PREACHING THE KINGDOM OF GOD TO THE OTHER CITIES (LK. 4:43): THE CATHOLIC CHURCH IN AWKA DIOCESE ON THE MOVE IN THE SPIRIT OF SYNODALITY

Abstract

Jesus Christ in his earthly ministry moved from place to place doing good and healing the sick. He never got endeared to a particular town or village to the extent of pitching his tent permanently there; rather he was constantly on the move and the impact of his message was felt everywhere. The apostles on their part engaged in missionary journeys aimed at spreading the kingdom of God in every nook and corner among the Jews and Gentiles. Further still, the Fathers of the Church carried long their own missionary engagement through their writings. In this way, they were able not only to spread God’s message but also to defend it against heretics. The Church continues in that line as handed over by the apostles. She continues ceaselessly to proclaim of the message of the Gospel to the men and women of today taking cognizance of their historical and cultural contexts so as to help in a better and more lasting understanding of the message. However, sometimes some human elements like desire for power, ambition and tendency to stay put tend to create obstacle in this move. This research aims at unravelling how the pastors of souls in Catholic diocese of Awka has continued to keep the Church in motion in the spirit of synodality, notwithstanding the attendant challenges. The researcher used the qualitative methodology of sourcing information from available literatures and extracting the facts that aided the diocese in her move.