From Esther Akaa, Lafia
St William’s Cathedral, Lafia in Nasarawa State on Sunday celebrated cultural day in an impressive style to showcase their unity in diversity.
The celebration which is an annual event of the church, provided the congregation the opportunity to display their mode of dressings and dances which identify them.
In a homily, the Cathedral Administrator, Rev Fr Alfred Azige, called on Nigerians to appreciate each other’s culture and see it as a unifying factor for peace and unity of the country.
According to him, God listens to each dialect and answers prayers, calling on the people to pray persistently without losing hope even in their troubles.
Azige said Jesus started his public ministry with fasting and prayers, thus the need for Christians to pray without ceasing.
He, also called on families to raise altars in their homes which will constantly remind them of the need to pray daily.
“The fathers are supposed to conduct prayers for their families on a daily basis. More so, as catholics, we must say the rosary daily so that our Mother Mary can intercede for us.
“We must also take our private and communal prayers seriously. Most times God does not answer our prayers because of our evil motives. God cannot answer prayer intentions that are negative,” Fr Azige said.
He, therefore, called on Christians to always pray rightly to enable God answer their either immediately, at a later time or in a different way.
In interview with The Voice, one of the parishioners, Michael Ato, said accepting each other’s culture will promote peace and unity among all the diverse ethnic groups in country.
“Today is our cultural day which signifies oneness and unity in our diversity. God created us and gave us different tribes even then He wants us to love ourselves to be our brother’s keeper and to live in unity.
“Everybody in this church today is in his or her cultural attires signifying that even though we are of different ethnic groups we are one in God and therefore, we should be one in unity,” he said.
Another worshipper, Mrs Chizoba Ugwu said: “Cultural Sunday brings unity and makes people to understand their culture, especially those, who did not grow up in their villages. It helps the children to know their way of dressing, language among others.”
She, therefore, called on families to always pray together, in order to inculcate the spirit of prayers in their children, saying that without prayers Christians cannot succeed.
The Voice reports that the cultural day featured procession with thanksgiving to God by the various ethnic groups of the church.