THE CATHOLIC PRIESTHOOD IN THE 21^STCENTURY

Bishop Anthony EKEZIE ILONU: An Ideal Contemporary Priest BY REV FR PAUL IKECHUKWU OGUJIOFFOR

Exordium:

In the words of St. Thomas Aquinas, priesthood of the Incarnate Son is: Proprie officium sacerdotis est esse mediatorem inter Deum et populum, inquantum scilicet divina populo tradit…Et ideo ipse Christus, inquantum homo, non solum fuit sacerdos, sed etiam hostia perfecta, simul existens hostia pro peccato, et hostia pacifica, et holocaustum.[1] Cardinal Manning explaining the priesthood of Incarnate Son, said: It is the office He assumed for the redemption of the world by the oblation of Himself in the vestment of our manhood. He is Altar, Victim, and Priest, by an eternal consecration of Himself. This is the priesthood for ever after the order of Melchisedech, who was without beginning of days or end of life – a type of the eternal priesthood of the Son of God, the only King of Peace.[2] The participation in the priesthood of Christ requires a share in the law of self-oblation. The priest is the figura Christi. Therefore, he is configuratus morti ejus – configured to his death Phil. 3: 10. The priesthood of Christ is the source of all divine worship – Totus autem ritus Christianae religionis derivatur a sacerdotio Christi. A priest stands in three relations, of which each binds him to interior spiritual perfection. From the obligations of sanctity in the priesthood, arising from the Sacred Heart, a priest is bound by three relations, of which each one demands the perfection of purity, charity, and humility. He is related, first, by manifold duties to his Divine Master; secondly, to His sacramental Presence; and thirdly, to the members of His mystical Body over whom he exercises a jurisdiction of life or of death.[3] From the obligations of sanctity in the priesthood, I wish to ask: Could there be any other thing so different and new to be said of Bishop Anthony Ekezie Ilonu regarding the obligations as to show an ideal life in his achievements, preaching, teachings and most importantly about his priestly life and what he thinks about the priesthood and how priests may behave as to be identified each time they are seen? It is in all these that one finds his spirituality and ideal life as a priest. His family background from Late Matthias & Helena ILONU of Ndiogbuonyeoma Arondizuogu nurtured his faith that he entered the junior seminary at a tender age at St. Peter Claver Seminary Okpala-Owerri. With the missionary priests and some of the indigenous priests particularly his relatives Fr Mark Unegbu (later Bishop Mark Onwuha Unegbu) and Fr Edward Nwafor (later Msgr E Nwafor), and Fr Anthony Gogo Nwedo Cssp (later Bishop Anthony G. Nwedo) which he came in contact with, his desire and vocation to the priesthood grew very strong. At his burial, the oration goes thus: Despite the encouragement of indigenous priestly ordinations of the likes of then Rev. Fr. Mark Unegbu and Rev. Fr. Edward Nwafor, it was an uncommon boldness for any boy to dream of becoming a priest like the white missionaries. The young Anthony was able to see the latter closely as they visited his parents’ home, overcame his fear and began to aspire to be like them. So strong was his desire that after his elementary school in St. Martina Aro Amuro and Standard VI in St. Emmanuel Umuna, he went to St. Peter Claver Seminary Okpala in 1953 to become a priest. There in the seminary he was known for his good looks, quiet disposition, prayer life and sportsmanship. After a brilliant performance in Okpala, Anthony graduated to St. Paul’s Seminary Enugu (now Bigard) for his philosophical studies before proceeding to Rome for his theological studies at the Pontifical Urban University Rome in 1961. There he was ordained a priest on 19^th December 1964 on Rome. After his ordination, he studied the Sacred Scriptures more deeply and got the hard-to-get and difficult qualification and approval to do his doctorate degree. Rev. Fr. Anthony Ilonu took some time out before his doctoral defense to visit the United Kingdom where he obtained a bachelor’s degree in History and a Diploma in Education and civil law. His peep into architecture took him to Petersburg, Russia during the heat of the cold war where he was incarcerated for some hours for having a TIME magazine. Rev. Fr. Anthony Ilonu came home in 1971 to join the staff of Bigard Memorial Seminary Enugu where he taught the biblical languages, Sacred Scriptures, among others. He was outstanding as a lecturer and formator in his discipline, lecture delivery and time consciousness. From Bigard he was lecturing also at the University of Nigeria Nsukka alongside then Fr. Stephen Ezeanya and Rev. Edmund Ilogu in the Department of Religion. It was from Bigard that he was elected the first bishop of the new Catholic Diocese of Okigwe on January 27, 1981 and consecrated and installed on the 29^th of March 1981.[4]

