By Uchechukwu Muolokwu
For 30 Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Mother of Christ, Sept. 20 was more than a celebration; it was a thanksgiving for decades spent in prayer, consecrated life and service to God and humanity.
The Sisters marked three significant milestones of religious life — Diamond, Golden and Silver Jubilees, representing 60, 50 and 25 years of consecrated service respectively — during a Eucharistic celebration at the Basilica of the Most Holy Trinity, Onitsha.
Family members, religious communities and the faithful gathered with the jubilarians to celebrate their years of commitment and the different stages of their vocation.
In his homily, the Archbishop of Onitsha, Most Rev. Valerian Okeke, reflected on the day’s gospel about workers in a vineyard who received their reward despite joining the work at different times.
He said the passage points to the generosity of God, whose mercy cannot be measured by human standards.
“His justice does not diminish, but His mercy always exceeds what we can calculate. God is never unfair; He is simply more generous than our human measure,” Archbishop Okeke said.
He thanked God for the witness of the jubilarians, noting that they had answered their vocation at different times and remained committed to their service.
“We thank God for the gift and witness of these our sisters, who have responded faithfully to His call at different moments and have laboured in His vineyard. May the Lord continue to sustain them in love, fidelity and joyful service,” he prayed.
The archbishop urged Christians to reject envy and embrace generosity, stressing that God freely gives His gifts and calls the faithful to live in peace, tolerance and unity.
Congratulating the jubilarians, he described their vocation to consecrated life as a privilege and prayed for continued strength and fidelity in their service.
The celebration ended with thanksgiving and felicitations as the congregation and well-wishers honoured the sisters for 25, 50 and 60 years of dedicated service.
Uchechukwu Muolokwu is of the Ministry of Information and Value Reformation, Anambra State
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