Truth & Mercy Series - August 9th 2026

“August is always a time to feast on many feast days. It is the month dedicated to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. This is because in 1944, Pope Pius XII assigned August 22 as the Feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary with its close affinity to the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary on August 15. In 1969 Pope St. Paul VI moved the Feast of the Immaculate Heart to June very close to the Feast of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, which really makes a lot of spiritual and liturgical sense. So, the Feast of the Queenship of Mary remains on August 22. 

I will be inviting everyone in our parish to join in a nine-day novena to the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. She was assumed body and soul into Heaven following the example of Her Son’s Glorious Ascension. Where He has gone, She follows and indeed where both of them have gone, we, the children of God, will follow if we persevere in being faithful to the call we have been given. The leader of our faith and religion has become victorious. He has returned to the right hand of God as the VICTOR over the world, flesh and the devil. The Mother cooperated completely in achieving His victory, so She gets the reward of the triumph of grace. In Her life and victory, we too are invited to keep the fight, and win in a like manner. We can only win if we stay on the right path, seeking all the graces necessary for our salvation from the two Hearts of Jesus and Mary. 

Do you belong to the team Jesus-Mary? I mean to the victorious team? To the team that has never failed? The team set up by God Himself to vanquish the entire devil and his minions. It is unthinkable to belong to the other side. It is hell, it is instant gratification, it is filled with bitterness and sadness. God has come to redeem us from all these. I mean from all the principalities of the evil one. We are set free. It is our inheritance to celebrate our divine victory.

Our parish is doing great things. We are hosts to all these youth from across the diocese. We are sharing with them the GOODNEWS of the redemption. We are sharing with them the “Bread of Life”. We are not hiding our “five loaves and two fishes” from them. We are following the example of Jesus Christ, bringing them all our “blessed and share”. God does not know “not enough”. God is about abundance. His arithmetic ends in abundance and surplus. The seeds being planted today are to last the entire life-span of these youth and unto life everlasting. Our parish is extending her missionary prowls beyond this generation. Sharing is caring; then Faith sharing is much more. It is life-giving. It also has a dynamism that charges and brings hope even to the more senior community in the parish. St. Francis of Assisi prayed thus; “For it is in giving that we receive, it is in dying that we are raised to eternal life.” The parish that prioritizes the young and gives to them will receive and will enjoy eternal life for we are sharing our spiritual riches with them. Prayers that St. Philomena and St. John Mary Vianney will pray for everyone involved in the Youth Camp, volunteers, families, speakers, priests and religious. God who blesses and rewards “the cheerful givers” will reward them all. Amen. 

In union of prayers, 

• Fr. Nicholas Akindele, JCL