Permit me to
begin my presentation with an expression of thanks and appreciation to those
who, in one way or another, were responsible for inviting me to this historic
event -- the Okigwe Diocesan Priests' Summit -- the first of its kind in the
life of the present diocesan administration. Worthy of note here is our bishop,
Most Rev. Solomon Amamchukwu Amatu, the Vicar General, Very Rev. Msgr. Patrick
Uchendu, the Chancellor and Secretary of the Diocese, Very Rev. Fr. Simon Anyanwu
and, of course, the members of the Summit's Organizing Committee. I would be
surprised if one or two words of support for my invitation were not given by
our bishop-emeritus. Most Rev. Anthony Ilonu, whose record as the pioneer
bishop of our diocese cannot be wished away; and so, to him too I express my
thanks and appreciation.
One of the
recent developments in some dioceses in North America is the spate of
incardination into these dioceses by a number of Nigerian priests abroad. And
so, talking about incardination, I should say at the outset that I am still a
Dominican, and not incardinated into Okigwe diocese. But, one may ask, why am I
here for a summit mean* for priests incardinated into Okigwe diocese? And, why
am 1 given the platform to possibly disturb' your conscience as I surely intend
to do in the course of rm presentation? My answer is simple: I may be an
outsider, since I am not incardinated into Okigwe diocese, but I am a special
"outsider." I make this claim because I am a bona fide Nwa Afo
Okigwe diocese who, like you, is and should be concerned about the welfare of our
dear diocese. For, as the saying goes, Anya bewe imi nwa-nne ya ebewe.
I would go further to claim that I have an advantage many of you don't have: I
stand at the vantage position whereby a very significant number of Ndi
Fada Okigwe share with me concerns about the diocese that they
would ordinarily not share with you, their colleagues in the diocese. My guess
is that these priests have come to trust me enough to know that I have no
vested interest or part to play in any power-game, if any, in the diocese, and
therefore believe me to be more objectively detached to treat their confidentialities
confidential.
My mandate is basically on "Ministry
in the Diaspora" as it relates to Okigwe diocese. By this
"ministry," I believe the Summit's Organizing Committee means Priestly
ministry outside our diocese and abroad. Specifically, I am supposed to focus
on North America about which I am more familiar and where many of our priests, like
their counterparts in the secular world, are more attracted to go. The thesis
for my presentation and the argument behind it favour this ministry. But there
is a caveat: ministry abroad, as is currently practiced, calls for a better
organization and coordination for it to yield a mutual benefit for both the
priests and their home dioceses, in our case, Okigwe diocese.
In this day and
age of globalization whereby the world is becoming one big globa- village, a
situation has arisen whereby the Western World has the economic resources but not
the vocation and Okigwe diocese has the vocation but not the economic means to
address its needs, it is in the interest of the diocese to use what it has to
get what it wants specifically, to use more creatively the abundance of its
priestly personnel to enter into collaborative ministry with needy dioceses
abroad towards acquiring the necessary economic resources to build and sustain
the development of the diocese. It is my belief that a well organized and
coordinated pursuit for ministry in the Diaspora is more economically
beneficial and ethically exemplary than the current practice of trying to dine
and wine with members of the Nigerian political class for their "blood
money" to help the diocese finance its projects. In addition, the ministry
could help the dioceses depart from its on-going un-holy over-taxing of our
poor and rural population to the poin1 of financial abuse and
exploitation of their religious piety. If my presentation chances to step on
anybody's toes or disturb your conscience. I ask we do not take it personal as
it ;s not intentional or out of malice; if anything, it is done in
love and compliance with the Word of God that calls us to a commitment to the
truth, and nothing but the truth, that will set us free (Jn. 8:31-32).
