By: Adolphus Ofoegbulem
The Catholic Diocese of Ahiara has concluded the 2026 Annual Priests’ Retreat, held from Sunday, March 1, to Friday, March 20, during which the clergy, in three batches, entered a sustained period of prayer, silence, reflection, and spiritual renewal.
The retreat was directed by Rev. Fr. Christian Eze, CMF, who drew its theme from Christ’s command: “Love one another as I have loved you” (John 13:34), inviting the priests to rediscover, with fresh fervor, their identity as the Beloved Disciple, one who abides close to the Lord, remains faithful in every season, and is formed by a love that is both sacrificial and enduring.
With quiet insistence, he pointed to the witness of St. John, who stayed with Christ to the end, embraced a life of devoted celibacy, and received the Mother of the Lord into his care, thus offering a pattern of priestly life marked by intimacy with Christ and steadfast charity within the Church.
The retreat, in its simplicity and depth, offered the priests a needed return to the heart of their vocation, as they now go forth to their various pastoral assignments and apostolates renewed in spirit and strengthened in purpose.
The priests of Ahiara Diocese express sincere gratitude to Fr. Christian Eze for his generous presence and guidance and pray that the Lord may continue to sustain and replenish him in his priestly ministry.
