It felt great to stand beside my dear big brother and colleague, Taiwo Obileye – broadcaster, actor and TV personality – to be presented with plaques by the Catholic Archbishop of Lagos, His Grace Alfred Adewale Martins to mark our investiture as Patrons of the Lagos Archdiocesan Council of the Board of Lectors on Saturday 4th July 2026, at the Church of Ascension, MM Airport Road, Ikeja Lagos.
I have been a Lector in the Catholic Archdiocese of Lagos for over 40 years, having been commissioned by then Archbishop Anthony Olubunmi Okogie at Our Lady of Fatima Aguda, Surulere and I am sure Taiwo who is 80+, has been for much longer and the Council put the title ‘Pa’ before our names on the plaques.
Now, calling you ‘Pa’ is usually a sign from the young guns to tell you subtly, ‘Baba, Daddy, Oga, you don do reach, so go relax and support us from behind’. But I have told my lectors: ‘Fa fa foul…… a Lector I have been and will be till I drop, Deo Volente’. I am sure ‘Pa’ Taiwo agrees with me. They can call me Epa, which is more like it for me, not Pa……..Otherwise, switch it to Baba; after all, it’s ‘Baba 70’ they were calling me when I turned 70 a couple of years ago.
Huge thanks to the current Lagos Archdiocesan Board of Lectors led by Richard Edi, who took over from Ezenwa Opara, who took over from me as President in January 2020, after I had served two terms, first from 2014 to 2017 and then till 2020. I am also a past Treasurer the Archdiocesan Board of Lectors, past President, St. Agnes Parish Board of Lectors from 2004 to 2008 and past Vice-Chairman of Ikeja Deanery Board of Lectors.
Lectors in the Catholic Church are lay persons commissioned to read the Word of God during the liturgy. They proclaim the first and second readings from the Lectionary during Mass. The Ministry of Lector is a dedicated liturgical role entrusted with, apart from proclaiming the Word of God, reading the Responsorial Psalm, and leading the Prayers of the Faithful during Mass.
The Second Vatican Council, in its Constitution of the Sacred Liturgy (1963), declared that Christ “is present in His Word since it is He Himself who speaks when the Holy Scriptures are read in the Church”. This means that, as a lector, when you proclaim the Scriptures during the Liturgy of the Word, Christ speaks through you. By fulfilling the Ministry of Lector, you make Christ present in a special and important way.
It is therefore a great privilege indeed, and it must be recognised it as such – because the Word is God himself!
It is not easy to be a lector but it is voluntary. If you cannot cope with what it takes to be good at it and then stick to it, it is better not to join the ministry. Even if you have been commissioned and you discover you can no longer cope, it is better to quit, than to disappoint God and His people in the proclamation process. There are many other ways to serve God – in or out of the Church. If your voice is not good for singing, you will be torturing people if you join the choir. Same goes for proclaiming the Word. A good lector must know the Word and Church Doctrine by reading and educating himself, using relevant documents like the Bible, the General Instructions on the Roman Missal (GIRM) and the General Introduction to the Lectionary (GIL). He/She must therefore possess the following qualities:
- A good lector must learn how to meditate assiduously on Sacred Scriptures. The lector must be a lover of the Word of God and take time to read through the passages he or she will proclaim to the Sacred Assembly.
- The lector must be a responsible man or woman both within the Liturgy and outside the Liturgy. To this effect REDEMPTIONIS SACRAMENTUM says “the Lay Christian faithful called to give assistance at Liturgical celebrations should be well instructed and must be those whose Christian life, morals and fidelity to the Church’s magisterium recommend them. It is fitting that such a one should have received a Liturgical formation in accordance with his or her age, condition, state of life, and religious culture. No one should be selected whose designation could cause consternation for the faithful”. (No 46)
- Must be a fully initiated Catholic in good standing with the Church and participating in the Sacraments.
- Required to practice the readings in advance and complete any local parish or diocesan training, and is expected to possess a deep respect for Sacred Scripture as the living Word of God.
All liturgical ministers, especially lectors, must be properly trained for their ministry. This ministry of the Word requires skill in public reading, knowledge of the principles of liturgy, and an understanding of the scriptures. Only properly trained and commissioned lectors should be scheduled for liturgy.
A good lector should have the ability to stand in front of people and be comfortable. He/she must have excellent reading and enunciation skills and should have strong love of the Lord and for the Scriptures. There must be willingness to reflect upon and practice each reading as well as a desire to share the Word of God with the Community.
It has been a long journey and we pray that God continues to give us strength to proclaim His Word.
