By Nwankiti Chinasa Augustina
On Saturday, July 20, 2024, members of the Peter University community in Achina/Onneh joined Rev. Fr. John Mark Okafor in commemoration of the fifth anniversary of his priesthood.
The event was marked by a thanksgiving mass, group photo shooting sessions and interaction among friends of the priest. The mass was celebrated at St. Edward Chaplaincy in Peter University. Thereafter friends and students exchanged comments on the celebrant who is popularly known as Fr. Jay Mark.
Okafor, a priest of the Catholic Diocese of Akwa who hails from Nimo in Njikoka Local Government Area of Anambra State, works at Peter University where he is the co-ordinator of Students Affairs. He marked the anniversary along with his classmates who ordained with him in July 2019.
He said that the priestly anniversary is important to him because it reminds him of his call to minister in God’s vineyard. Hence, it is a special event. He also informed that in the life of any priest, the passage of every year is remarkable with humility and thanksgiving.
He noted that God has been good to him as a person and a priest. Therefore, the anniversary presented him with the moment to reflect how life has been good.
After the mass in which the celebrant was prayed for, there was the cutting of cake, a photography session and light refreshment. It was an event that was marked by radiant faces of guests who attended and warm-hearted comments. The event bore testament of the priest’s positive impact to his community as an evangelical minister and as an administrator of the affairs of students.
Fr John Mark and his classmates enthused that they can never forget the day they were ordained into priesthood.