Catholic Church holds mass weddings in Niger

By: TUNDE BOLAJI –MINNA.

In what can best be described as its first time, the Catholic Bishop of Kontagora Diocese, Most Rev. Dr. Bulus Dauwa Yohanna, has conducted a mass wedding for twenty-one couples in Niger state.

While joining the couples in holy matrimony at the St. Mark Catholic Church in Nsanji Nkoso, Magama local government area of the state, Bishop Yohanna disclosed that, until a couple is joined together in marriage legally both traditionally (dowry or bride price) and blessed in the church it is wrong to cohabit.

According to him “most of the people had relied more on traditional marriage which encourages them to cohabit. And we needed to be sure, too, that none of them was under compulsion.

“We have to encourage them to do what is right, especially as Catholics. With this blessing of marriage, these twenty-one couples are now legally and officially married”.

Bishop Yohanna, who is also the Chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) Niger state chapter, while adding that marriage is meant for the prepared adults, told the couples that marriage is a lifetime commitment that should be built on love and companionship.

The Parish Priest, Rev. Fr. Francis Yasak Joshua, while disclosing that the 21 couples completed their marriage traditional rites, especially paying their bride prizes, said they were subjected to three months’ marriage counseling, which qualified them to join the church.

Accordingly, he said the oldest married couple is 24 years and the youngest married couple is 1 year old.

One of the sponsors of the couple, Lydia Ishaya, expressed her joy, saying, “I am happy for them, especially with their cooperation, and I pray God to continue to bless their marriages”.

Some of the couples expressed their joy, saying that if not for the leeway given to them, they may not have gotten married even till death.

One of the couples, Mr and Mrs Cyprian Uche, who have been cohabiting for 22 years, said they now have 5 children who have graduated from higher institutions, and the remaining ones are currently in secondary school.

According to Mrs Cyprian, “I am happy that my marriage has been blessed now. Ever since I have been a member of the women’s fellowship, I was not eligible to hold any position because she was not married in the church. But now, I feel so excited because we are officially married and I thank the Bishop for helping us realize the need to do the right thing”.

The following day, the Parish witnessed the sacraments of Confirmation for 400 Parishioners by the Catholic Bishop of Kontagora Diocese.