106 days after its shutdown, the ground of the Adoration Ministry, Enugu, will be open to worshippers today.
The ministry, headed by controversial catholic priest, Father Ejike Mbaka, was banned indefinitely on June 18, 2022, by the Bishop of Enugu Diocese, Most Revd Callistus Onaga.
Onaga noted, in his letter to Catholic faithful, that Mbaka had neglected pastoral directives and guidelines for the ministry by converting the pulpit to a political podium, commenting on political happenings in the country.
However, announcing the reopening of the ministry on Thursday, Mbaka through the ministry’s Facebook handle ‘Adoration Ministry Enugu Nigeria – AMEN’, asked his followers/adorers to converge on the Adoration ground Umuchigbo Iji Nike Emene, Enugu State on Sunday, October 2, 2022.
Meanwhile, excited worshippers, who spoke to Sunday PUNCH, said the ban was long overdue. An Enugu-based restaurateur, Mrs Magaret Ndu, said, “I was so glad when I learnt the holy ground will be open for worship tomorrow (Sunday). I will surely attend. I have told my workers to arrange themselves so we can set out early and get a fine spot because I know the church will be packed to the brim.”On what she thought about the ban, Ndu said, “Our dear father, Revd Fr Mbaka, speaks the truth, and it is always bitter to those who hear it.”
Another worshipper, who simply gave his name as Harry, when contacted on Facebook, said he and other members of the Adoration Ministry had been meeting at an undisclosed venue.
“Our father used to pray for us on the phone. Sometimes, he would send us broadcast messages. In the third month of the ban, we even fasted. God has answered our prayers, and I will not fail to be at Umuchigbo Iji Nike Emene tomorrow,” he said.