From Ndiogbuonyeoma-Arondizuogu to a height so extraordinary:

Talking about IDEAL, what comes to mind is reaching an imaginary standard of excellence; fit for model. It is on this view that our focus on the contemporary priest is discussed from different angles. St. Thomas says that priests partake of the priesthood of our Divine Lord, and that they are configured to Him. Therefore, the words involved are priesthood, participation, and configuration. Going for apparently impossible feats seems to have followed the young Ekezie, baptized Anthony, from his mother’s womb. The family of Mazi Matthias Ilonu of Ndiogbuonyeoma, Arondizuogu Okigwe was beginning to get worried after two children that followed their first issue died one after the other. The fear was not allayed when on November 13, 1935 a frail looking boy who refused to cry immediately was born to them. But contrary to expectation, it was he who broke the jinx and no sibling after him ever died again as a baby. His father planted an iroko tree for him.[5] This was indeed the beginning of greatness which came from birth of this ideal entity of priesthood in the person of Anthony Ekezie Ilonu. His niece wrote to me thus: Dear Fr. Paul, Thank you, first of all for accepting our invitation for our day of prayer, thank you for sending those nice research of yours for our spiritual up-bringing, moreover thanks a lot for your generous idea of sending also a "a little life profile" of our Late beloved Bishop, our Son, our Brother our In-law and Uncle to us "I" in particular. In fact my brother, you could not imagine what you have done or doing about (Speaking the TRUTH you know, about his life). You have cleared the shame, the pains, the sorrows and the loss of our dear One through this act. Indeed his death is not the first or only death of the family but what is heart-breaking is the second horrible accusation which brought a dent in the name of a big, good and noble family of my mother which my Grand-dad has cultivated from his youthful time. My Grandfather, being a generous compassionate man, was a then Catechist whom had sheltered the white missionary priests in his roof, there were no story of one who came to Mr. Mathias for help without receiving it in abundance. Although not very rich a man but his wife Mrs. Helena who was from Anambra State by birth, my Ground-Mum has turned his husband's household into a Charitable Home - always cooking and giving to people especially the strangers and "nobodies" of then days. Papa Mathias, as I knew from the childhood was a councilor among his co-leagues and some elders of his time which made him known as "wise man". He settled many quarrels and unite most of the families which sometime put him into trouble but he was a man of great Faith, hope and perseverance. This kind heartedness has passed on to most of their children including the Bishop himself. Going back on the two shocking and painful allegations, the first which we are all known as building some "Towers of Babel" in his father's compound is very funny and shocking to us the family members, and God has saved us from that shame from letting the TRUTH out of bag as quick as possible to clear the shame and pain from the family. The most funny and painful thing to us the family members was that His lordship had not even think of helping his family in a big way some of his colleagues do, in fact his family embraced poverty since after his Episcopal Ordination till today, unlike before. On the second accusation which we all have known through the net. The exaggeration was too much that I thought to myself "this must be conspiracy-against him but who are those behind the curtain?" "Whom, or who are those that he wronged so badly that revenged him in this form"? Honestly I know deep within me that this particular accusation will surely bring him to an end but after then I had discussed with him about these issues and what we discoursed has ever remained in my heart as a deep mark of Truth which will never be razed from my heart! On the side of the conspirators, I am asking if none of them has not wronged anyone at all, if they has not sinned in any way since their life that they should stain their hands with unseen blood of God's anointed-as themselves?. I have heard some truth about his calumny and had heard that more TRUTH shall be out at GOD'S given time. Alas to those criminals! because their judgment day shall over take them as thieves-in their fathers vine yard!. Unless they have their time to repent and confess on earth what they have done in secret in their life time. As for the family, even though it is painful, we still give God thanks for the gift of this Bishop, Son, Brother, In-law and Uncle to the entire families of ILONU and other Families of In-laws, Friends and Well wishers. He died on the FEAST OF SACRED HEART OF JESUS! A very remarkable feast in the Church! And God knows why "He has run his race and fight his fight"-according to Saint Paul now he has gone to answer Our LORD. Who among us will not wish to dye-falling on that heart flowing with the immeasurable mercy of the LORD? In the Lord's vine yard, we have many Priests, Religious, Monsignors, Mother Generals, Councils, Cardinals, Pope etc who are called by the Lord but then who are those few that will be chosen? "This is a big question to me and all of us". As for you my brother Paul, you are already on the right track-keep on evangelizing on the TRUTH of your time till the end. You may suffer because Truth is Bitter, but the LORD is by your side and shall vindicate you and those of you who love the TRUTH and follow HER way fearlessly shall find HER. My brother may God be with you as you proclaim his Truth as Prophets Jeremiah, Ezekiel and others who love God and God loves. Thank you and may God abide with you through your earthly journey- Amen.[6]

