Simon SENAYA

 

The Mokola Deanery successfully organized a transformative Leadership Workshop for its laity on Saturday, July 5, 2025, at the Schoenstatt Formation House, Ijokodo, Ibadan. The event aimed to equip and inspire Parish leaders for a more vibrant parish future, drawing participants from various Parishes and Organizations within the deanery.

The workshop commenced with a solemn Holy Mass, celebrated by Rev. Fr. Francis Chiadi OP of the Dominican University, Samonda, Ibadan. Fr Chiadi's homily set a reflective tone for the day, encouraging attendees to ponder on their spiritual and leadership journeys.

The second session was officially opened by the Deanery President, Mr. Evans Ekeoba, who warmly welcomed all participants and urged them to embrace the learning opportunities presented.

The first lecture, delivered by Rev. Fr. Francis Chiadi OP, focused on the theme "Growing With Hope, Leading With Purpose: Laity Formation For a Vibrant Parish Future." Fr Chiadi emphasized that the ultimate priority for Church leaders is to secure eternal reward, placing God's will above all else. He passionately admonished leaders to live with purpose and hope, stressing that "our age does not matter in the services we render but our willingness to serve." A key takeaway was his assertion that "if one must be a good leader, then you must have been a good follower." He further elaborated on the concept of Church groups as enduring teams, highlighting the five crucial stages of team development: Forming, Storming, Norming, Performing, and Adjourning. He concluded by urging participants to exercise prudence in all their deliberations, decisions, and directions.

The second insightful lecture was presented by Dr. Adewale Kenneth Kupoluyi, who spoke on "Communication and Leadership Lifestyle for a Vibrant Future." Dr. Kupoluyi underscored communication as an effective tool in evangelization, noting that its effectiveness is only truly realized upon receiving feedback. He defined communication as "the process of passing information from one person or source to another to achieve certain purposes," and leadership as "the ability to influence, guide and motivate individuals to achieve a common goal." He outlined essential qualities for leaders, including communication, decision-making, vision, competence, problem-solving, delegation, conflict resolution, motivation, and care.

Dr. Kupoluyi also discussed common leadership styles such as Authoritative, Democratic, Transformational, and Servant Leadership. He painted a picture of a vibrant Parish as a place of hospitality, offering spiritual, material, and psychological support, where parishioners feel welcomed, connected to Christ, and empowered to freely communicate and live out their faith. He stressed the importance of clear information channels within parishes. He concluded by setting expectations for leading teams in a vibrant Parish, which include preparedness to serve God, continuous knowledge acquisition through prayer and study, engaging members in training, active listening, collaborative work with priests and other society leaders, discouraging favoritism, serving without expectation of personal reward, and maintaining diligent documentation for reports and succession planning.

Both lectures featured engaging Questions and Answers (Q&A) segments, followed by interactive group discussions, allowing participants to delve deeper into the topics.

The workshop concluded with a vote of thanks delivered by the Chairman of the Planning Committee, Mr. Simon Senaya. He extended gratitude to the Rector of Schoenstatt Formation House, all facilitators, and the participants for making the workshop a resounding success. Mr. Senaya encouraged attendees to apply the valuable lessons learned in their various leadership roles. The closing prayer was led by Mrs. Elizabeth Dike, followed by a final blessing from Rev. Fr. Francis Chiadi OP.