Tomorrow October, 29, 2016, members of the Catholic faith in Awka Catholic Diocese will file out in procession in honour of our Lady, Queen of Nigeria.

The Catholic Bishops conference of Nigeria consecrated Nigeria to the Immaculate Heart of Mary on October 1,
1960. This was done in recognition of the powerful role Mary, the mother of Jesus plays in the economy of man’s salvation. Significantly, the universal church celebrates the Queenship of Mary all over the world on August 22, every year.
That Mary is a Queen is incontrovertible. If we all agree that she is the Mother of God, it will not be too much and out of place to call her a Queen. Jesus is the king of heaven and earth and Mary is the Queen-Mother of Jesus, our king. She is the Queen of heaven and earth.

If she is the mother of our king- Jesus, our Lord, is it really a big deal to call her Queen of the Angels and saints- the very creatures made through Jesus. Mary, as Queen of heaven, is the joy of angels and saints who delight in her radiant beauty in heaven. By consecrating Nigeria to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Mary has been officially empowered to take charge of our personal, family and national affairs.
However, these pertinent questions remain: Have we, as Nigerians, allowed Mary to exercise her Queenship over us? Have we opened our hearts for Mary to reign there as Queen and Mother? Have we been attentive to her anguished appeals in many of her apparitions?
The stark and unpleasant reality is that many Nigerians, by their actions and inactions, have rejected the Queenship of Mary and have blatantly refused to heed to her pleadings for prayer, penance and repentance. When we accept her as our Queen, then, righteousness and holiness will thrive. Today, all sorts of evils, conceived in man’s heart, are perpetrated with impunity. Selfishness, graft and corruption, covetousness, idolatry, neo-paganism, sectionalism and religious bigotry are common features of our country.
Our country, today, is bleeding from all sided: politically, socially and economically. It is on the verge of economic collapse. Many countries like Japan, Austria and Brazil, among others had recourse to our Lady in their times of crises and witnessed miraculous solution of their problems. Our lady appeared at Fatima during the First World War and promised the end of the war and it happened as predicted. The Second World War ended on August 15, 1945 – the solemnity of Assumption of the Blessed Virgin due to the powerful intercession of Mary. Our Lady has always made herself available in times of crisis if we seek her help.
Sister Lucy of Fatima once said that our Rosary could solve all our problems. Bishop of Maiduguri received a sword that turned into a rosary in a vision as a weapon to end insurgency. He started organizing Rosary Procession, starting with his household and then extended it to his parish and diocese and today, insurgency is fizzing out.
It is most pleasing to our lady when we seek her help in rosary procession. Saint Pope Gregory the Great organized a rosary procession when a terrible epidemic was ravaging Rome, killing people in thousands every day. The Pope, wearing a penitential garb, took part in this Rosary procession, carrying a statue of our Lady in his hands.
After this rosary procession, involving the pope, clergy and the laity, the epidemic ceased miraculously. Surely, it pleases our Lady more when we come to her collectively, rather than individually.
Constant rosary procession in our homes, parishes and occasionally at diocesan and inter-diocesan levels will surely nip the intractable problems of the country in the bud. It is, therefore, advised that the first Sunday Parish Rosary procession in Awka Diocese be intensified and taken more seriously. Secondly, parishes are encouraged to organize rosary procession during our Lady’s feast days, which normally occur almost every month. These simple exercises will result in miraculous positive changes in our country.
The Catholic Bishop of Awka, Most Rev. Paulinus Ezeokafor, The Auxiliary Bishop, Most Rev. Jonas-Benson Okoye, the chief chaplain of Marian Societies, Reverend Father Mac-Ben Okeke, therefore enjoin all and sundry to participate actively in this year’s Rosary Carnival involving Rosary procession from agreed points. The immense benefits for an active participation will be unquantifiable.

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