The pedigree of Okigwe Diocese
I was barely two years a priest when the Diocese of Okigwe was
created, having been carved out of the Diocese of Umuahia in 1980. I was
present at the two-fold occasion of the Episcopal ordination of the first
Bishop and his formal installation as the chief Shepherd of the diocese. I will
never forget the excitement, the fanfare and the great expectations that
greeted the new diocese. I particularly recall when the priests of the diocese
filled up in line to pay their obeisance to the pioneer Bishop. I took
particular note of this for the following reason.
The
then Bishop of our mother-diocese, Umuahia, Most Rev. Anthony Gogo Nwedo, to
his credit, believed that between human and infrastructural development such as
building a cathedral, the former hold the priority and pride of place before
the latter And even whatever infrastructural development he undertook at the
time had to be related to and in the service of human development. In this
regard, he built schools, sent his priests overseas for higher studies. Most of
the priests who benefitted from this priority hailed from what later became
Okigwe diocese, leading it to have had the largest number of priests with
post-graduate studies, when compared to the surrounding dioceses at that time.
With this pedigree, it was only fair to say that the diocese started on a solid
foundation of highly and well trained human resources, leading many to believe
that the sky was the limit for the newly created diocese, its all-rural
character notwithstanding.
Meanwhile, ever
since the creation of the diocese, no year has passed without generous
harvesting, so to speak, of an abundance of priestly vocations. For reason outside
the mandate of this paper to explore, the diocese's abundance of priests appear
not to have been harnessed to the maximum to serve the common good of all and
sundry in the diocese, the clergy and laity alike. How this harnessing could be
done, especially the context of the needs and challenges before the diocese is
the mandate for this paper.
Past and current attempts
to harness the priestly resources in the diocese:
Four
discernable attempts are worth noting, namely:
(1)
Priests
of the diocese were sent on mission to needy dioceses in the country:
(2)
There
was the creation of "atomized" parishes (the so-called "parishes
in building") many of whose pastors lack the necessary experience in
pastoral ministry before they assumed such an office;
(3)
Establishment
of secondary schools many of whose priest-principals, in the mold of the "atomized
parishes," lack the necessary experience for such position; and
(4)
The
apparent tacit or subtle encouragement of priests to take up pastoral or non-
pastoral ministry outside of the country, especially in North America.
It is not my intention to discuss the
merits or demerits of these attempts. Suffice it to say this much, the past and
current attempts, at best, collectively address the symptom and not the real
problem, namely: how best do we harness the abundance of highly talented and
resourceful priestly personnel in our diocese. The attempts, among other
things, have not yielded the necessary economic benefits to either develop or
sustain Okigwe diocese. If anything, in their current forms and shapes, the
attempts have given birth to what I call a "motor-park-tout" or
"agbata ekee" mentality and approach to priestly ministry in the
diocese and beyond. The veracity of this assertion will be teased out in what
follows.
Ministry in the Diaspora:
its past and current form and image
It is generally
believed that the majority of foreign priests in Europe and North America are
"free-lancing." By "free lance" I mean the idea of "a
worker who sells his labour or his product on a piece-work basis" or the
idea of "one who speaks or acts solely on his own authority." If the
truth must be told, at least speaking from the North American context with
which I am quite familiar, the highest number of these "freelancing"
priests, especially in the USA, are Nigerians; and a significant majority of
these are from Okigwe diocese. A growing number of the free-lancing priests are
often engaged in jobs that, to say the least, are debasing of the priesthood,
jobs which they would be ashamed to do in their home countries. Worth noting
here, for instance, are priests who are engaged in real estate business (buying
and selling of homes), in car/vehicle dealerships, in driving Taxis and even
Trucks (Trailers in Nigeria). Add to this scenario priests who, for all
practical purposes, have abandoned their celibate calling to live with women
who are better described as their concubines. Meanwhile, these priests, I am
reliably told, return to their home dioceses to still carry on as priests for
the duration of their home visit. And collectively, with their monetary
acquisition, they build themselves and/or for their families homes that compete
in style and size with their "419" counterparts, to use the Nigerian
parlance. I leave you to choose whether this is the image you want to be
associated with, especially in this day and age in our country when religion
or, better, priest-craft has become a major avenue for quick and unethical
acquisition of wealth.
