THE MEMORY OF A HUMBLE AND UN-BLOODY MARTYR OF BISHOP A.E. ILONU

THE MEMORY SO STRONG AND INDELIBLE OF A HUMBLE SAINT AND UN-BLOOODY MARTYR OF A BISHOP, ANTHONY EKEZIE ILONU WHOSE BURIAL MASS WAS CELEBRATED ON WEDNESDAY 11^TH JULY 2012 AT IMMACULATE CONCEPTION CATHEDRAL OKIGWE DIOCESE written BY REV FR PAUL IKECHUKWU OGUJIOFFOR (SERIES NO. 1)

The life of testimony and witness preached and lived as a priest and Bishop characterized in the life With Christ (sacrifice), For Christ (obedience) and In Christ (holiness of life) by Emeritus Bishop Anthony Ekezie ILONU, found its root in the Gospel read on 11^th July, the Feast of St. Benedict of Norcia by the words and promise of Jesus Christ: “Et omnis, qui reliquerit domum vel fratres aut sorores aut patrem aut matrem aut uxorem aut filos aut agros propter nomen meum, centuplum accpiet et vitam aeternam possidebit - And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or fields for my sake, will receive a hundred times more and will be given eternal life.” Matt.19:29. His life of detachment is very much evident in the total sacrifice of all he possessed as well offered for the growth of the Church, seen in his teachings, mystagogical preaching and life of charity which was evident and concretely noticed from his childhood, developed in his junior and senior seminary days at St. Peter Claver Seminary Okpala-Owerri, Bigard Memorial Seminary Enugu and Pontifical Urban University Rome. He continued from Pontifical Biblical Institute (Biblicum) Rome and Jerusalem, and other post-graduate and post doctoral Universities he attended. Back home in 1971, as a formator in Bigard Memorial Seminary Enugu he never stopped, there he single handedly defended many vocations which could have been lost out of mere weakness or misunderstanding because of lack of listening ears, nevertheless he continued as well when he was consecrated the pioneer bishop of Okigwe diocese until the day of his glorious passage into the eternal kingdom, having received to the fullness the promise of Jesus Christ on the Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus on Friday 15^th June 2012. His sincere and simple life was for many, a point of a reference and an imitation that led many to their daily struggle of Christian life looking towards becoming saints. The legacy he left shall not be forgotten even by generations yet unborn. Ad Mayorem Gloriam Dei for his successor Most Rev Dr Solomon Amamchukwu AMATU, Bishop of Okigwe Diocese who gave him an earthly resting place in the PRESENCE OF OUR LORD IN THE SANCTISSIMUM SACRAMENTUM at the Chapel of Adoration in Immaculate Conception Cathedral Okigwe Diocese, on the memorial of St. Benedict of Norcia, Father of Western Monasticism, this day 11^th July 2012 . Providentially 31 years ago when he was just 3 months and 12 days as a Bishop, this particular date 11^th July 1981 was the first date and time he ordained the first set of priests (Rev Fr Ignatius Ngozi Osuji [Ibeme-Ugiri] and Rev Fr Peter Osuchukwu [Amauzari-Ugiri, for the diocese of Enugu]) of Okigwe Diocese as a newly consecrated Bishop in St. Mary’s Pro-Cathedral Okigwe on 29^th March 1981.

The total sacrifice and detachment from things of the world of this great saintly icon of un-bloody martyr Bishop Anthony Ekezie ILONU, is very open when one visits his home town NDIOGBUONYEOME-ARONDIZUGO in his parents’ (Late Matthias & Helena ILONU) compound. Many who had the opportunity of visiting his parents’ compound comes back glorifying GOD the more and tries to emulate what they saw and hear him (with his immediate younger brother Msgr Luke Onyechukwu ILONU, pioneer and founding Rector of St. Peter’s Seminary Okigwe) preach about priestly spirituality on detachment according to the biblical injunction of Matt.19:27-29. No wonder then their little human efforts were crowned with greatness and successes concretely evident on innumerable number of people (priests, religious men and women, seminarians and lay faithful) who were what they are and where they found themselves because of the unconditional charity and sacrifices this two brothers have put into the Church for the love they had for Christ reflecting the words of the Psalmist: What can I offer the Lord for His goodness to me? I will bring a wine offer to the Lord, to thank Him for saving me. In the assembly of all His people I will give Him what I have promised…I will give you a sacrifice of thanksgiving and offer my prayer to You. In the assembly of all your people, in the sanctuary of your Temple in Jerusalem, I will give You what I promised Ps.116:12-14, 17-18. Again this life of total sacrifice which he had as a sign of great love for his priests led him into suffering many humiliations rather than to see his priests suffer rejections from any place even beyond our continent Africa. In many occasions he skated his head as to protect his priests, even at night as the biblical Nicodemus, after which he invites them to reprimand them for he do not want any of them to get lost as a shepherd, very many of his priests are living testimonies to this unique character of sacrifice in the life of a Bishop so humble and lenient. Bishop ILONU had a foresight and was a paradigm of a shepherd that he was sending his priests Overseas for further studies, because of that the authorities sat on him looking for a way to stop him from sending his priests Overseas. Like the Eternal High Priest during His arrest at the Garden of Gethsemane who said: “Iterum ergo interrogavit eos: Quem quaeritis? Illi autem dixerunt: Iesum Nazarenum. Respondit Iesus: Dixi vobis quia ego sum; si ergo me quaeritis, sinite hos abire - Again he asked them, "Who is it you want?" And they said, Jesus of Nazareth. I told you that I am he," Jesus answered. "If you are looking for me, then let these men go.” Jn.18:7-8. Applying this to the life of Bishop ILONU, he did not hold tenaciously his position and office as a bishop rather he saw his office as a sacrifice and victim hence, he gave his position and whole life by saying “Take me and leave my priests alone”. He lived an exemplary and simple life that he was always the first at the Cathedral site to lead in the manual work and very much indeed uses his hands in doing everything possible in the working arena. He never gets tired at work. The love of salus animarum led him into the apostolate of creating schools and parishes-in-buildings into every nook and cranny of the diocese. Today other dioceses has copied his original and pioneer thought, Ad Mayorem Dei Gloriam. In correcting his priests within the presbyterium, he believed very much on “adult faith” among those who are already priest, hence on many occasions he said repeatedly that: “I will not build another seminary specifically for training candidates who are already priests because each priest ought to have an adult faith in Christ regarding priestly life”, reflecting on the SIRACH 15:11-20.

