Catechist

In a world where the dynamics of value system kept evolving, in a society in which morality had always been compromised to satisfy the exigencies of modernity, in a station church where the deposits and codes of beliefs, norms, and doctrines which had guided the rules of behaviours of the faithful were gradually being overlooked, there lived a pious gentleman who had tenaciously stuck to the roots in his lifestyle. Mr. Michael, the catechist of St Mark’s Station Umuike, continually marvelled, stunned, and disappointed his folks and foes with his standards which seemed unique. The protagonist always held rigidly to the tenets of the Catechism of Christian Doctrine, a package deal of the teachings of the scripture, which he quoted regularly and was the hallmark of all his views and actions. Cathe as he was fondly called on many occasions was set against his wife, his children, Emma and Ebere, and his fellow villagers by his uncommon attitude and response to issues which he based on rule of life taught by Christ. His counsels inspired fellow devoted church members like Codelia and Agatha.
However, like all human beings, his ridiculous forgetfulness and arguable zealotry might be seen as his weakness. Cathe battled with chronic diabetes which he carried as a cross. His illness worsened after an altercation with Ebere, his daughter, as Cathe had to travel with his son, Eric, to Lagos for treatment which left fellow villagers and even the parish priest sad to miss such a noble personality with charitable disposition even for a week.
Jude Onyema Mba’s Catechist, set in the early second decade of the 21st century, is an imaginary screenplay that seemed to redirect Christians in general about the teachings of the faith in this modern era with modern exigencies that seems to be threatening the faith.