By Vivian Onyebukwa
A three-day grand executive board meeting by the Knights of St John, has ended in Lagos, with the call for members to rebuild the unity, brotherhood, and love associated with the organisation.
The meeting was also held to harmonise the activities of the order in Lagos grand commander, after the Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria, lifted the suspension placed on the Order’s activities. It would be recalled that the KSJI was suspended as a Catholic organisation on February 16, 2022 due to their failure to comply with the 10-point directive meant to resolve the lingering crisis in the Order.
Speaking to the members during the meeting, Rev Fr. Emmanuel Nwanoka, called to mind what is expected of the members as Knights. According to him, Knighthood are for learned people who should be role models, and described it as a respectable and honoured association.
He stated that some Knights members are ignorant of what they are supposed to do as knights, and admonished them to be role models, in all their activities even in donating to the church. “You should be able to hold the priests accountable. Respect to your superiors such as priests and Bishops. Let us come together and build our heritage. It is respectable and honoured association. So you get respected by rebuilding yourself. Knighthood is not cultism. It is the bad eggs in knighthood, don’t use them to generalise. The light will overshadow the darkness. Let us unite and rebuild the unity, brotherhood, love. That is what makes Knighthood as a cult because they are in unity, love and together. Be disciplined, go to mass on time”, the Priest advised.
Brig General Sir Joachim Charles Amangbo, the current Grand President of Commandry 557, Knights of St John International (KSJI), Lagos, while speaking on the expectation of the three-day meeting, described Knights as custodians of all the spirituality and discipline. Outlining their roles in the church, he said, “We defend the church. With the way the church is going now, we need to discuss a lot of things, the way to help the church and the priests. You can see the kidnapping of priests and Rev Sisters here and there. So we discuss all those things when we meet here. We also discuss our spiritual welfare and evangelise, get more people. All aiming at supporting and promoting the church”.
Lady Justina Chinyere Nwankwo, the Grand President, Ladies of St John International, the female arm of the Knight of St John, acknowledged the role of women in rebuilding the nation. She described the situation in the country as terrible, and advised mothers to speak out to those in authority. “Women have a lot to do. There’re many insecurity in Nigeria, and the perpetrators are our children. We have to call them to other, know the kind of lifestyle they live, and the company they keep, to curtail their excesses. We should talk to our husbands as well. As mothers, we have to pray because mothers are as the head, even to their husbands”.
The event ended with a high mass presided over by the Bishop of Lagos, His Grace, Most Rev Dr Alfred Adele Martins. The Bishop, while speaking to the press after the service, advised youths to desist from being used as thugs during the election. “Any young person that is being recruited to participate in thuggery activities, need to ask whoever is recruiting them, where is the name of their children, cousins, and family members. If they don’t have the names of their family members, that is why they should not allow themselves to be used for destruction of life. If the youths allow themselves to be used, they are modgaging their own future because, democracy is supposed to be able to lead to a better life. So if they are allowing the wrong people to get into office by acts of thuggery, the young people are not preparing a rosy future for themselves”.