Emma Elekwa
A leading aspirant of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) for Anambra North Senatorial District, Chief Primus Odili has celebrated fathers for their sacred vocation, describing them as strong pillars of the home.
Odili in a statement to mark Father’s Day in the Catholic Church, argued that the father’s strength is not only in their hands, but in their willingness to kneel in prayer for their family and to lead by example.
According to him, fatherhood is not measured by perfection, but by faithful presence, stressing that Church needs fathers who are men of prayer, sacraments and those who put God first.
The statement partly reads, “My dear brothers in Christ, as we mark Father’s Day in our Church today, I celebrate you for the sacred vocation you live out daily. You are the strong pillars of the home, called by God to mirror St. Joseph: protector, provider, and humble servant.
”Your strength is not only in your hands, but in your willingness to kneel in prayer for your family, to lead by example, and to love even when it costs you.
“The family is the first school of love, and you are its first teachers. Be present. Listen to your children equally, and show your wife the same sacrificial love Christ showed the Church: patient, gentle, and forgiving.
”Fatherhood is not measured by perfection, but by faithful presence. Like St. Joseph the Worker, your labor has dignity when offered to God, whether in the office, market, farm, or workshop.
“Your silent sacrifices, the prayers you say over sleeping children, and the faith you pass on are building the Church of tomorrow.
”When you lead your family to Mass, pray the Rosary together, or bless your children before they leave home, you are evangelizing in the most powerful way.
”So today, I pray that God strengthens you. May the Holy Spirit fill you with wisdom to guide, courage to protect, and tenderness to love. Do not underestimate the impact of your “yes” to this vocation.
”The Church needs Catholic fathers who are men of prayer, men of the sacraments, and men who put God first.
”Happy Father’s Day. We see you, we thank you, and we are praying for you. St. Joseph, patron of fathers, pray for us.”
