SOLEMN DEDICATION OF BLESSED IWENE TANSI IGBO CHAPLAINCY ADO-EKITI

Igbo Chaplaincy Ado-Ekiti: June 17, 2018. It was a great day and indeed memorable in the minds and annals of the entire Igbo Catholic Community in Ado-Ekiti and, of course, for the members of the Claretian Missionaries, West Delegation.  It was the solemn dedication of BLESSED MICHAEL IWENE TANSI IGBO CATHOLIC CHAPLAINCY, Oke-Ila, Ado-Ekiti, in Ekiti State, South West Nigeria.

The Igbo chaplaincy could be associated with the arrival of the first Claretian priest of Igbo extraction in 1994, Fr. Anthony Agu, cmf residing in St. Patrick Cathedral, Ado-Ekiti. He was assigned by the then Bishop of Ekiti diocese, Most Rev. Michael Patrick Olatunji Fagun, to take care of the spiritual needs of the increasing number of Igbo Catholics in the Cathedral, nay, Ado-Ekiti commercial capital and its environs.  That took off with the celebration of English Masses in the Cathedral. The celebration of Igbo Masses was a later development.

Along the line came Claretian Missionaries in sequence namely Fr. Cajetan Ani, cmf, who succeeded Fr Agu, Fr Declan Ugorji, cmf and Fr Marcellinus Rebecca, Offor, cmf. All lived in the parsonage of St Patrick’s Cathedral as Assistant Cathedral Administrators but, specifically, responsible to the Igbo Community and consequently, celebrating Igbo Masses for them.

During this historically eventful phase, Bishop Fagun, as promised, provided the Blessed Tansi Igbo Chaplaincy with a piece of land at Oke-Ila, in the heart of Ado-Ekiti. He also granted administrative autonomy to the Chaplaincy, which permitted the Igbo Christian community to elect and inaugurate her own Councils, Associations/Organizations and Committees, that, in due time, facilitated rapid desired spiritual and structural growths.

This directional autonomy was during the period of Fr Declan, and without equivocation, he could be said to be the first Chaplain, sensu stricto. He initiated the physical erection of the Church at Oke-Ila working with official Project Committee. It was on these developmental realities that Fr Offor took over and continued in the gathering/unifying the Igbo Community, stabilizing the different Associations/Councils/Committees and ongoing construction of the Church building.

Two historical facts are worth mentioning here. First, was that the casting of the concrete decking of the entire Church building via direct labour by all the Christian Fathers and Youths of the Chaplaincy to save cost.

Second was that during this epoch, 2003 to be precise, the Oke-Ile people mobilized themselves against the Church and Bishop Fagun and erected overnight a high wall that cut-off the land on which the present rectory situates, claiming that portion belonged to them. Shocking! Fr Michael Sola Omojola (then Cathedral Admin and son-of-the-soil) and Fr Offor were subpoenaed to Ewi of Ado’s palace more than three times for the traditional court case. As the walls came down, the Bishop found the C-of-O of the entire land stretching down the valley and duly signed by colonial masters under Ondo. The Church won and the land-grabbers apologized.

Fr. Matthias Iheonu cmf, arrived, and lived in the Cathedral Rectory for some time. However, he organized and completed the Church building, pronto, and celebrated the first Igbo Mass of the Chaplaincy at Oke-Ila. He saw also to the building of a befitting Rectory, the Grotto, Chapel of Adoration etc. The Church blossomed immensely.

Fr. Charles Ude took over the reins in September 2013.  He worked strenuously for the dedication of the Church and purposes to maintain the high standard already set by preceding Claretian Missionaries over the years.  He did the landscaping of the Church, built a fountain, did the POP ceiling of the Church and procured vehicles to mobilize governance in the chaplaincy.

After the construction of the Rectory, the following Assistant Chaplains have served the Blessed Tansi Chaplaincy in this order: Fr. Aloysius Ugo, cmf, Fr. Patrick Ugwu cmf, Fr. Emeka Okeke cmf, Fr. Adolphus Mbaocha cmf and Fr. Anthony Achebe cmf.

The Dedication was blessed with the presence of the Chief Shepherd of Ekiti diocese Most Rev Felix Femi Ajakaye who gave the homily as he led other concelebrants that included his predecessor, Most Rev. Michael Fagun, Emeritus of Ekiti and VR Fr Daniel Onyeayana, cmf, Nigeria West Delegation Superior at the Eucharistic Table. All past Chaplains enumerated earlier, other Claretians, diocesan priests, Rev Sisters and Brothers and the entire joyful congregants of the Tansi Igbo Chaplaincy adorned the occasion.