This was indeed also part of Bishop Anthony Ilonu’s life of which he distinguished himself through the practice of concrete ideal priestly life. As a formator in Bigard, 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 ordained and installed the pioneer bishop of Okigwe diocese and later emeritus 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. As a priest-student in Rome his life was full of testimonies as declared by very many who knew him. Indeed, a life worth living is that which is so simple, natural, sincere, trust in God and charitable indeed. That was the life of Bishop Anthony Ekezie ILONU. His life summarizes the ideal and contemporary priestly life which he not only preached but lived concretely as a testimony to all who knew him or heard him when he was teaching in Bigard Memorial Seminary Enugu and as a Bishop too.

A call for imitation and following the Perfect and Eternal High Priest:

Nobody ever becomes a saint from his mother’s womb, rather with the falling and rising of our daily lives, one moves towards holiness and with all that goes with formation in the seminary and the priestly life be it pastoral, academic or formational. A priest becomes holy when he tries to live in imitation with Christ’s call and how he appreciates the mystery of the priesthood. The Priesthood is by its nature mysterious; it exists simultaneously with the mystery of the Most Holy Eucharist,  it is not something ordinary rather it is a vocation that is sublime with divine character though it functions in the human ambient. Hence, Fulton Sheen, in presenting the priesthood saw the priest in line with Incarnated Word, as a Victim and with Eucharistic nature. The three characters as he presented them were mysteriously engraved and are inseparable. He wrote that, We cannot escape reproducing in our souls the mystery enacted on the altar. Age quod agitis. As Our Lord immolated Himself, so do we immolate ourselves. We offer our repose of body in order that others may have peace; we are pure in order to recompense for the excesses of the flesh committed by sinners.[7] The priesthood of Christ is manifested in our response to His call to us, that is why We find a symbolic representation of the union of the Priest and Victim in the very position of the Cross, suspended between earth and heaven as if Jesus were rejected by man and abandoned by the Father. Yet He united God and man in Himself through obedience to the Father’s Will and through a love for man so great that He would not abandon him in his sin. To His brethren He revealed the heart of every son. Our Lord, therefore, is always priest and victim. No victim was worthy of priesthood save Himself. Christ, moreover, was a victim not only in His Body, but in His soul, which was sad unto death. No external or internal sacrifice could be more united.[8] It is in this ambient that we try to see what the Church said of the nature of the priesthood, that: The Lord Jesus, whom the Father has sent into the world Jn 10:36 has made his whole Mystical Body a share in the anointing of the Spirit with which he himself is anointed. In him all the faithful are made a holy and royal priesthood; they offer spiritual sacrifices to God through Jesus Christ, and they proclaim the perfections of him who has called them out of darkness into his marvelous light. Therefore, there is no member who does not have a part in the mission of the whole Body; but each one ought to hallow Jesus in his heart, and in the spirit of prophecy bear witness to Jesus.[9] From the Mystical Body which shares his sanctifying Spirit, the priest becomes by nature an instrument in which God’s work is fulfilled on earth and by this Fulton Sheen affirmed that, In relation to the world as the theater of redemption, the priest is there to reconcile it to God. But as regards the spirit of the world, the priest is crucified to the world and the world to him cfr. Gal .6:14. The consecration is a death. The consecration is both priestly and victimal. Priestly because we offer to the Father the Sacrifice of Christ in the Mystical Body; victimal because we become a living sacrifice dedicated and fit for His acceptance, the worship offered by mind and heart Rom. 12:1. The Vatican Council makes a distinction between the royal priesthood of the laity and hierarchical priesthood. In the former there is a spiritual sacrifice; in the later, there is the Eucharistic sacrifice in which the spiritual sacrifice is incorporated. In such, the Consecration is the moment when I have been crucified with Christ. The life I now live is not my life, but the life which Christ lives in me; and my present bodily life is lived by faith in the Son of God Who loved me and gave Himself up for me Gal. 2:20.