Muslim Parents Celebrate Son Ordained As Priest In Jalingo

In a rare show of religious tolerance Muslim parents and family  of Rev Moses Idris had joined him to celebrate his ordination by the Catholic Bishop of Jalingo Diocese, Most Rev Dr Charles M. Hammawa as priests for the Catholic Diocese of Jalingo at Our Lady Queen of Peace Cathedral, Jalingo.

 

Father Idris  from Donga Local Government was ordained  alongside five others at a ceremony  attended by a mammoth crowd that came to witness and share in the joy of the epoch making event.

Narrating how his journey to his journey to catholic priesthood started, Rev Moses Idris said,

 "the story of my vocation started from my vocation into Catholicism which began in December 2004. At age of fourteen, I was hawking bread and I went to sell bread to children in Sunday school. That day, I made good sales; as a result, the Church became a business centre for me… I continued going to the Church because I fell in love with Catholic worship especially the liturgical hymns and so I later became a Catechumen."

After becoming a cathecumen, he joined the Catholic Charismatic prayer group, the Altar Boys Association, the Legion of Mary, and Choir. At this early stage, the young Idris started facing persecutions and receiving threats. As a result his then Parish Priest, Fr Kieran Danfulani, took him away from his home town (Mararraba) and enrolled him into Sacred Heart Minor Seminary, Jauro- Yinu, Jalingo. While in the Minor Seminary, Fr Idris showed determination and amid many challenges he graduated in 2012.

Rev Fr Moses applied to be trained as a priest in the Catholic Diocese of Jalingo and was offered admission into Bishop Timothy Cotter Memorial Seminary, Bare in Numan, Adamawa State where he had his Spiritual Year programme. He later proceeded to St. Augustine's Major Seminary philosophical studies from 2012 to 2016. He had his Pastoral Year experience in Bishop Patrick Sheehan Memorial College, Wukari from 2016 to 2017. He later went back to St Augustine's Major and studied theology from 2017 to 2021.

He was ordained a deacon on 18 July 2021 by Bishop Charles Hammawa, and to the glory of God he was ordained a priest on 25th February, 2021 alongside five others. 

A brother to Rev Moses, Idris Ayuba described his family as an example of what religion tolerance is all about.

"In our Family both Christians and Muslims members relates as one, it's very important that our people should know that we worship the same God, we are one and we should live happily with each other, no religion is an enemy of another."