Catholic Men Organization [C.M.O.]: Recognition Of Excellence Among Catholic Men Of Mbaise Catholici

One of the greatest gifts to Mbaise Catholicism has been the type of lay men that have been a part of her history from the very beginning. Right from 1914 when Njoku Akpaka and Chief Anyamele invited the first Irish missionaries living in Emekuku to come over and visit some territories in the present-day Mbaise land, to the period in the late 1920s and early 1930s when the monarch of Ahiara Kingdom, Chief Onyekwere donated a large parcel of land to the missionaries, which eventually became the abode of the first Irish missionaries to Mbaise land, great men of Mbaise have always associated themselves with the Catholicism of the Mbaise people. The Catholic Church has always attracted the best from among the Mbaise men.

Some of these earliest men of the Catholic faith in Mbaise land were teachers and catechists that helped spread the faith among their people. After the Irish missionaries, the heroes of Mbaise Catholicism are the lay teachers and catechists who collaborated with the missionaries in the total evangelization of Mbaise people. Great lay catechists and teachers of the Catholic faith came from all parts of Mbaise land and made their powerful contribution to the growth of the Catholic faith in the territory. It would be thanks to them that powerful men of faith and learning bestrode the arena of Mbaise Catholicism from the earliest times. Such great men as Barrister Mbaegbu and a host of others were products of the lay heroes of Mbaise Catholicism.

The first organization that attempted to bring together these great men of Mbaise Catholicism under one roof was the noble order of the Knights of St Mulumba [KSM]. When the order arrived in Owerri Diocese, the best among the men of Mbaise Catholicism at that time became associated with it. To the extent that such notable men of Mbaise Catholicism as Eze Pius Nwoga, Eze Denis Abii, Eze F.U. Anyanwu, Chief C.A. George, Mr. E.C. Uwalaka, Chief D.O. Onu, Mr. J.E. Nworgu, Eze Desmond Oguguo, Chief Alex Emeziem, Mr. Alphonsus Ebere, Chief Amanze, Barrister B.S. Nzenwa, and a host of many others too numerous to mention here, became members of the Knights of St Mulumba.

Other great men of Mbaise Catholicism who might not have identified with the Knights of St Mulumba at that time but nonetheless played important roles in the growth of Mbaise Catholicism from the early times included Sir John Odocha of Ife and Innocent Mmema of Akpodim. The list of men of this category can be endless. These are mentioned here as examples. The truth is from the very beginning Mbaise Catholicism has been gifted with powerful lay men [and even women] who in their own times make powerful contributions to the growth of the Catholic faith in Mbaise land.

It was some of these great men of the Knights of St Mulumba that represented the powerful face of Mbaise Catholicism from late 1950s. However, when in the 1960s the Catholic Women of Organization made its debut, there was equally some concerted efforts to form a counterpart organization for the men. But it was not an easy task to do. The men kept showing some lack of interest in the formation of an organization that would match that of the women.

Since the knighthood was an elite organization catering only to the top echelon of Mbaise, the apostolate to the menfolk of the Catholic Church in Mbaise land remained almost a mission impossible. The simple men of the Catholic faith remained almost unaffiliated to any organization from which a focused catechesis could be applied to them.

To address this all-important issue the Catholic Men Organization [C.M.O.] came into being from the 1970s. It became a reality in response to the need for a concerted men's apostolate in the Catholic Churches of Igbo land. Also, it was meant to provide some kind of a force that counterbalanced as well as collaborated with the Catholic Women Organization to help move the Catholic Church forward in their respective communities.

This great apostolate for the Catholic men took a great amount of time to catch fire in Mbaise Catholicism. Even till today, it continues to trail very badly the wonderful efforts of the Catholic women in almost all the parishes in Mbaise land. The Catholic fathers organization as they are often called remains perpetually a work in progress. Its activities are always in fits and starts in all the communities in Mbaise. The men have counterpart feasts and programs like those of the Catholic women. But the result of these programs are different for both the men and the women respectively. While the Catholic women are catching fire everyday the Catholic men are catching cold most of the times.

However, what men lack in maintaining a strong organization, they gain in the dynamism and commitment of their individual members. It is true that the organization of Catholic men is in no way as effective as that of the women, Mbaise Catholicism could never have achieved any meaningful growth in its history without the solid commitment and cooperation of many men. In every community in Mbaise there are outstanding men who put their lives in the line each day to ensure that the Catholic church maintains a steady growth and progress.

There is every reason to believe that Mbaise Catholicism will remain gifted for the foreseeable future with many talented and generous men whose sacrifices will continue to be vital in the growth of the Catholic faith in the area. Mbaise Catholicism's lay men are among the most enlightened and efficient in the continent of Africa.