The Apostolate of the Igbo Church Musicians

Abstract

The white missionaries who brought the Good News of Jesus to Igbo land used various strategies to make their message reach every nook and cranny of Igbo nation. Such strategies include hospital apostolate, school apostolate etc. Music was hardly emphasized as a veritable tool to download the word of God into the minds of the people. But music is effective, even more than spoken words, in making the contents of any message permeate the recesses of the minds of the recipients. The repetitive nature of the refrain or the chorus helps to stamp the libretto indelibly into the mind. Because of this power of music, there is need therefore for a music apostolate. Music can be effectively used to actualize the mandate that Jesus had given to his disciples to make his message known to everyone. The Igbo Church musicians can fruitfully engage in this apostolate if they use the Igbo cultural features to carry out their functions.

Key words: Apostolate, Music, Culture