For avoidance of
doubts, I am not saying that all priests abroad fall into the kind of
free-lancing ministry just noted. Far from it! If anything, most of the priests
are engaged in ministries that are becoming of the priesthood. It is the few
bad eggs, so to speak, that give others bad name and image, thus reminding one
of the saying: Ndi Mechanic ekweghi anyi mara ndi wu ndi ara.
This clarification
notwithstanding, the fact still remains - and I stand to be corrected-free-lancing
priests in the Diaspora, the good and bad alike, essentially and primarily work
overseas largely on the basis of their private arrangement with the overseas
dioceses or bishops. But one may counter: the priests have their home bishop's letter
of reference and permission to show before they are employed by the overseas
dioceses. True! But, I am reliably told that many priests either know some of
their colleagues who have the ear of their bishops or have so mastered the
psychology of their bishops that they know how and when best to secure from
them the needed permission and reference letters. Some priests, I am also
reliably told, trick their bishops into granting them permission for an
overseas vacation only, on reaching there, to turn the vacation into wanting a
permanent stay or simply refusing to come back. I would like to believe that
these pieces of information are not true. Be that as it may, however, the fact
of the matter is this: it is doubtful if a significant majority of the priests
abroad, both in the past and the present, ministered with any contractual
relationship between their home dioceses and the dioceses in the Diaspora, or
between the priests' home bishops and the bishops abroad.
Implications and
consequences of non-coordinated/organized ministry abroad
These
are better imagined than experienced. One such implication and consequence is
the fact that majority of our priests are treated as objects whose usefulness
is terminated at the least provocation. What is more, a priest in this kind of
relationship has little or no rights so much so that even when he is abused or
victimized by those for and with whom he works, he is not in the position to successfully
demand his rights Worst, even if all is well between the priest and the diocese
abroad, there is little or no economic benefit that accrues to the home
diocese: at best whatever economic benefit that comes to the diocese is more or
less left to the whims and caprices or, better, to the determination and good
will of the priest. If you ask me, this has the potential to breed and
encourage favoritism, nepotism, greed, selfishness, individualism and, what is
more irresponsible manner of ecclesiastical governance.
The preceding
state of affairs is not different from what obtains at the home front It seems
the creative acumen of our priests is at its best when it about how to squeeze
out money from our people. A case in point is the bastardization and commercialization
into which we have turned the "ezinne" celebration - an otherwise
meaningful and wise pastoral idea. Recall the agbata ekee or the
motor-park-tout mentality I had mentioned earlier. I recall our JDPC
observation in Okigwe diocese during the country's 2003 General Elections; how
some priests had no qualms and shame in descending so low as to become errand
boys for the members of the political class. Worth noting were three priests of
Okigwe diocese who, at the time, came to a gathering of priests of the diocese
with Ghana-Must-Go-Bags of money from certain politicians and were distributing
same to some equally shameless, willing and receptive priests of the diocese!
Is it true that the same thing happened during the 2007 General Elections and
that plans to continue the same in the 2011 Elections are already on a high
gear? Add to this state of affairs its inherent poverty of priestly spirituality;
one then begins to see the urgency for a corrective measure for the image and
common good of both the clergy and diocese.
What must we do brothers?
(Acts 2:37)
Without
pretending to be exhaustive on a number of measures the diocese can take, I
suggest the following theoretical, practical, mandatory and harnessing actions.
