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Olugbemi. Adeyinka Ogunleye
6 days ago
Overview
Niger CAN chairman conducts mass wedding for 21 couples
The chairman of the Niger State Chapter of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Rev. Dr. Bulus Dauwa Yohanna has conducted a mass wedding for 21 couples in Niger State. Yohanna, who is the Catholic Bishop of Kontagora Diocese, joined the couples in holy matrimony at the St. Mark Catholic Church in Nsanji Nkoso, Magama local government area of Niger state.
According to him, until a couple receives the blessings of marriage from the church, they will only be cohabiting if they live together adding that it is wrong to cohabit. According to him, “Most of the people had relied more on traditional marriage which encourages them to cohabit. And we needed to be sure too that none of them was under compulsion.
“We have to encourage them to do what is right, especially as Catholics. With this blessing of marriage, these twenty-one couples are now legally and officially married.” Yohanna told the couples that marriage is a lifetime commitment that should be built on love and companionship.
The Parish Priest, Rev. Fr. Francis Yasak Joshua disclosed that the 21 couples had completed their marriage traditional rites especially the payment of bride prices adding that the couples were subjected to three months of marriage counselling which qualified them to be joined in the church. He disclosed that the oldest married couple is 24 years in marriage while the youngest married couple is 1 year in marriage.
One of the couples, Mr and Mrs Cyprian Uche who have been cohabiting for 22 years said they have five children who have graduated from higher institutions and the remaining ones are currently in secondary school. Mrs Cyprian said: “I am happy that my marriage has been blessed now. Ever since I have been a member of the women’s fellowship, I was not eligible to hold any position because I was not married in the church. But now, I feel so excited because we are officially married and I thank the Bishop for helping us realize the need to do the right thing.
Credit: The Nation
