Association, C.K.C., Awka Branch, Dr. Tochukwu Mbachi, with heart full of joy, stated that it was a day of joy.
He said: “It is a very good day. The bishop has fed us with spiritual food. It is a yearly ritual, we celebrate the feast of Christ the King here. After everybody will go to his parish for the procession. Then on Saturday, we will have our end of year lunch. All the old boys are happy.”
Peter Umeadi explained that the universal church is celebrating the feast of Christ the King, the name of their school.
He pointed out that it is a great thing to stand with the universal church to celebrate their Alma Mater.
Maja Umeh had these to say: “The feast of Christ the King is a great celebration. We hounor him as King of kings. Our college is in his hounor. Every year, we celebrate the kingship of Christ. It is always a day of joy for us.”
According to Nwegwu Joe, (Onowu Ebenebe), on the feast of Christ the King Old Boys and present students offer special Mass to celebrate the event. “We celebrate it with pump and paegentry,” he said.