(1). There
is need for a solid spirituality of who we are as priests and it- corresponding
pastoral expectations. Here, the following words of wisdom of the Saint from
Hippo, St. Augustine, while commenting on Jesus' question to Peter, "Do
you love me" are worth our notification:
The shepherds of Christ's flock
must never indulge in self-love; if they do they will be tending the sheep not
as Christ's but as their own. And of all vices this is the one that the
shepherds must guard against most earnestly: seeking their own purposes instead
of Christ's, furthering their own desires by means of those persons for whom
Christ shed his blood.1
The love for
money and the creativity and zeal with which many of us extort it from our
people in the name of pastoral ministry makes one wonder where our first love
is: in our people's material and spiritual welfare or, as Augustine would say,
in furthering our own desire? Now, listen to what the Sovereign Lord is saying
to such priests and, indeed, to all of us: "You are doomed, you shepherds
of Israel! You take care of yourselves, but never tend the sheep" (Ez
34:1-4).
(2). There is need for a genuine commitment to
the diocese. More often than not we all are quick--am not sure of proud--to
claim to be priests incardinated into Okigwe diocese. However, the genuineness
of this claim and our commitment to it must be evidenced and seen in action,
especially in our preparedness and willingness to endure deprivations, yes, to
sacrifice our comfort zone if only for the common good of all and sundry in the
diocese, clergy and laity alike. Our Bishop is no exception.
(3). We need to have a clear knowledge of who
are the priests of the diocese The rationale here is that we cannot do a
meaningful harnessing if and when we do not have the correct census of the
priests of the diocese. As things stands right now, and I stand to be
collected, we have men who may have been ordained for Okigwe diocese but for
reasons best known to them have either chosen not to be so identified or have
actually taken to a totally different way of life that is far from being that
of the priesthood. To this effect, a circular need to be passed requesting
everyone who calls himself a priest of Okigwe diocese outside to register his
name, contact address, what (with concrete proof) he is presently doing, his
plans for the fixture both for himself and for the development of the diocese.
To put it bluntly, the diocese or, better, the Bishop should have an up-
to-date data of and on the priests of the diocese.
(4) There is need for an administrative
division of the missions abroad Flowing out of the preceding suggestion is the
need to divide the missions abroad into regions for administrative convenience.
This should be backed up with periodic zonal or regional visits to the priests
abroad, either by the bishop or his delegate. For avoidance of doubts, such
visits are NOT for monetary collection from the priests. Far from it! Rather
the visits are essentially and primarily pastoral and fraternal. They signify a
sense of care on the part of the bishop towards his priests and thus foster
solidarity between him and the priests. In addition, the visits will also give
the bishop or through his delegate the needed opportunity to know first-hand
the concerns (if any) of the priests and thus meet the leadership of the
diocese in the diaspora on those concerns, if necessary. Needless to say, such
visits and meetings will register to the leadership of the diocese where our
priests are working the high regards Okigwe diocese places on its priests as
well as surely rub off on how the dioceses treat our priests, knowing that they
have the ecclesiastical weight of their home diocese behind them. As our people
would say: Ugwu Nwanyi nwere ebe ndi Di ya bu Umunne ya
(5). There is need for utmost transparency and
accountability in governance. To begin with, every member of the clergy is
accountable to some higher authority. With reference to diocesan priests, it is
their diocese, given that no priest, diocesan and religious alike, was financially
responsible for his seminary formation. Such a responsibility, in the case of
the diocesan priest, rested with the diocese. As such, the diocese-note, I did
not say the bishop-has the right over the priest's earnings in the course of
his pastoral ministry. Be he in a parish or in a non-church-related position,
both at home and abroad, he must, as a matter of responsibility, justice and
clear conscience, make certain financial returns to the diocese! So too is
transparency and accountability expected and indeed required of the diocesan
leadership, given that leadership by example attracts emulation, implying that
the leadership of the diocese would set the tone, so to speak, for the priests
of the diocese to follow. As the saying goes: O&vu ejh i Nnabe gwoo aghaghi
ishi aghugho aghugho, implying that - mafacta ma nna anyi ufovu bishop
— must be transparent, united, above board and with no hidden agenda, in our
decisions and actions. Here, the priests of the diocese doff their hat to our
bishop for doing what was never done before him: he has been giving an annual
financial account and demands parishes to open accounts for the parish and
rectory which he reviews on his canonical parish visitation. Bishop, I also
doff my hat! Please keep it up!!
|
(6) There is an urgent need for a contractual
relationship.
