Dear Sisters and Brothers in the Lord:
TO ALL PRIESTS AND RELIGIOUS WORKING IN THE ARCHDIOCESE OF LAGOS, AND THE LAY FAITHFUL;
- THE MONTH OF DECEMBER: We thank the Lord for preserving our lives to the last month of the year 2023. The month of December is a month of many sentiments: hope, expectation, joy and celebration. During the month we have celebrations such as the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the birth our Lord at Christmas and the Feast of Holy Family of Nazareth. The month is one of retrospection, stock-taking, self-evaluation and thanksgiving to God. The season of Christmas begins with the First Vespers (Evening Prayer) of Christmas on Sunday, 24th December and ends on the Sunday after Epiphany. Other feast days and memorials in this month are: St. Ambrose (December 7), Our Lady of Guadalupe (December 12), St. Lucy (December 13), St. John of the Cross (December 14), St. Stephen (December 26), St. John (December 27), Holy Innocents (December 28), St. Thomas Becket (December 29).
- The liturgical colour for the Season of Advent i.e., purple, paints a spiritual portrait of hope and expectation, of longing and waiting, of conversion and penance in preparation for Christmas. Advent is the beginning of a new Liturgical Year and can be seen as another opportunity to renew ourselves spiritually. It is a season of eager longing for the Messiah who is to come. We sing the song “O Come, O come, Emmanuel” to express the eager longing and hope for the coming of our messiah who came to us first as a child in the manger and who has promised to come again. Let us therefore avail ourselves of the opportunity that Advent provides to renew our relationship with God: do penance, works of charity and carry out the corporal and spiritual works of mercy so that we can reap the fruits of the Lord’s coming both at Christmas and at the end of time.
The Christmas Season on its own part expresses the boundless love of God; a love that heralds hope, inaugurates peace, engenders faith, and establishes the triumph of justice. While we busy ourselves with material preparations for Christmas let us not lose sight of its spiritual significance – the opportunity to encounter Jesus and embrace his offer of friendship and salvation.
I wish you all a merry Christmas and a happy New Year in advance!
- ARCHDIOCESAN CHRISTMAS CAROLS: The Lagos Archdiocesan Music Commission (LAMCOM) in collaboration with Holy Cross Cathedral presents the Lagos Archdiocesan Christmas Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols with the theme: “A Child is Born For Us” (Is. 9:6). This event will feature the Holy Cross Cathedral Choir, the Archdiocesan Choir, the Ikeja, Badagry, Lagos, and Lekki Regional Choirs, the Musica Casa Chorale and the Cecilian Diploma Chorale. Chief Host: Most Rev. Alfred Adewale Martins, Archbishop of Lagos. Date: Sunday, 17th December, 2023 Venue: Holy Cross Cathedral Time: 3:00pm. All are cordially invited. Let’s celebrate the birth of Christ in a musical grand style.