Preaching about the chastity of a priest he once said: “a priest is OKARA MMUO OKARA MMADU [HALF SPIRIT HALF HUMAN] because of this his celibate chastity is and ought to be likened to that of the virginity of our Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of priests.”

Preaching of the sublime and Divine power of forgiveness many a time, Bishop Anthony Ekezie ILONU re-emphasized repeatedly that: “The power of forgiveness is far more greater than the power of creation” because the Holy Spirit is ever anew in many souls renewing and awakening the dead conscience. He tries to enliven his own spirit in trying to forgive those who wronged him and as well try to bring them near to himself, that they may appreciate his act, yet very many take this his lenience as weakness to harm or try to set trap for him. Sometimes, being human he might make mistakes but because of his sincerity and openheartedness, the grace of God saves him and he as well very many times ask for forgiveness if he had any way offended someone.

Speaking on his spirit of Oneness, Catholicity, Apostolicity, and Holiness of the Church, his missionary spirit led him to make OKIGWE DIOCESE a missionary diocese beginning from the diocesan seminary. He encourages vocations to the priesthood and religious lives, hence the admission of anybody from any place or diocese to join the diocesan seminary for the formation to the Sacred Priesthood of Christ. Today, Okigwe Diocese ranks among the highest with very many seminarians and priests in and as diasporas within the diocese and beyond comparing with the number of seminarians (junior and senior) and priests. He accepted and encouraged the virgin birth of the women religious Missionary Daughters of Divine Presence MDDP, with their Mother House, Generalate cum Novitiate Houses all found in the diocese. In all these he accepts the challenges and works for fulfillment for the greater glory of God. No wonder then he had as his motto: NON NOBIS DOMINE, NON NOBIS, SED TUA DATUR NOME GLORIA Ps.115:1.

As a pastor, in his pastoral charity, he exercises his pastoral duty in the most diligent and holy way that people experiences the presence of Christ in his prophetic words of mystagogical homilies, sermons and preaching. Celebrating the Eucharist, he uses his angelic voice chanting the Eucharistic Prayers, indeed one experiences the aura of seraphic choirs. The zeal of his excellence in pastoral charity made him to know and visit all his priests, even those of Diaspora in their various home towns on different occasions. He knew where each of his priest is posted off by heart. An incident happened, hence I confirm it because I am involved. My immediate younger brother Mr RaphaelMary Mmaduka OGUJIOFFOR, a Mass server, met him at Holy Ghost Cathedral Enugu in the Sacristy after the Holy Mass when there was a meeting of the Bishops. He greeted him and introduced himself as a brother to Fr Paul OGUJIOFFOR, the Bishop immediately said to him, “he a teacher and formator in St. Peter’s Seminary Okigwe, he is from Aku”. This was narrated to me by my brother later, because he said he was surprise by the bishop’s response to him. Indeed below are the promises Jesus made to us, who were faithful to Him, these were bestowed to our beloved Bishop even unto death, as Christ called him on the exact day of the celebration of the Solemnity of Most Sacred Heart of Jesus which was on Friday 15^th June 2012.

The Remains of the Late Bishop Anthony Ilonu

Promises of the Sacred Heart of Jesus Of the many promises Our Lord Jesus Christ did reveal to Saint Margaret Mary in favor of souls devoted to His Sacred Heart the principal ones are as follows: 1. I will give them all the graces necessary for their state of life. 2. I will give peace in their families. 3. I will console them in all their troubles. 4. I will be their refuge in life and especially in death. 5. I will abundantly bless all their undertakings. 6. Sinners shall find in my Heart the source and infinite ocean of mercy. 7. Tepid souls shall become fervent. 8. Fervent souls shall rise speedily to great perfection. 9. I will bless those places wherein the image of My Sacred Heart shall be exposed and venerated. 10. I will give to priests the power to touch the most hardened hearts. 11. Persons who propagate this devotion shall have their names eternally written in my Heart. 12. In the excess of the mercy of my Heart, I promise you that my all powerful love will grant to all those who will receive Communion on the First Fridays, for nine consecutive months, the grace of final repentance: they will not die in my displeasure, nor without receiving the sacraments; and my Heart will be their secure refuge in that last hour.

Behold the Bishop emeritus as he blesses a car in a most solemn yet simple form. A life full of pastoral activities yet retired physically. He was an embodiment of gifts given freely by God. One hardly distinguishes what exactly is his area of specialization, because any time and any place he was called to say something on any field of life or profession he gives a mastery exposition of that even if called in urgency. In his blessing of articles or objects, his prayer is always a form of biblical panoramic and historical origin and reason for that particular thing in life and the worship of God through that. He was a great devotee of Our Blessed Virgin Mother.

TO BE CONTINUED