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By the turn of the new year, every road will lead to the city of the Vatican for an international event tagged jubilee of the Holy Roman catholic Church. Ahead of this Church’s 2025 Jubilee, Nigeria’s Consecrated has decided to Review Charisms “in light of today’s realities”

The Director of the Institute of Consecrated Life in Africa (InCLA), Nigeria, has called upon members of the Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life (ICLSAL) in the West African nation to renew their commitment to the charisms of their respective Institutes ahead of the Catholic Church’s 2025 Jubilee Year.

On January 21, Pope Francis announced the start of a Year of Prayer in preparation for the Catholic Church’s 2025 Jubilee Year, the second in his Pontificate after the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy in 2015.

Months later, on the Solemnity of the Ascension of our Lord Jesus Christ on May 9, the Holy Father solemnly proclaimed the upcoming Jubilee Year 2025 at a ceremony in St. Peter’s Basilica, during which he delivered the Bull of Indiction of the planned Jubilee, “Spes non confondu” (Hope does not disappoint).

To be marked under the theme, “Pilgrims of Hope”, the Catholic Church’s 2025 Jubilee Year that is to officially begin on December 24 is to conclude on 6 January 2026.

The Jubilee Year provides the people of God across the globe an opportunity to participate in various planned jubilee events at the Vatican and in their respective Episcopal Sees and ICLSAL. The Jubilee of Consecrated Life has been planned for 8-9 October 2025 in Rome.

In an interview with ACI Africa on the sidelines of the International Theological Conference, the InCLA Nigeria Director, Fr. Peter Okonkwo, said that “there is a great possibility that Consecrated persons may have derailed at some point, but it’s time to bring them back on track to live out the charism of their founders.”

“We are men and women of hope, moving forward together to renew our experiences as a people and as God’s family,” Fr. Okonkwo told ACI Africa during the November 8 interview, the last of the five-day theological convention realized under the theme, “Jubilee of Consecrated Life, pilgrims of hope on the path of peace”.

The Nigerian member of the Congregation of the Missionary Sons of the Immaculate Heart of Mary (Claretian Missionaries/CMF) emphasized, “Religious men and women, Consecrated persons, are called upon to reexamine their charism in light of today’s realities.”

Alluding to the theme of the Catholic Church’s 2025 Jubilee Year, “Pilgrims of Hope”, he said, “Even when the world sees no hope, we, as Christians, hope against hope. Our faith and trust are in God, not earthly powers that may fail us. God remains faithful, and his kingdom will be manifest.”

The planned 2025 Jubilee Year, Fr. Okonkwo said, is an opportunity for women and men to “realign themselves with the Church’s mission, renew their dedication to the poor, and deepen their reliance on hope.”

He went on to say that this hope is deeply rooted in faith and is essential for facing present-day uncertainties.

“We must continue on our path as Religious, as Priests, and as people of hope, praying that the current hardships in our country will one day become a thing of the past,” he said.

In the November 8 interview with ACI Africa, the Director of the Consecrated Life Institute under the auspices of the Claretian Missionaries reflected on the objectives of and participants in the five-day International Theological Conference.

“This is one of the ways we are participating in the celebration of the Jubilee Year in 2025. The conference brought together different Religious Congregations, male and female, to participate in the preparation for the Pilgrimage of Hope, which is the celebration of the Church’s Jubilee in 2025,” Fr. Okonkwo said.

Participants in the conference reflected on the option for the poor as a mandate for the Consecrated, the treasure of creation, and interreligious dialogue as a path to universal fraternity in Nigeria, among other subthemes.

Held at the Abuja-based InCLA, the conference brought together 200 participants from 100 ICLSAL from Nigeria, Ghana, Sierra Leone and Ireland.

Rev. Fr. George Nwachukwu
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