Lucky Obukohwo, Reporting
Hoodlums have invaded the Chapel of Adoration at St Mulumba Catholic Parish, Owerri, in Imo State, carting away the Blessed Sacrament.
According to the statement by the Chancellor of the Catholic Archdiocese of Owerri, Rev. Fr Patrick Mbarah, he said that the hoodlums who broke into the Chapel of Adoration at St Mulumba Catholic Parish, Owerri, on Wednesday, 29 April, made away a monstrance containing the Host (Blessed Sacrament).
Fr Mbarah who gave account of what happened, said that the hoodlums opened parts of the roof of the building before gaining access to the chapel through the ceiling while it was raining.
His words, “After entering the chapel, the intruders made away with the monstrance containing the Blessed Sacrament, an act the church described as a desecration of the sacred space.
“It is with great sadness that we inform you of the desecration of the Chapel of Adoration,”
Based on the incident, the Archbishop of Owerri, Most Rev. Lucius Iwejuru Ugorji, has mandated all parishioners of St Mulumba Parish to embark on a one-week prayer of reparation.
The prayer programme, according to the statement, will begin on Friday, 1 May, and end on Friday, 8 May, with daily sessions scheduled from 4 pm to 6 pm.
The archdiocese also used the opportunity to remind all priests serving in the Owerri Archdiocese to strictly comply with norms and directives guiding the exposition of the Blessed Sacrament and adoration.
It added that exposition should only take place when there is fitting attendance of the faithful, adding that the Blessed Sacrament must never be left unattended during exposition.
