Ordination of Rev. Fr Chinazo Ogoh, Silver Lining On Eziawa, Imo Community Sky.
History was made at the Holy Trinity Catholic Cathedral l, Orlu, Imo State when Bishop Augustine Ukwuoma of the Catholic Diocese of Orlu ordained 10 new priests amid mild showers.
The ordination ceremony marked the end of 19 years journey for the young priests who set out in 2005 on their march to priesthood.
Among the newly ordained was Rev. Fr Chinazo Sixtus Ogoh a worthy son of Akama in Eziawa, Orsu Local Government Area of Imo State.
Ukwuoma in his homily congratulated the new priests for a successful journey through the seminary and charged them to brace up for the task ahead as a new phase had just begun in their journey of salvation and service to humanity.
The solemn but colourful ceremony witnessed full ritual and rites of ordaining Catholic priests including taking of priestly vows laying of hands, annointing on the head, intercessory prayer, embrace welcoming them into the clergy fold among others.
Fr Chinazo, last in the family of nine is a child of destiny and trailblazer in his own right.
He is the first son of Akama to be ordained catholic priest even though Catholicism had existed in the community for over a century.
Though Eziawa has bad priests uphill, that is Amakpara village, one of the three components of Eziawa going by the original configuration of the town
before the autonomous status, Fr Chinazo is the first downhill, that is, Akama n’Ubaha and Urualla.
His priestly ordination is coming at a time when all the bond that held the communal and social fabric of Eziawa together seem to have broken and the community looking like the proverbial carcass of her old serene, tranquil and peaceful self.
Fr Chinazo, like his name connotes, (God Saves), looks like a rallying point for the disoriented people of Eziawa, a people struggling with identity and leadership crisis as a result of disillusionment occasioned by absence of known traditional and then union structure..
No wonder, for the first time in a very long time, men, women, youths and children who were at the Cathedral sang and danced in joyful jubilation when Fr Nazo was led from the Bishop House by Fr. Raymond Ihenetu, the Parish Priest of St Anthony’s Catholic Church Eziawa to the reception organised for him by members of his community.
Furthermore, Fr Chinazo was ordained at a time when the eyes of many were wet with tears and hearts heavy over the tragic loss of loved ones through gruesome murder with the state keeping a straight face as though nothing happened.
The ceremony was not just significant but momentous as it provided the disoriented people of Eziawa an opportunity to celebrate something that was excellent, ennobling and objectively sane.
Fr Ihenetu in his short remark congratulated the people of Eziawa prayed that the ordination of Fr Chinazo would be the beginning of recovery for the town.
The proud but forlorn Priest said he wished and prayed that God would use the ordination of Fr cleanse the land of Eziawa and grant her peace, security and restitution.
According to Fr Ray, “today is the end of the years if training and the beginning of another journey.
“We do not know how many of them that started this journey but we are happy that our brother is one of the succeful few who were ordained today.
“So, I pray that through this ordination, God will bring peace to Eziawa, that God will bring security,bringovd to Eziawa and heal the land,” he said.
On his part, Fr Chinazo thanked God for being with him all through the journey as well as those who were instrumental to ceremony.
He prayed that God will bless his fatherland and grant the souls of the dead, eternal rest.
In a special way, the new priest Commiserated with families that have list their lives ones in the way of recent killings including the chairman of the local organising committee of the ordination ceremony.
Rev. Fr Chinazo Ogoh celebrated his first Mass and had his ordination thanksgiving at St Anthony’s Catholic Church Eziawa on Sunday Aug 18. 2024.
To God Be The Glory
