By Martin Opara
The Catholic Women Organization (CWO) of St Patrick’s Catholic Parish, Mgbirchi, in Ohaji/Egbema Local Government Area of Imo state, will today August 8 2025, flag off their annual Women August Meeting in the Church premises.
The 3-day event which will feature a seminar, drama presentation, launching of the 2025/2026 almanac, and the presentation of Awards of Honour to distinguished personalities who have made their marks in different fields of human endeavour among other side attractions will end on Sunday August 10, 2025.
Speaking in an interview with this reporter, the President of the organization Ezinne Joseph Evangelista Ogechi and the Parish Secretary, Mrs Cecilia Chibundu said, the annual women August meeting offers them the opportunity to deliberate on important issues that concern the women, their families, the church and the entire community and chart a way forward with a view to ensuring peace, unity and mutual co-existence.
“Considering the importance of women as pillars of support in their respective families and also in the church, the annual August meeting is a period when those who reside in different places converge in the village to rub minds and take decisions on how to embark on projects that will enhance the progress, growth and development of the community, the church and our respective families. We also settle disputes, advise erring wives and husbands as the case may be on the need to retrace their steps and give peace a chance for the stability of their homes bearing in mind that progress, growth and development hardly manifest in an atmosphere of chaos, rancor and acrimony. In doing this, we try as much as possible not to cause more havoc by taking sides”.
Speaking on the history of the August meeting in the parish, they said, “Mgbirichi Catholic Parish will be 25 years old in September this year. Hence, the Silver Jubilee celebration. But we started the women August meeting in the year 2023.. So, this is our third August meeting. We are happy that it is happening under our tenure as President and Secretary of the current executive respectively. As a matter of fact, this year’s August meeting will be the last outing of the current executive of the Catholic Women Organization”.
On this note, we commend and express our heart felt gratitude to our husbands and the Parish Priest, Rev Fr Christian Enuma Okafor for their support and wise counsel. They have always been there for us, in all ramifications. We pray that God continues to guide, protect and bless them abundantly for their tremendous assistance.”
“The August meeting offers ample opportunity for us to thank and appreciate God for his bountiful blessings on us and our families. We thank God that the August meeting started in 2023, during the tenure of the current executive. Since then, it has been a regular annual event that has recorded tremendous response from invitees who supported and encouraged us in multiple ways.
Aside from coordinating the efforts of the component villages and stations to ensure that Priests in our parish are well fed and taken good care of, members of the CWO, comprising respectable and responsible women of integrity, embarked on the construction of a church hall that had reached advanced stage before we were told to put it on hold and concentrate on the construction of a Tower to commemorate the 25 years anniversary of our Parish. Hopefully, the Tower will be completed before the Silver Jubilee celebration in September”.