How faith grows in adversity

It’s been said that the blood of martyrs is the seed of the Church. Father Ahmadu Michael Gadache, pastor of St. Bernard Parish in Omaha, knows this firsthand. While a priest in the Diocese of Minna in Nigeria, a church in the diocese, St. Theresa Catholic Church, was attacked by a suicide bomber that killed 46 and injured more than 100 on Christmas Day in 2011.

The next day, Father Gadache was assigned to St. Theresa and found the resolve of the faithful there was not shaken. To the contrary, it grew – exponentially. The faith of the people in Nigeria continues to grow to this day, even in the face of horrific terrorist attacks and increasing assaults on Christians and religious throughout the country.

In the latest episode of Archbishop George J. Lucas’ video podcast, “Missional Catholics,” the archbishop talks with Father Gadache about his childhood in Nigeria, living with the fear of violent persecution by Islamic extremists and the importance of community.

While anti-Catholic sentiment can be found in the United States, it is nothing compared to what is happening in places such as Nigeria. So why is the Catholic Church in Nigeria seeing a tremendous uptick in vocations and packed churches on Sundays while the United States is experiencing the opposite?

Father Gadache offers some insight. He believes part of it may be due to the individualist nature of many Americans, with its heavy emphasis on self-reliance. This individualism leads many Americans to mistakenly believe they don’t need God.

Another factor is the lack of faith formation. Father Gadache said that while sports, clubs and activities are good for young people to participate in – faith formation should always come first.

The Archdiocese of Omaha is helping parish and school leaders invite school families not regularly attending Mass into the a deeper faith life with their parish.

“Missional Catholics” episodes can be found on the Archdiocese’s YouTube page and are also available on major podcast streaming services like Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music and Podbean, with more to come.

WATCH THE EPISODE

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