Here I mean having a contract with
dioceses, both at home (Nigeria) and abroad, where priests of Okigwe diocese
are currently or will later be working. This same contractual relationship
should be applicable to those priests of Okigwe diocese who are engaged in
non-church-related ministries and jobs either in overseas or even here at home.
The bishop or his vicars must be ready to travel in order to enter into such
contractual relationship with the bishops and institutions abroad. The
relationship must be entered into on the basis of a collaborative spirit
towards addressing mutual needs and benefits - a kind of
you-help-us-and-we-help-you understanding. It is up to the diocese to determine
what and what, in its own interest, goes into the contract. But I would imagine
that it could include monetary remuneration to Okigwe diocese or remuneration
in the form of the receiving dioceses sponsoring the further studies of our
priests after a certain number of years of ministry in the diocese abroad. As
for the priests in non-church/diocese- related ministries or job, both at home
and abroad, a certain percentage of their earnings, determined by a
non-partisan committee of trusted and respected financial experts and without
prejudice to possible canonical requirements, must come to the diocese.
A contractual
relation has a lot of benefits. First, it engenders trust, concord and respect
for the rule of law. When everyone knows what he is supposed to do and goes
about doing it, it makes for peace and good will. Second, for those priests on
mission, either in the country or overseas, a contractual relationship
guarantees them a large measure of respect and dignity in the diocese where
they are working. I know from experience that priests whose ministry is on the
basis of a contractual relationship between their home diocese and the
receiving diocese usually are protected by the might of their home dioceses;
they are on a firmer ground to demand and receive their rights: they are
treated far better by the receiving dioceses than would be their free-lancing
counterparts who are often perceived as if they are a liability in and from
their home dioceses.
(7) Okigwe diocese and its bishop have the
responsibility to send and cater for the educational furtherance of their
priests. With reference to Okigwe diocesan priests who are studying abroad,
there are some of them who have no-study-scholarships. Sometimes, some of these
priests cannot single-handedly secure the necessary- sponsorship to finance
their studies. In such difficult and upheaval situations, they are compelled to
borrow some money to self-sponsor their studies. An end-result is that such
priests will spend more years overseas, as they are obliged to work hard and
earn some money, to pay off their loans, leading some falling into the
temptation of becoming individualistic, selfish and quite unprepared to have
their gifts and talents harnessed for the common weal.
(8). There is need for job creation or openings
for the returning priests.
It is an obvious sign of
maladministration for an institution - be it secular or ecclesiastical - not to
know how to use its human resources for maximum productivity and efficiency.
Okigwe diocese is no exception to this use. In this regard, a situation where a
priest returns from studies or mission abroad and has no placement in the
diocese or has his expertise underutilized tends to keep some priests from
returning. Corollary to this, a priest who calls himself an expert, say, by way
of academic acquisition, should be able to know and to suggest in writing how
best his expertise can be put into use by the diocese Thus, in this regard, a
situation where a priests goes for or is allowed to acquire an academic degree
just for the sake of the title is a waste of time, money and a poverty of human
resource management.
(9). The need for a non-discriminatory welfare
policy for the clergy of the diocese. I must be cautious here, recognizing that
I am a Religious speaking to Diocesan priests. Be that as it may, however, we
need to lean one or two things from business management. My friends in
Corporate business tell me a major hallmark for its success is to have an
attractive welfare policy package for the workers. Treat them well, they give
their utmost loyalty. Deny them such treatment, an enabling environment is
created for them to steal, do unethical things and soon run down the business.
