Today Saturday, June 7, 2025, Amaka and Sylvester Udemezue stood before God and community to dedicate their daughter, GoodFaith Ezinna Sophia Udemezue, through the sacred Sacrament of Baptism, a moment they describe as a testament to divine grace and resilience. In a heartfelt announcement, the couple shared the profound journey of their seventh child, born on December 24, 2024, and baptized five months later after surviving a life-threatening ordeal.
“On this sacred day, Saturday, 07 June 2025, we stand as grateful witnesses to the infinite mercy of God, presenting our beloved daughter, GoodFaith Ezinna Sophia Udemezue, for the holy Sacrament of Baptism,” the couple wrote. “Born on the eve of Christ’s nativity, 24 December 2024, and now baptized into His Body, the Church, our daughter’s name and story proclaim what words alone cannot express: a testimony of faith, survival, and divine love.”
GoodFaith, their seventh and last child, was born via Caesarean section, described by her parents as “at once a miracle and a mystery.” However, the joy of her birth was quickly overshadowed. “Just two days later, on 26 December 2024, as the world celebrated the season of joy, we entered a valley of shadows,” they recounted. GoodFaith was rushed to the Intensive Care Unit at Randle General Hospital, Mother and Child Centre, Gbaja, Surulere, Lagos. “Hooked to oxygen and surrounded by machines, she clung to life with a strength only God could give.”
The trials extended to Amaka, who faced her own battle. “From 28 December 2024, Amaka lay in the hospital’s emergency ward, battling the complications of childbirth, her strength waning and her faith tested,” the couple shared. Yet, they held fast to hope. “In that darkness, the light refused to be extinguished. And on 08 January 2025, after nearly two weeks of anguish, light overtook darkness. GoodFaith’s mother rose from her sickbed. Our daughter began to breathe freely. And on 13 January 2025, she was discharged, a victorious sign of God’s healing power.”
Five months later, the Udemezues now return to the altar, not in sorrow but in celebration. “Today, five months later, we return not with sorrow, but with jubilation. We return to God’s altar to give back to Him what He graciously preserved,” they declared, referencing Acts 2:39: “The promise is for you and your children…” They affirmed their commitment to this promise, rooted in their Catholic faith. “As Catholics, we baptize her not because she understands, but because God understands,” they explained, citing St. Augustine: “The custom of Mother Church in baptizing infants must not be disregarded… it is a tradition of the Apostles.”
The couple emphasized the theological significance of the sacrament, quoting Jesus in Luke 18:16: “Let the little children come to me… for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.” They also drew on St. Paul’s words to the Colossians (2:11–12): “You were circumcised… having been buried with Him in baptism,” likening baptism to the circumcision of the old covenant. Early Church father Origen was referenced, noting, “Infants are baptized for the remission of sins… the stain of original sin is washed away.” Protestant reformers Luther and Calvin were also cited, with Luther stating, “It is not the water, but the Word of God with the water and faith that trusts it,” and Calvin affirming, “Children of believers belong to the Church. They too must be sealed.”
For the Udemezues, this baptism was more than a ritual. “Today, we do not merely celebrate a ritual. We celebrate a resurrection. A rebirth. A new name written in heaven,” they wrote, invoking C.S. Lewis: “The Church claims to give him [the child] what it gives all: the grace of God, by the action of Christ.” They also quoted G.K. Chesterton: “The very fact that a baby can be baptized… is the defiance of spiritual snobbery.” In this act, they expressed trust in God’s mercy, stating, “We trust that He who formed her in the womb, who sustained her in crisis, who preserved her through affliction, now receives her with joy into the communion of saints.”
Amaka and Sylvester made a solemn pledge: “Today, we, Amaka and Sylvester Udemezue, pledge before God, family, and Church that we shall guide her, pray with her, protect her, and raise her in the Catholic faith, so that one day she may joyfully affirm the grace she receives today.”
Addressing their daughter directly, they wrote, “Dear daughter, GoodFaith Ezinna Sophia, Your name was not lightly given. You are a testament to the goodness of God. You are a living parable of faith triumphant over fear. You are light that came in darkness, born near Bethlehem’s star, and now marked forever with the seal of the Holy Spirit.” They prayed for her future: “May your life be long, holy, and radiant. May your steps be guided by the same grace that sustained your first breath. And may your soul never forget what your body receives today. You are God’s own child. You are baptized. You are beloved. Welcome to the Church, GoodFaith. Welcome to grace. Welcome home.”
The announcement, signed by Amaka and Sylvester Udemezue with a contact number (08109024556), concluded with a powerful affirmation of their daughter’s place in the Church and in God’s grace, marking June 7, 2025, as a day of profound spiritual significance for their family.
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