By Patrick Wemambu
Recently, Catholic Diocese of Katsina in Katsina State – north-west Nigeria which was erected last year by Pope Francis – ordained its first set of five priests saddled with pastoral duties in the Episcopal See.
Speaking at the occasion which took place at the St. Martin De Porres Cathedral, pioneer Bishop of the diocese, Most Rev. (Dr.) Mamman Musa admonished the ministers of God to live lives worthy of their vocation. They were further enjoined to be true servants while focusing on the collective well-being of the flock under their care.
In an exclusive interview with Daybreak Nigeria, the newly-consecrated clerics shared their priestly ordination experiences.
Setting the ball rolling, Rev. Fr. Lazarus Terumbur, now posted to St. Mary’s Catholic Church, Gidan Korau as associate priest said he felt an initial sense of misgivings at the prospects of his ordination. “I felt very cold initially thinking about the task that lay ahead of me. How to cope with it. I came to discover that the land I was to enter was not really made of milk and honey,” he confided, though revealing that the Local Ordinary came to his aid by psyching him up for the big day ahead.
“Trapped in the mixed feelings I had, I find solace in the fact that when I balance my emotions with prayer life and rely on the Holy Spirit and Blessed Virgin Mary, I will be able to navigate complex realities of the priesthood,” Rev. Fr. Yusuf Abubakar, assistant parish priest of St. Theresa’s Catholic Church, Funtua maintained. He advised young men aspiring to the priesthood to deepen their spiritual lives.
If Terumbur was figurative in style, Rev. Fr. Nura Samaila went rhapsodic. Ecstatic, the newly ordained who serves as the parish priest of St. Thomas Aquinas Chaplaincy, Kaura Namoda in Zamfara State had this to say; “The realisation of what was to come filled me with joy and I could not wait for the day of ordination. The joy I felt could not be quantified as family, friends came from far and near to witness my ordination. (However), the euphoric feeling began to dissipate when family and friends started travelling back to their various destinations.”
Waxing poetic, Rev. Fr. Michael Bello who was assigned to the St. Paul’s Catholic Church, Tafoki, as parish priest disclosed of a feeling described as priceless, unique with a sense of calmness after the long journey. His words; “The ontological transformation seems effective especially during and after the Litany of the Saints…when I said ‘Lord here I am, make me a holy, humble, humane, faithful priest. And always fill me with the words to feed the flocks I will always encounter.’”
For Rev. Fr. Chibuzor Somadina who doubles as the Bishop’s Secretary and Associate Cathedral Administrator of St. Martin’s Catholic Church, Katsina, nothing compares to an appreciative spirit. “With a heart full of gratitude to God, the Church and my Lord Bishop, I’m grateful to be found worthy,” he enthused.
