The wedding solemnization between Susan Seember Sebastian and Emmanuel Aondona Gemanam which was celebrated on Saturday, May 1st, 2021 at Saint Mary’s Pastoral Area, Apo-Dutse was declared ‘Exceptional’ by Rev. Fr. Christopher Nnubia, the Priest-in-Charge.
Mr. Emmanuel Gemanam, a member of St. Mary’s Pastoral Area and one-time Vice Chairman of the Harvest & Bazaar 2017-2018 and Susan Seember Sebastian who has been traditionally married for sixteen years and blessed with three Children came from different Christian denotational backgrounds.
While Mr. Gemanam Emmanuel is of the Catholic faith and member of the St. Augustine Tiv Catholic Community as well as Catholic Men Organisation (CMO), his wife Mrs. Susan Seember Gemanam originated from the N.K.S.T. Church where she has equally been baptized at her early age and was born into the family of Mr. & Mrs Sabastine Ibi. Mrs. Susan Seember embraced the Catholic faith, the faith of her husband unquestioningly and in humility after the traditional marriage rite, and since then, Susan has been an active participant in the Catholic Church though not yet received into the Catholic Church.
According to Rev. Fr. Christopher Nnubia, this became more impressive and exceptional because, according to the law of the Church, a person who is baptized from any other churches rather than the Catholic church, and who by virtue of his or her marriage with a catholic partner remains a non-Catholic until he/she is received into the Catholic Church.
Susan, however, has broken the standard by her unreserved commitment and active participation in services to the Church and the Catholic faith and until Friday, 30th April, 2021, that is, a day to her wedding with Emmanuel Gemanam, when Susan was solemnly received into the full communion with the Catholic Church by Rev. Fr. Christopher Nnubia, which officially marked her becoming a catholic.
During his homily, Fr. Nnubia said he became fascinated by Susan’s commitment. According to Fr. Nnubia, Mrs. Susan is the first NKST member to be elected as the Treasurer of the Catholic Women Organization (CWO) before her reception into the full communion with the Catholic Church, a post she held between 2016 and 2020 at St. Mary’s Catholic Church Apo-Dutse.
Mrs. Susan Seember Emmanuel is the first NKST member to be the Assistant Secretary of St. Augustine Tiv Catholic Community, the President of Our Lady of Perpetual Help Association as well as Assistant Secretary of the Laity Council of St. Mary’s Pastoral Area, the positions she occupies before her reception into full communion with the Catholic Church. These are the very virtues that caught the attention of the priest in charge of the pastoral area.
In his homily, Father Nnubia called on all people to learn from Mr./Mrs Emmanuel Gemanam even as he deeply thanked the parents of both families for bringing their children as Christians. The priest encouraged all to bless their marriages in the sacrament of Holy matrimony.