[10] Therefore it then suffices to observe that, only this ministerial priesthood gives one the right to offer the Eucharistic sacrifice, forgives sins and publicly exercise the sacramental priesthood for the benefit of others, because it is the result of the special sacrament of Order, by which the Holy Spirit bestow on those who receive it a particular character which likens them to Christ the Priest, and enables them to act in the name of Christ, head of the Mystical Body.[11] The act of being likened to Christ in the nature of a priest is a form of mysterious dimension in which we see in the person of a priest, therefore to bear fruit in his priestly work he has to cooperate with the divine by surrendering totally and unquestionably too with a sacred character. The priest as we know prolongs the mystery of Incarnation by his nature and what he does, therefore this work is divine hence he ought to be virtuous as to increase in holiness and that of others with his functions. Bishop Anthony Ekezie Ilonu was an embodiment of the above assertions. The priest by his sacramental ordination and the mystery of incarnation, is a victim-sacrifice who shares in the spiritual begetting of the children of God because he is a celibate for the Kingdom of God, though he may find it difficult to control only by the grace of God. The totality of offering by the priest portrays his mortified person in his victim nature as a gift, in view of that, Our priesthood must be like the pitchers that Gideon’s army of three hundred carried into battle. Inside each was a lighted candle cfr. Judg. 7:18-20. The light was there, but it did not shine forth to confound and defeat the enemy until the pitchers were broken. Only when we are broken do we shed the light of Christ to defeat the forces of Satan. It is not only the soul and the mind of the priest that are involved in the exercise of his ministry; it is also his body, the body broken, mortified and made a victim.[12] Being a victim implies also being in friendship with God among his people and by that Bishop Ilonu was a source of grace to the world and the blessings that God bestowed on us who knew him. He was a simple and humble priest of God and was actually a victim of sacrifice for and in the Church in this 21^st century, manifested in his life as a priest and Bishop, of which we are witnesses to life.

 

Behold the conscientious servant:

The priesthood is Eucharistic in nature and is an Incarnation Word as a Priest-Victim which empties Himself and fills it up through the Sacrificial offering. It is indeed holiness by itself and through it one becomes holy. Therefore, an ideal contemporary priest ought to be a Eucharistic victim, this is exactly seen in the life which Anthony Ekezie Ilonu lived and experience. The Eucharistic life of a priest is incarnated in the identity with Christ and reveals in the communion spirit of obedience as a character. By the possession of this nature, a priest is a gift to the world. The perpetuation of Victim-Sacrifice could be continuous if there are priests present, hence the training of seminarian is a concern of the Church regarding the priesthood. Therefore in view of that, formation is ever holistic and integral. The professors in the seminaries ought to teach according to the mind of the Church with devotion and sacrifice, living an exemplary lives that the seminarians may follow towards growing in holiness and priestly spirituality. This was witnessed and testified by very many priests who met Bishop Anthony Ilonu as a formator when they were seminarians and even as priests. 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 was 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 witnessed in his life time.

