Mary Ekah
As members of the Celestial Church of Christ, Zion Parish, Itedo, Lekki Phase 1, recently celebrated Feast of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Shepherd–in-Charge, Evangelist Richard Adelu, enjoined members and Nigerians generally to exhibit brotherly love amongst them and also at the same time, extol peace.
Speaking during the event, which took place at the church premises in Lekki, Lagos, Adelu said, “When we have brotherly love, peace will reign and there will not be evil in our society as it abound today. No one will want to steal money when you have brotherly love for your fellow human beings.”
The event is an injunction by the Pastor founder of the Celestial Church of Christ (CCC), Rev. Samuel Biléhou Joseph Oshoffa, that Holy Virgin Mary Feast should be celebrated every year following an instruction by Mary, the mother of Jesus sometime in July 1977; that was when late Pa Oshoffa decided that the Holy Mary Day should be celebrated in the Celestial Church, worldwide every first Friday of July.
“The Feast of the Blessed Virgin Mary is basically to celebrate the assumption of the Holy Mary Virgin into Heaven, whereby there wasn’t any bodily translation because it wasn’t as if she died. That is basically what we are celebrating”, said the Chairman, Planning Committee of the Holy Mary Day Celebration, Evangelist Oluseyi Ogunmuyiwa. Holy Mary Day within Christendom, according to the Chairman, Planning Committee, is perceived as the day of assumption to Heaven of the Holy Virgin Mary.
“In other words, it is the bodily translation of the body of the mother of the Lord Jesus Christ whereby she was translated from the earthly form to heavenly form,” he added.
As part of the celebration, items were donated to widows in the church; this Ogunmuyiwa said was decision of the Shepherd–in-Charge of the Church, adding, “Part of the celebration of today within this parish is what Adelu does for the widows.”
Highlights of the day also included words of exhortation, lecture, ministration by students from Pacelli School for the Blind and Partially Sighted Children, amongst other things.
Speaking further, Ogunmuyiwa said, “As a member I feel very comfortable within this parish because for a man to be so dedicated to God as to make this happen in God’s ministry is itself a miracle. So the interpretation and understanding of a day like this could mean different things to different people.”
Explaining more on why the Feast of the Blessed Virgin Mary is celebrated in Celestial Church of Christ, Ogunmuyiwa said, “This is in commemoration of the appearance of Holy Mary to the Founder of CCC, late Pa Oshoffa on July 15 1977. After that experience he now decided that every first Friday in July every year would be the celebration of the Holy Mary Day, some kind of celebration of the assumption of our Blessed Virgin Mary.
“The pastor founder of CCC in trace saw himself climbing a number of steps until he got to a place full of fallen leaves and sighted a fair lady clad from top to toe in a blue apparel standing in a posture indicated she was shielding something from him. Then the pastor found himself descending the steps until he sighted a church, which a reverend father emerged and bowed in homage to him repeatedly.
The pastor found himself ascending again back to the spot where he earlier saw the fair lady. This time, the lady showed to him what she was concealing – a baby and pointing to the baby she said, this is Jesus Christ, tell people that those who would worship him must tread the path of cleanliness at that point, the pastor realised the lady was Holy Mary. She enjoined the pastor to remain undaunted by the colour of his skin because race is of no significance in things of the spirit.”
Almost a years after the incident, late Pa Oshoffa was reported to have fallen ill during which it was spiritually revealed, also in a trace that due recognition shall be given to Holy Mary in Celestial Church of Christ by commemorating the above incident annually. Consequently, the pastor declared first Friday of July every year as Holy Mary’s day to be s observed by full congregational service throughout the Celestial Church of Christ all over the world.
The First observation of the Holy Mary’s Day took place on Friday, July 7, 1978. On July 4th at CCC Headquarters, Makoko, a spiritual injunction was given to our matron, MC. E. Adelu that Holy Mary Day would thereafter be a significant annual celebration of CCC Zion Parish, Itedo, Lekki, Lagos and this year’s is the second annual fulfillment of that injunction.
