Priest calls for "witnesses of joy" in Year of Consecrated Life

In celebration of the Year of Consecrated Life, Father Ray Olusesan Aina spoke on the importance of religious life at the Gaudium Et Spes Institute in Nigeria.

The Archdiocese of Abuja in Nigeria added to the many worldwide celebrations of the Year of Consecrated Life with a presentation on the importance of religious life. According to Vatican Radio, Father Ray Olusesan Aina recently delivered "Witnesses of Joy Keeping Watch" at the Gaudium Et Spes Institute in Nigeria.

A priest of the Missionary Society of St. Paul, Father Aina echoed the challenge of Pope Francis on the Year of Consecrated Life, saying that religious life "should continuously radiate joy and beauty if it is to bring people closer to God."

“The power of our consecrated life does not depend on the methods of reaching out to the world or our technical competence or intellectual pedigree,” Father Aina said. “On the contrary, what draws people is the eloquence of your lives, lives which radiate the joy and beauty of living the Gospel and following Christ to the full.”