The testimony and witness of an ideal priest-servant:

The magnet has the capacity and potentiality of attracting other metals/objects to itself. This is consequent to the presence of the metallic bond of the magnet. Christ said: “Et ego, si exaltatua fuero a terra, omnia traham ad meipsum. - And when I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw everyone (all people) to myself." Jn.12:32. Christ is God and He draws everyone to Himself. Therefore, Anthony Ekezie Ilonu as a priest, was an ALTER CHRISTI, when he acts, he acted IN PERSONA CHRISTI, which people ought to see in him IPSE CHRISTI, hence his motto was: NON NOBIS DOMINE NON NOBIS SED TUA DATUR NOMEN GLORIA. Ps.115:1. As people saw IPSE CHRISTI in his words and actions, Christ drew them to Himself, because every priest ought to be as the Holy Scripture said: “Omnis namque pontifex ex hominibus adsumptus pro hominibus constituitur in iis quae sunt ad Deum ut offerat dona et sacrificia pro peccatis; qui condolere possit iis qui ignorant et errant quoniam et ipse circumdatus est infirmitate; et propterea debet quemadmodum et pro populo ita etiam pro semetipso offerre pro peccatis. Nec quisquam sumit sibi honorem sed qui vocatur a Deo tamquam Aaron. - For every high priest taken from among men is ordained for men in things [pertaining] to God, that he may offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins: Who can have compassion on the ignorant, and on them that are out of the way; for that he himself also is compassed with infirmity. And by reason hereof he ought, as for the people, so also for himself, to offer for sins. And no man takes this honour unto himself, but he that is called of God, as [was] Aaron.” Heb.5:1-4. 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 heard him (with his immediate younger brother Msgr Luke Onyechukwu ILONU, pioneer and founding Rector of St. Peter’s Seminary Okigwe) preached 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 have for Christ reflecting on 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. Bishop Anthony Ilonu really showed by example always. Many a time the good things of people do not come up into line when they are alive. Those who are good, their goodness reflects and shows only when they die. He was so generous in heart and he never sat on material things or money. He never took away the diocese’s money to build in his parents’ house. May his death continue to be a paradigm for us who knew or have seen him alive. 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.

Tradition taught and lived:

Preaching about the chastity of a priest he once said: “a priest is OKARA MMUO OKARA MMADU [HALF SPIRIT HALF HUMAN] because of his celibate chastity, he 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 always 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, as he had as his motto: NON NOBIS DOMINE, NON NOBIS, SED TUA DATUR NOME GLORIA Ps.115:1. According to witnesses we have thus: Our dear Bishop emeritus, we mourn you dearly and miss you so much for many reasons. You supported the development of your priests and people. Providence arranged that you be buried on the 11^th of July; the exact day, thirty one years ago (1981), you ordained the first Okigwe Diocesan priests of your episcopacy in the persons of Late Rev. Fr. Godwin Nwachukwu (Umuozu Ugiri), Rev. Fr. Ngozi Osuji (Ibeme Ugiri) and Late Fr Peter Osuchukwu (Amuzari Ugiri, for the Catholic Diocese of Enugu ). You taught us in words and deed that freedom is not license and yet no human action done without it has its proper value. Seeing the things you accomplished; the fountain you designed, the tower you projected, the arena you constructed, the buildings you erected or remodeled will leave no truthful person in doubt that you had all it takes to bring your dreams to reality; that you were no mere day dreamer and that all you hadn’t enough of were understanding and time. You may not have attained perfection in this valley of tears but you obviously were a good person. You connected easily to your people where it mattered most and had a way of lightening every mood. You never lost your humour till the last. You reacted to jokes even with your eye brows when you had no more strength to talk.[13] 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. This is a man who has no guile, and knows and call each by name. 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 is 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. His life was full of pastoral activities even when he was retired. 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. Our Lord Jesus made promise 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.

Conclusion:

Conclusively, let us see the ideal incarnate life, significance and totality of exemplary life in the name Bishop ANTHONY EKEZIE ILONU:

B – BEST in all he did from his childhood to the adult life.

