Beginning on August 2, the celebration of Leo Okonkwo’s ordination to the diaconate will continue in Chicago! He’s very excited to be visiting once again to speak about his mission in the service of orphans and widows in the self-emptying Spirit of Jesus Christ (Phil 2:6-11). So much has happened in the mission since his visit last October that he cannot wait to tell you all about it in person!
My job has been to fill up our calendar with as many speaking opportunities as possible so that news of HEAL’s mission spreads far and wide. We are very excited to be making mission appeals, through the Archdiocese of Chicago’s Mission Office, at three parishes on three consecutive weekends. Rev. Leo will be giving the homily at every Mass at St. Peter Damien on August 9, at St. Norbert on August 16, and at Our Lady of the Brook on August 23!
The highlight of Rev. Leo’s visit will be on Wednesday, September 2, which will be the 2nd Annual HEAL Benefit. Click on the link to RSVP! This event will be a great opportunity to learn more about HEAL and our mission from Rev. Leo himself and our religious missionaries, who will be presenting a new video featuring our latest work! Also, we have an amazing keynote speaker, Obianuju Ekeocha, founder of Culture of Life Africa, who grew up in Rev. Leo’s own village in Nigeria. She will speak about her life experiences as it relates to HEAL’s mission!
We have other engagements on the calendar, but we still have many dates open. So, please, spread the word to your Parishes, workplaces, elected officials, friends, or anyone who you think would like to know more about this God-ordained mission and ministry to widows and orphans in Africa! We want to meet and speak with as many people as possible in order to form partnerships that will help move our mission forward for the sake of His least brethren (Mt. 25:40).