OKIGWE DIOCESAN SEMINARIANS IN THE YEAR OF THE PRIESTS 2009 REUNION BY REV FR PAUL IKECHUKWU OGUJIOFFOR

     My beloved priests-in-the-making, I humbly wish to welcome you back to our home ST PETER’S SEMINARY OKIGWE for the 2009 reunion. A home as we know already is a place which we long to go after a period of absence. This is because in the home we find love, care and concern. This is exactly what we ought to find while in the seminary, more so whenever we have reunion at our revered and enviable ALMAMATER. It is also a spiritual, moral, social and academic stock-taking period.

     As we are in the year of the priests as declared by the Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI, this is also a special year for the seminarians more especially of you all in our beloved Diocese of Okigwe. This year our ST CHARLES BORROMEO SPIRITUAL YEAR SEMINARY EHIME will be twenty years in existence. We also experienced this year the greatest number of priestly ordination ever in the history of our diocese since her creation in 1981. This is obtainable because of your docility to the formation and increase in number, to this we sing with the Psalmist: NON NOBIS DOMINE NON NOBIS SED TUA NOME DATUR GLORIA.

     The period of apostolic work brought us close to Christ’s faithful. We ought to ask ourselves, do I as an individual seminarian really communicated Christ to all that I met within these six weeks or more? What impression did I give to the people about the Catholic Sacred priesthood? Did young people actually have the enthusiasm and the urge to enter the seminary or convent because of the way you conducted yourself during this apostolic work period?

     Ceteris patribus, let us always continue to be good seminarians, who will eventually be good priests irrespective of the increasing number. The increasing number is a blessing and we ought to make it so by our conducts in season and out season without fear of any thing.

     As I pray for your individual progress in your priestly formation, be aware that your personal effort is highly needed for the discernment therein, in your journey to the priesthood. Always pray for the Bishop, MOST REV DR SOLOMON A AMATU and the Vocation Director, VERY REV FR MICHAEL AJUZIEOGU AGBAYI and the Board helping them for their work is not an easy task. Any mistake made by them ruins the individual seminarian (priest-in-the-making) and the Church, depending which side the mistake comes from. Thank you all. God loves you.

Your brother in union with sacrifice, obedience and holiness of life,

REV FR PAUL IKECHUKWU OGUJIOFFOR

(SUMMER 2009 @ MANZANO UDINE ITALIA)