I – INNOCENT always and people continued to misunderstood him.

S – SACRIFICE totally his life as to make very many happy.

H – HOLINESS was always his concern as he pastor the flock under his charge.

O – OBEDIENCE was what he practiced whenever it comes for the good of the Church.

P – PRAYER was his anchor throughout his priestly life.

A – ACCEPTANCE of any condition and situation that he meets in life.

N – NONE of his contemporaries wished that he rises above them, hence their naïve attitude to him.

T – TRUSTING in God was what carried him along throughout his priestly life in all situations.

H – HUMILITY has always been what he was known for right from time immemorial. OR

H – HAPPINESS in all the time whenever he is celebrating the Most Holy Mystery of our Faith.

O – OFTEN seen in the Chapel meditating if he was not teaching in class while in Bigard as a formator. OR

O – OPENNESS in expressing whatever he teaches as to be comprehended by all.

N – NEVER annoyed anybody voluntarily during his course of service as diocesan Bishop. OR

N – NEATNESS has been what he was known for throughout his time.

Y – YOUTHFULNESS was in all he did for his apostolate for the salvation of many.

E – EXCELLENCE was really what he taught and preached in his life time. OR

E – ESCHATOLOGICAL references was the center of the Bishop’s teachings in his days.

K – KENOSIS was what he embraced with joy in life as to inherit heaven. OR

K – KNOWLEDGE of the Word of God was what he preached, through his ingenuity.

E – EXPRESSING always his sincere love to anybody who comes to him irrespective of identity. OR

E – EDUCATED very many in all his encounter with people, be it pastoral or casual.

Z – ZEALOUSNESS was all he put on in his priestly and Episcopal life to win souls for Christ.

I – INSISTENCE on forgiving all that offended him, spoke ill or even calumniated him. OR

I – IMITATED his patron saint Anthony in his ascetic life throughout his priestly life.

E – ENCYCLOPEDIC was his nature throughout his teaching and preaching life. OR

E – EMPTIED his life for the good of the diocese, yet very many did not appreciate that.

I – IMITATED the Eternal High Priest in his own little way as a human being.

L – LOVED all his priests and seminarians, religious men and women and the laity.

O – OFTEN preoccupied with the good and happiness of others.

N – NOBODY can say he annoyed him or her consciously or deliberately.

U – UNITY has been all he preached and lived within his life time.

 

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[1] S.T I-III, q. 22, a.1,2. cfr. MANNING, p. 3.

[2] MANNING E. H.,  The Eternal Priesthood, pp. 3-4.

[3] Ibidem,  p. 39.

[4] Cfr. A FUNERAL ORATION FOR MOST REV. DR ANTHONY EKEZIE ILONU, BISHOP EMERITUS, PRESENTED BY THE PRESBYTERIUM AND ALL CHRIST’S FAITHFUL OF OKIGWE CATHOLIC DIOCESE ON THE OCCASION OF HIS LORDSHIP’S BURIAL, THIS 11^TH JULY 2012.

[5] Cfr. Ibidem.

[6] SR ANNETTE NWIZU DDL, niece to late Bishop ANTHONY ILONU, wrote to me on Monday 06/11/2012 after preaching a Recollection on Sunday 05/11/2012 for their Community in Rome.

[7] SHEEN F. J., The Priest Is Not His Own, p. 18.

[8] Ibidem, pp. 16-17.

[9] PO. n. 2.

[10] Idem, Those Mysterious Priests, pp. 160-161.

[11] SUAREZ F., About Being A Priest, Scepter Publisher, Princeton 1996, p. 4.

[12] Ibidem, 23.

[13] Cfr. A FUNERAL ORATION FOR MOST REV. DR ANTHONY EKEZIE ILONU, BISHOP EMERITUS, PRESENTED BY THE PRESBYTERIUM AND ALL CHRIST’S FAITHFUL OF OKIGWE CATHOLIC DIOCESE ON THE OCCASION OF HIS LORDSHIP’S BURIAL, THIS 11^TH JULY 2012.