Fr Ogundipe Sdv

In the spirit of the celebration of Christ the king of the universe. I felt it is necessary to share this because a little girl asked me on Sunday why i used my hand to insert the sacred species in the monstrance and I have to use  a veil to carry the monstrance. Then she asked which is more important the golden monstrance or the blessed sacrament Fr. Chinaka Justin Mbaeri, OSJ raised this pertinent question which i will like to share with you. He asked "WHY DO PRIESTS/DEACONS VEIL THEIR HANDS WHEN CARRYING THE BLESSED SACRAMENT IN THE MONSTRANCE" Many Catholics don't really understand what we do and why we do that hence its ok if we share some of what we do in the Catholic church so that we can have a better understanding and perhaps do what we do with conviction that is rational Fr Justin said in his response I used to think like you even up to being a seminarian until I read a commentary (a brief booklet) on the "Caeremoniale Romarum" in my 2nd ye...

HOMILY PREACHED AT THE 5TH PRIESTLY ANNIVERSARY OF REV FRS CHRISTIAN UZIFOR AND MATHIAS OLUTAN BY REV FR LAWRENCE OGUNDIPE SDV PRIESTLY PERFECTION AS AWARENESS Dear brothers and sisters we have gathered this morning not for a funeral, not for a marriage we have gathered in thanksgiving to God for the gift of catholic priesthood in the lives of these holy men of God; Fr Christian and Fr Mathias. It a celebration of five years of Joy, of Pains, of success, of sorrows yes of priestly ordination, many souls have been baptized, and many have also been buried by their sacred hands. The beaut[piful hands of these priests have absolved many souls and saved them from damnation of hell oh thank you God thank you dear Fathers for accepting the call. A song came to mind while I was preparing this homily, thus count your blessings name them one by one……. Are you aware brothers and sisters that the Catholic priesthood is a vocation? Being a vocation, it is a sublime gift of God. It is also a ...

First of all what is Indulgence? The Catechism of the Catholic Church describes an indulgence as "a remission before God of the temporal punishment due to sins whose guilt has already been forgiven, which the faithful Christian who is duly disposed gains under certain prescribed conditions through the action of the Church which, as the minister of redemption, dispenses and applies with authority the treasury of the satisfactions of Christ and all of the saints. A plenary indulgence, applicable only to the souls in purgatory, is granted each and every day from Nov 1 to Nov 8, who devoutly visit a cemetery and there pray, if only mentally, for the departed. 1. on All Souls' Day (or, according to the judgment of the ordinary, on the Sunday preceding or following it, or on the solemnity of All Saints), devoutly visit a church or an oratory and recite an Our Father and the Creed. 2. A partial indulgence, applicable only to the souls in purgatory, is granted to the faithful w...

1. Being oblivious of the penitential rite; the short pause by the priest after asking that we all make ourselves worthy to partake of the Holy sacrifice of the Mass,  is for us to call to mind our venial sins and be sincerely sorry for them. This act cleanses us of the venial sins. We must note that no amount of prayer is able to absolve us of mortal sins. Such absolution can only be gained at a sacramental confession. 2. Lack of attention during the liturgy of words. A simple litmus test to know the level of your concentration during the readings and Gospel is to wait as soon as the Gospel proclamation is over, try remembring what was read during the first and second readings. Again if you are prone to sleeping, avoid the fan and by all means make yourself a little uncomfortable during the homily. It is actually very embarrassing to be caught sleeping, snoring or even salivating during the Homily 3. Indiscriminate tracing of the cross on various areas of the face and torso duri...

ON  SEPTEMBER 29, 201 9  BY  FR OGUNDIPE OLUMIDE SDV ST. MICHAEL THE CONSOLER OF SOULS In order to properly analyze and present the role of Archangel Michael as the consoler of souls, one must first understand angels, their nature, and their office. ANGELS The word ‘angel’ is derived from the Greek word ‘angelos’ which is the translation of the Hebrew word ‘mal’kah’ and in Latin ‘angelus’ all of which mean “messenger from God or Legate”. They were viewed at first as the personification of the will of God, then as members of a Heavenly Host, that is, army of the court of God the King. THE NATURE OF ANGELS According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, angels are purely spiritual creatures who have intelligence and will: they are personal and immortal creatures, surpassing in perfection all visible creatures, as the splendor of their glory bears witness. THE MINISTRY OF ANGELS Ministry is defined as the work of a minister, and a minister is a person who ca...

