By John Abanbeke Akomaye, JKNewsMedia Campus Journalist
MORE THAN 600 graduating students of the University of Cross River State (UNICROSS) gathered at the St. Joseph’s Catholic Chaplaincy on Sunday, September 27, 2026, for a thanksgiving Mass marking the completion of their academic journey.
JKNewsMedia.com reports that the graduates, drawn from the Departments of Engineering, Microbiology, Biochemistry and Mass Communication, used the occasion to express gratitude to God for His guidance, protection and mercy throughout their years at the university.
Delivering the homily, Rev. Fr. Enekanma Matthew Chinedu drew lessons from the Gospel reading in Matthew 21:28–32, which recounts the Parable of the Two Sons.
He urged the graduating students to remain focused, value the people around them and demonstrate their faith through their actions as they move into the next phase of their lives.
The Mass featured prayers, praise and worship before the various departments held their thanksgiving ceremonies. Graduates from Engineering, Microbiology, Biochemistry and Mass Communication took turns dancing into the chapel as they offered their thanksgiving.
Beyond the celebration, the occasion held special significance for some of the graduates because of the challenges they said they had overcome during their university journey.
John Akomaye Abanbeke, a graduating student of Mass Communication, described the occasion as a deeply emotional moment of gratitude.
“I’m deeply grateful to God for what He has done. I’m extremely happy because God has brought us this far,” he said.
Abanbeke noted that his set was unusual in the history of the department because students admitted in 2021 and 2022 were combined into one set, resulting in a class of more than 500 students.
According to him, reaching graduation without losing any member of the set made the thanksgiving particularly meaningful.
Another graduating student of Mass Communication and Assistant Class Representative, Elom Blessing, said her energetic participation in the thanksgiving reflected her gratitude for the journey.
Blessing said gaining admission into the university had not been easy and that the experience of seeing some other sets lose course-mates had made her own set’s graduation without such a loss especially significant.
She also said the year-three set after them had lost one member, while the current year-two set had lost two members.
JKNewsMedia.com also reports that for Angela, a graduating student of Microbiology, the thanksgiving was a reminder of what she described as God’s faithfulness throughout their academic journey.
“Today is a beautiful day, and I’m happy because God is faithful,” she said.
She added that the graduates did not take their journey for granted, attributing their ability to complete their studies to God’s mercy.
The departmental thanksgiving ended on a celebratory note as the graduates departed the chapel, marking the close of an academic chapter they described as challenging, memorable and meaningful.
—
Share Your Story with us!
Advertise with us!
Publicity for a product, service, or event!
Contact: WhatsApp Only: +2348039560647
Email: jkmediapress@gmail.com
