… As School holds Orientation for new students.
By: JohnPaul Ibe
Evangelization has been described as “the very heart of the Christian vocation.” This was asserted by the Rector of the Olivet School of Evangelization, Ahiara diocese, Rev. Fr. Dr. Protase Anyanwu, during an orientation program organized for newly enrolled students of the school on Monday, January 26, 2026, at the Ahiara diocesan secretariat.
In his address, entitled “Sharing In The Mission Of The Church”, the Rector, while drawing from Pope Paul VI’s apostolic exhortation, Evangelium Nuntiandi, told the students that “the Church exists to evangelize. It is her fundamental mission. This mission is to proclaim the reign of God. Evangelization is at the very heart of the Christian vocation.”
Fr. Anyanwu described evangelization as “the joyful mission of making Christ known to the world—not merely through words, but through lives transformed by divine love.” It involves helping others know Christ and develop a relationship with Him, a loving bond with the One who wants to be accepted for who He is: Saviour and Lord.
The mission of evangelization involves “bringing the Gospel to all environments, offering it by different means and, by its effect, transforming humanity from within, making it new, from the inside out ”.
The Rector enjoined the new students to endeavor to have “a clear vision of what the Lord wants each of them to be. By evangelization, you “fight despair, hate, and sicknesses. By it, you “bring back to the Church the lost and wounded sheep, for there is not a single wound that cannot be healed by the Church. By continuing the mission of Christ, we become a blessing to those around us, and we also create a better world,” he further said.
“Let us remember that if God calls us to proclaim His Word, He is not a God who seeks to impose Himself; rather, He pursues all humanity with His love. Like Him, we should not so much seek to evangelize through knowledge as by putting that knowledge into practice, that is, by lovingly bringing Christ to our environment,” Fr. Protase Anyanwu said.
Evangelization, according to the priest, is not a human endeavor but the work of God. Hence, “we are only servants of this work, which we can only carry out united with the Holy Spirit” (Jn 15:5). In carrying out this mission, we should therefore resort to prayer in all circumstances to know where the action of His grace is. God desires us to work with Him, but above all, He desires us to work with Him, with His Spirit: the Spirit and the Word will bear witness as He has promised us ”.
Highlights of the event included screening and accreditation of the newly enrolled students, unveiling of the various courses and the lecturers, notification of their lecture days, which will be on Mondays, from 3 to 5 pm, and also of the acquisition of a new office for the school at the diocesan secretariat.
Among the basic requirements for the students of the school include the procurement of the following texts: the Holy Bible (Catholic Version), the Code of Canon Law, Vatican II Documents, the Catechism of the Catholic Church, and writing materials. The students were also told that attendance at lectures is not optional and that each parish will not only pay the tuition for their candidates but will also assist them in their transportation.
Present at the orientation event were the dean of studies of the school, Rev. Fr. Dr. Romanus Ugoh, and Rev. Fr. Matthew Nwoko, who is also a staff member of the school. About 49 students from 32 parishes attended the ceremony.
On Monday, February 9, 2026, the students will have their lectures at the diocesan secretariat. Two courses, Fundamental Theology and Christian Marriage/Family Life, will be taught that day.
