By Augustine Aminu
Arch Bishop of Abuja Catholic Diocese, Most Rev. Ignatius Kaigama has commended the Knight of Saint Mulumba for their positive contribution towards the growth of the Catholic Church in the last 70 years.
Bishop Kaigama said through their acts of charity and various advocacy outreaches, the Order has been defending the church.
Bishop Kaigama spoke in Abuja when members of the Order, led by its Supreme Knight, Sir Charles Mbelede, paid a courtesy visit to him, as part of event to mark their 70th anniversary.
He urged the Knights to keep working together in defending the Church, noting that their contributions in the last 70 years have been “impactful”
He said, “I join you in celebrating your 70th anniversary. 70 years is quite a long time. And that means 70 years of positive contributions to the church and the spiritual growth of the church. And these we must acknowledge.”
Bishop Kaigama expressed joy that the Order is waxing stronger, “in a clime notorious for the death of brilliant ideas and innovations. That the Order survived the challenges of its pioneering era and has remained the foremost knighthood order in Nigeria and Africa as a whole, calls for celebration.”
He commended members of the Order for holding on to the faith and the vision of the founder of the Order of the Knight of Saint Molumba,
He said, “you have remained solidly committed to that vision. And I would say it’s for that reason that you are successful in contributing your quota to the progress of our church.”
Speaking to journalists immediately after the visit, the Supreme Knight, Sir Charles Mbelede said the Order has been a voice for the voiceless, and has led various advocacy to draw attention to rising insecurity in the country
He said, “we have been putting a lot of advocacies for insecurity, economic problems, and the general situations and bad governments in this country. We are the voice of the voiceless.”
He said Order has built houses for indigent widows, built schools and hospitals and will continue to contribute and speak for the betterment of mankind and good governance in the country.
Also addressing a world press conference, the Supreme Knight noted that in the past seven decades of its existence, KSM has impacted the socio-cultural and religious lives of members of every community where it operates.
He said, “Our members, true to their calling as knights and soldiers of Christ, have always endeavoured to defend not just the church and its faith, but have become purveyors of charity and providing succors to vulnerable Nigerians. The Order has remained a forceful voice for the oppressed and had raised alarms through its Media Advocacies over the security, economic, and moral decadence in the country.
“The Order as a Body Co-operate, with Christo-Centric ideals, have come out
boldly and loudly to condemn the poor management of the country which had rendered millions of Nigerians impoverished.”
Sir Mbelede commended Nigerians for their resilience and ability to absorb the harsh realities of the country’s worsening economic and security problems.
According to him, the earning ability of Nigerians and their purchasing power keep plunging geometrically, due to double-digit inflation index for goods and services.
“We urge the leaders of the country to be people centered and endeavour to ameliorate the hardship of the ordinary Nigerians who are at the receiving end of poor policy formulations and implementation,” he said.
Our Correspondent reports that the Theme of the Celebration is: “70 years of KSM Nigeria, Reappraising the Past, Redefining the Present, And Reshaping The Future”