The influx of Pentecostal practise and attitude are creeping into the Catholic Church and if we are not careful, her trademarks of orthodoxy and authenticity will be at the margins. Evidently, many aberrations are finding their ways to the front seat and it is disheartening how strange doctrines are celebrated and enthroned in modern fashion with personal innovations in the liturgy. What is happening to the rubrics, can we go back to the root and the books? This piece is a clarion call to my dear brothers and sisters, a wake-up call to all Catholics to protect the faith we proudly profess and keep out ‘rugalised’ doctrines infiltrating into the parishes. Personally, I am shocked with much pain in my heart on how priests and lay faithful play active parts in keeping the floodgates of error into devotional life of the church. The Catechesis of the church must not sleep nor slumber to checkmate some of the excesses we find around. Can you Imagine a situation when someone brought an O...

( This is a major feast of the Catholic Church which replaces even the usual Sunday in Ordinary Time.   It has its own Vigil celebration, one of only six feasts in the Church which include a distinct Vigil liturgy.  ( There is no account of Mary’s death in the New Testament. The New Testament writers were convinced that all believers would share in the Resurrection of Christ.  Catholics, however, believe that the Bible is in part a record of traditions, (first among the Hebrews and then among the Christians) as well as the written word in Scripture.  They hold fast to God’s guiding revelation through ‘Tradition’ as well as through the written word in ‘Scripture’. ( The Assumption of Mary into heaven is one of the oldest celebrations of Mary. The belief in the Assumption had its origin in the popular faith of the people.  Some legends had also grown up describing the miraculous events surrounding her death, including how the remaining apostles, having be...

INTRODUCTION Imagine a world in darkness; think of a society that lacked proper expressive skills, where ideas, feelings, emotions and wants could not be communicated but laid trapped in the inner recesses of our minds. I am quite sure many of us here would agree with me that such a world, such a human habitat, if ever conceived or existed, would be no better than a town crier striking a gong with a leaf – soundless, lifeless! Everyone would have been an island cut off from reality, non-existent. Imagine a world without   the religious; imagine the religious in the world without a voice, everything becomes chaotic or perhaps in a state of anarchy and doom.  Hence, the consecrated persons need to speak out in the face of societal moral decadence in politics especially in Nigeria where abnormalities appeared to be the normal. But how can we do this, when we are limited by ecclesiastical laws through the code of canon law. Yet, the society look unto us for justice; Cat...

LOOKING BACK IN THANKSGIVING! Thanksgiving is a public acknowledgement or celebration of divine goodness. One of the great commandments is to give thanks to God, for all He has done for us. The Psalmist in Psalm 100:4 says: we are to “enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his Courts with praise; be thankful unto him, and bless his name”. Christ, himself, was the perfect example of obeying this commandment. It is also giving thanks to God for the many blessings which however should not be limited to only good times but also bad times thereby giving us the opportunity to demonstrate our faith in God. Thanksgiving will draw our hearts out to God and keep us engaged with him; it will take our attention from ourselves and give the Holy Spirit room in our hearts. WHY THIS THANKSGIVING? Without a deep sense of humility, of sincerity and of accountability in one’s relationship with His Maker, he or she cannot and will never see reason or reasons why he must thank the Lord. ...

INTRODUCTION The Catholic Church committed herself to ecumenical dialogue during the Second Vatican council with the aim of fulfilling the prayer of Jesus Christ “That they may be one” (John 17:21) hence Pope John Paul II says it is his earnest desires to renew this call to unity with this Encyclical “UT UNUM SINT” Of May 25th 1995. Like many encyclicals, he derives its title from the first few words, which was taken from the prayer of Jesus. Christians cannot underestimate the burden of long-standing misgiving inherited from the past, and of mutual misunderstanding and prejudices. Complacency, indifference and insufficient knowledge of one another often make this situation worst. As such the ecumenical dialogue must be based on conversion of heart and prayer, which will lead to purification of memories. The ultimate goal of the ecumenical movement is to re-establish full visible unity among all the baptized, basically the encyclical deals with the Roman Catholic Church’s relatio...