AHIARA DIOCESE CRISIS: THE UNTOLD STORIES…17

The Wondrous Inauguration

Sunday, January 31, 1988, was a day like no other in the history of Catholicism in Mbaise land. Time was Six O’clock, Ante Meridian. The sun had hardly broken through that hazy Harmattan morning that was dripping down some misty flourishes on Mbaise land. The foggy low visibility of that morning notwithstanding; Mbaise people trouped out in their thousands before the dawn could offer some little promises of an early sunlight. Their fever-pitch enthusiasm for the occasion would triumph over every little obstacle that pretended to confront them on that specially haloed day in Mbaise land. Long before there would be any glimmer of the dawn, the few booths and canopies erected for that day’s ceremony were almost taken up by the early birds of people that had thronged the arena to secure front seats that they hoped would enable them observe up close the special events that would take place later that day.

Being an event scheduled for a Sunday morning, Mbaise priests from all across the Igbo heartland area were destined to arrive a little late for the ceremonies. They were all condemned to celebrate early 6 o’clock Masses first in their respective parishes before rushing down to the new Ahiara Diocese to participate in the epoch-making event scheduled for 10.00 a.m.. As a result, by the time most priests arrived for the ceremony, the whole arena of the new podium was jam-packed with a sea of heads too numerous to count. There was practically no space to step into the Podium Area reserved for the ceremony. People bumped and jammed each other as they pushed and pushed to see if they could get any closer to the Podium area where the installation and inauguration ceremonies would be taken place.

After squeezing our cars into any little opening in the designated parking area, we rushed to meet an already formed procession of celebrants at the occasion. Leading the procession was a large number of Mass/Altar Servers drawn from all the 18 parishes in Mbaise land. Following immediately after were senior seminarians from all the major seminaries in Eastern Nigeria which included Seat of Wisdom Seminary Owerri, Bigard Memorial Seminaries in Enugu and Ikot Ekpene Campuses as well as the Claretian and Spiritan Institutes for Philosophy and Theology. A large number of religious - sisters and brothers were already seated as the procession teed off. The celebration was almost a mini-concelebration of all minor and major ministers in the Catholic Church of the Igbo heartland area.

In fact, every group that had ever performed any crowd-control function in the Catholic Churches of the Igbo heartland area came out on that day to showcase their arts and strategies as well as new uniforms thereby contributing one way or the other to that momentous occasion. Hence, there were the ubiquitous Church wardens from all parishes in Owerri Diocese and the new diocese of Ahiara, the Boy Scouts and Girls Guide, the Man of Order and Discipline, the Man-of-War, the Men and Women Brigades, as well as the Police and Soldiers who had come at the instances of the States and Federal Governments that made themselves a part of the occasion. Every security outfit of the Church and the secular government was there to lend a helping hand one way or the other. It was a moment of great cooperation between the Church and the secular governments. And it was absolutely wonderful!

In the procession following the senior seminarians was an unending line formed by priests from all over Nigeria. Obviously the nature of the new Diocese of Ahiara that was being established in a completely rural setting had motivated an uncountable number of priests to throng the arena of the inauguration. Until that time, there had never been before such a large number of Catholic priests participating in one single function in Mbaise land. Curiosity, more than anything else, had forced many priests to set out early to come to the ceremony in order to see what Mbaise people could offer to celebrate the realization of their long quest to become an independent diocese in the Igbo heartland area. As the long procession meandered from the old St Brigid’s Church, all eyes were on the large number of strange faces that were visiting Mbaise land mostly for the very first time.

However, the highest point of the procession would be when Mbaise priests made their appearance at the arena. Beholding Mbaise priests in their new regalia to mark the establishment of their new diocese, the whole crowd went into an almost uncontrollable delirium. It was a tumult of joy as piercing noises of the very large crowd rent the air of the entire arena. Before joining the procession, all priests of Mbaise origin were handed a golden yellow chasuble to use for the occasion. For many of us young priests, that was to become the first time we were seeing that large number of priests appear in such an attractive and eye-catching chasuble for the inauguration of a diocese. The golden yellow chasuble that had a white central band running from its top to the bottom appeared to be a perfect choice for the occasion. It tended to suggest that at a very long last Mbaise Catholicism was receiving her long desired golden crown with the establishment of her new diocese.

Donning the beautiful chasuble, Mbaise priests, whether diocesan or religious, appeared quite resplendent for the occasion. As they processed into the arena there was tumultuous joy all over the place. The whole crowd jumped up and down singing and clapping their hands as they gave glory to God. It was in fact an indescribable scene of a joyful celebration. It seemed that part of the intentions of the planners of the inauguration was to use the uniform golden chasubles to make a bold statement about religious vocations in Mbaise. Obviously they wanted to package Mbaise land as the cradle of vocations boom in Africa. If that was the case, the beautiful chasubles achieved to perfection the intention of the planners.

As the large procession of Mbaise priests, both diocesan and religious, appeared in their dazzling chasubles, many people wondered whether it was possible that those large numbers of priests could all have come from Mbaise land. But the faces of all priests in gold chasubles were familiar to many Mbaise people in the congregation. And that belied the suggestion or insinuation that guest priests might have infiltrated the procession or that the planners of the occasion had imported foreign priests to bolster the number of Mbaise priests participating in the ceremonies for the sake of portraying Mbaise land as the home of large vocations.

