Twenty-First Sunday of Year A

Readings: Isa 22:19-23; 

Rom 11:33-36 and 

Matt 16:13-20

In the gospel of today, Jesus was worried about His public image, so He made His own survey. The respondents were His disciples. There were only two questions to be answered: The first is: "Who do people say that I am?" and the second question is: "Who do you say that I am?"

In response to the first question, the disciples had listened to the people and talked with people who had listened to Jesus' preaching, with those who had been cured by Jesus or had seen Him healing. The disciples were up to date as regards the latest news so, they gave the various opinions of the people. They followed what the

HOMILY BY REV MSGR. CLETUS TANIMU GOTAN AT THE FUNERAL MASS FOR THE LATE NDE THOMAS GOWOK GOMIR AT THE HOLY CROSS CATHEDRAL CHURCH, PANKSHIN ON WEDNESDAY, APRIL 18TH, 2017

Ecclesiastics 50:24-26; I Cor 1:3-9; Luke 1:39-55

We are together here for the funeral Mass of Nde Thomas Gowok Gomir, and I am certain that we all want to assure all the bereaved and sorrowing family and friends and especially his children Rev. Fr Gabriel Gokir Gowok, Mrs Mary  Okereke, Mr Emmanuel Dimka Gowok, Miss Jacinta Neshi Gowok, Eng. Jude Gowok, and  Mr Sebastian Nenbekechor Gowok of our prayerful condolences on the loss of their beloved and loving father.  We are not unaware of the poverty of our words at this time, but we hope that our presence and prayers, and the presence of the so many families and friends from near and far will sustain and comfort Fr Gabriel and the other children at this saddest of times. May God, the God of all things, the doer of great deeds everywhere, grant him a peaceful repose and cheer our heart.

During his tenure as senior minister of a Church, a Reverend gentleman lost his son Alex in a horrific automobile accident. Among the well-meaning people who tried to

HOMILY BY REV MSGR. CLETUS TANIMU GOTAN AT THE FUNERAL MASS FOR THE LATE MRS SAFIRATU DWAKNAAN FOMWUL AT THE CHURCH OF THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION, ZARAMAGANDA ON FRIDAY 9, JUNE 2017

Job 19.1, 23-27; Rom 14;7-9, 10-12; Lk 24:35-

It is with sorrow that we assemble here, in this church dedicated to the Immaculate Conception this morning, to entrust our sister Lady Safiratu Dwaknaan Fomwul LSM into the "hand of God" (Wisdom 3:1). Although, saying goodbye is always the most difficult thing to do, we do so this morning, finding comfort in the fact that it is into the Lord's hand that we commend her, knowing by faith that death is not the end. We all know that we are all on pilgrimage to the Lord's house to which our sister has gone ahead before us. While she is no longer with us serving our community of faith, she is in a position to be a powerful intercessor for us. We are deeply saddened by the sudden way Safiratu has passed from us and it is difficult to let her go for a time.  Yes, we feel all of the normal human emotions that come to us when someone so close to us and whom we love so much dies.  But we are privileged to be able to gather together as her family and friends to pray for her and for ourselves and to offer this Eucharist, a word which means "Thanksgiving", thanking God for the gift of the life of Safiratu Fomwul.

To you, Sir Joseph Fomwul, the members of your family and friends, I extend the loving prayers and sympathy of all of us here and those of the

HOMILY BY MSGR CLETUS TANIMU GOTAN AT THE MASS OF THANKSGIVING FOR THE CELEBRATION OF THE 60TH ORDINATION ANNIVERSARY OF VERY REV FR JEREMIAH O'CONNELL SMA AT ST LOUIS' CATHOLIC CHURCH, JOS ON MONDAY, JUNE 13th, 2016.

Ez. 3:17-21; Eph. 1:13-14; Lk 10:17-2

Today, we joyfully gather around the altar of St Louis Catholic Church, Jos for the celebration of the Eucharist, the Church's great prayer of thanksgiving, for Very Rev Fr Jeremiah O'Connell SMA as he celebrates the 60th anniversary of his priestly ordination. Permit me to start by thanking all those who have been instrumental for making the occasion possible. The occasion recalls to me the Office of Readings from Pope Gregory the Great about us priests. The reading quotes the Gospel saying that "the harvest is plentiful but the labourers are few" and went on to say: 'it grieves us to have to say that...we see around us a world full of priests, but it is very rare to find a labourer in God's harvest, because we are not doing the work demanded by our priesthood, although we accepted this office.'

Sixty years into ministry and still here at the age of eighty four, no one can say that of Fr O'Connell! whom we thank for his steadfast and generous ministry in the Vineyard of the Lord in different capacities, at different locations as a missionary priest. His first port of call in the Archdiocese of Jos was St Joseph's College, Vom where he worked and rose to

Twentieth Sunday of Year A

Is 56:6-7; Rom 11:13-15, 29-32; Matt 15:21-28

The readings this Sunday draw our attention to God's invitation and mercy to the entire humanity, to each and every one of us (without exception) and irrespective of whether we are  Christians, Moslems, Pagans, Atheists, Blacks, Whites etcetera.  All the three readings speak of the expansive and universal nature of the "Kingdom of God," in contrast with the protocol of the day which demanded that salvation should come first to the Jews and then to all the people of the earth

Everyone in the Church belongs here.  And there are billions of  people outside of the

NINETEENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME – Year A

1 Kgs 19: 9-11, Rom 9: 1-5, Mt 14: 22-33.

A preacher relates an experience of turbulence while aboard an aircraft. The pilot announces an oncoming storm that would give the aircraft a very tough time. He is still speaking when the storm arrives, and the turmoil is extremely distressing as the plane battles in mid-air.

The impending air disaster devastates everyone as people keep screaming and making endless supplications to their respective subjects of creed. Amid the frenzy is a girl of about seven years who appears unperturbed as she holds onto her story book.

The preacher could not understand the calm disposition of the little, and he decides to keep cool because he is as worried as everyone. Thanks to God the turbulence comes to a stop.

When it was conducive enough to have a conversation, the preacher approaches the little girl to ask her why she did not worry when the aircraft was in turmoil. She replies and says that the pilot is her dad and he often tells her that storms sometimes come during flight but