As the procession entered the main area, it was easy to cast one’s eyes around the congregation to see the caliber of dignitaries that had graced the occasion of the inauguration. Powerful men and women from the southern part of Nigeria had come to be a part of what was seen as one-in-a-lifetime event in Mbaise land. The two predominantly Igbo States at that time, Imo and Anambra States had most of their dignitaries attending the ceremony. Governor Amadi Ikwuechegh and his wife, Frances, were among the prominent dignitaries that came to identify with Mbaise people in the occasion. The governors of the old Anambra State, Rivers State, etc., all sent representatives. Many ministers and commissioners of both the States and the Federal Government were there in person.

With regard to the bishops who brought up the rears of the procession, the number included the who’s who among the bishops of Nigeria. Many Nigerian bishops from the far north to the deep south, and from the far east to the far west, came to the occasion to see what type of a diocese that was being inaugurated in Mbaise land. The fact that Ahiara Diocese was being advertised as the first completely rural diocese in Nigeria and Africa as a whole heightened the curiosity of many people especially bishops and priests who eventually made their way to Mbaise land to be a part of the inauguration and installation of Bishop Chikwe. So, from various nooks and crannies of Nigeria many came specifically to see what a diocese that was being established in a completely rural area could look like.

All through the period, Ahiara Diocese was being described as the first experiment in Africa regarding the establishment of dioceses. Her establishment was being largely seen as the first of its kind and the beginning of a pilot programme in the establishment of special dioceses in Africa. It was said that if the experiment with Ahiara Diocese succeeded, then many other dioceses would be established in the rural areas all over Africa. That alone made the inauguration of Ahiara Diocese a big draw for many people that came from far and near to be a part of the occasion.

As the procession entered the rectangular arena, we had the opportunity to cast our views around to behold the different groups of people that had been assigned places in the arena. By far the most prominent group was the maestro, Peace Val Ihim’s special choir that had taken up one long arm of the rectangular arena. The apocalypse-size choir that comprised choirs of the various Catholic Churches in Mbaise land brought along with it every musical instrument it could lay hands on. The whole arena appeared as if an international orchestra group had set up to entertain the participants at the occasion of the installation. And when the choir opened its mouth to sing in Igbo language the classic liturgical music for welcoming bishops into a liturgical celebration, LEE NNUKWU UKOCHUKWU [ECCE SACERDOS MAGNUS], it appeared as if the kingdom of Heaven had finally arrived on Mbaise land.

Being carried on the wing of the beautiful singing, the installing prelate, the Papal Nuncio, Archbishop Paul Tabet, Bishop Mark Unegbu of Owerri Diocese and the new bishop, Victor Adibe Chikwe who were bringing up the rears of the long procession of the bishops participating in the ceremony walked up to the altar and kissed it. With this the introduction of the Mass was announced. The Papal Nuncio would serve as the presiding prelate until after the installation of the new bishop. The new bishop took over as the principal celebrant of the Mass immediately after his installation.

The installation consisted mainly in the reading of the Papal Bull appointing the new bishop to the new diocese of Ahiara, the prayers, the installation proper which was marked with the seating of the new bishop on his presidential throne [Cathedra]. This part of the ceremony would be concluded with the pledge of allegiance by the priests of the new diocese. As the new bishop was seated on his presidential throne, the congregation exploded with joyful singing and dancing. A short distance away from the Podium and the arena there was sustained booming of cannon shots. The entire arena was filled with tumultuous celebration. People danced themselves into frenzy.

A great highpoint in the installation ceremony would be attained when an unending line of Mbaise priests filed out to pledge their allegiance to the new bishop. It was absolutely solemn and spontaneous. Beaming with joyful smiles Mbaise priests stepped out in their numbers to demonstrate their loyalty to their new bishop who was also their own brother. Their joy appeared to know no limits. Beginning from the most senior to the most junior, the line of priests wanting to pledge allegiance to the new bishop seemed not to be able to end. The reason was that both diocesan and religious priests of Mbaise origin all decided that they must demonstrate their love and loyalty to the new diocese and her bishop by pledging allegiance to the new bishop. It was unique and wonderful to behold.

At the conclusion of the pledge of allegiance, there was the solemn singing of the new composition of the Mbaise-born maestro, Peace Val Ihim. His song, Mbaise; Obodo Chukwu Goziri [Mbaise, The Land Blessed by God] was rendered with such melodious tone that the whole congregation erupted with joyful celebration. The song was described as the ANTHEM OF THE NEW DIOCESE. The Mass of the inauguration and installation would continue in that wondrous tone of joyful celebration until its conclusion.

As the mass concluded the entertainment part of the inauguration kicked off. As there were little or no facilities to host and entertain large numbers of people around St Brigid’s Church at that time, there were canopies and tents erected and spread all over the place. The bishops and other VIPs were hosted in the rectory of St Brigid’s Church. The knights and other dignitaries were hosted in some homes of many prominent people around the Ahiara area.

The inauguration and installation of Bishop Victor Adibe Chikwe remains till date the greatest celebration ever hosted in Mbaise land. It was seen and treated then as the apogee of Mbaise renaissance in the 20th century. And it holds still as the apogee of Mbaise renaissance right into the beginning of this 21st century. Surely, it will take a world-breaker of an event to be able to top the joy and sense of fulfillment and accomplishment the inauguration Ahiara Diocese and the installation of Bishop Victor Adibe Chikwe brought to the people of Mbaise on that Sunday, January 31, 1988.

To God be the Glory!

To be continued ….