Brought to bear
on our topic, I recall a number of our priests tell me that in the past, the
diocese seem to have been run as a clan, town, family and private property (in
that order). Faced with this situation, one priest told me, "I kind of ran
into the bush to hide for safety." He welcomed the appointment of our
present bishop with the following remark: "I will give him the benefit of
the doubt and gradually come out of my hiding; however, if he carries on like
his predecessor, I will return to my hiding place and even run deeper into the
bush." As one can imagine, the talents of this priest, and many others
like him in the diocese, can only be harnessed if the enabling environment that
is all inclusive, non-discriminatory, and exercised on a level-playing ground
is created, especially with regards to the welfare of the clergy of the
diocese.
On the preceding
note one calls attention to the practice across the country of bishops building
retirement homes for themselves with little or no such provision for their
priests. This sort of practice militates against a successful harnessing of
human resources in any diocese, Okigwe diocese inclusive. I have heard a number
of our priests say that the need for a retirement home for priests in Okigwe diocese
is long overdue. They may or may not be right. But it would appear that these
priests strongly place such a provision as a priority over a zealousness in
either starting to build or finishing the building of a new Cathedral. On my
part, I am inclined to believe that the provision of a just welfare for the
clergy -- bishop and priests alike -- would go a long way to curb the practice
of our priests investing their energy and/or resources that should have
ordinarily come to the diocese into their private and family benefits that
often, on their death, becomes a major source of division in their family.
Conclusion
It's
time to conclude, beginning with the following two lived- experiences/accounts.
In one Canadian diocese that I used to know, there are a number of Ghanian
diocesan priests one of whom is a lawyer by profession. On being called by his
bishop to proceed on mission to Canada, he expressed his openness to the
assignment if that will benefit his diocese, and if there is a contract between
his diocese and the Canadian diocese. With a copy of the contract in his hand,
he came to Canada. Today, he believes that whatever difficulties he is currently
experiencing in Canada -- one of which is the severe Canadian winter and its
attendant frigid cold -- he is enduring them for and on behalf of the common
good of his home diocese. While this priest is working in the parish, two of
his brother-priests of his diocese are doing their post-graduate studies for
which the Canadian diocese is financially responsible. The lawyer-priest is
happy that his service in Canada is making it possible for the Canadian diocese
to sponsor two brother- priests for his home diocese.
Compare
the preceding lived experience with that of another diocesan priest -- from a
diocese in Nigeria. According to his story, he was simply asked by his Bishop to go
to Canada (the same Canadian diocese) on mission. After three-year ministry in the diocese,
he got admission for post-graduate studies. On his approaching the Canadian
diocese for financial sponsorship, believing that the diocese will extend to
him the same treatment as was given to his Ghanian counterparts, his request
was simply refused. He was told that the understanding between the Canadian
diocese and his bishop - an understanding which the Canadian diocese claims to
have been faithfully honouring - neither specifies nor include sponsorship for
his further studies. On reaching his home bishop to share his experience he was
scolded, according to him, by his bishop and reminded that he should be
grateful to have been sent on an overseas mission. Presently this priest is
literarily living from hand-to-mouth as he tries to sponsor himself while at
the same time trying to satisfy his home bishop's commitment to the Canadian
diocese. Needless to say, he is bitter, not with the Canadian diocese or its
bishop but with his own bishop. Only God knows what he will do after his
studies; and should he decide to return home, I say, Good Luck to his bishop!!
The preceding
note brings me to my concluding remarks. Yes, while it is wise to engage
in ministry abroad, it calls for a well organized, coordinated programme of harnessing
our human resources both abroad and at home. To be more specific: whether it is
with the dioceses abroad or with priests engaged in non-church-related ministry
or jobs both at home and abroad, one fact is loud and clear: there is the
urgent need to have some kind of contractual relationship that ultimately
should serve the interest of Okigwe diocese. The current situation whereby
priests enter into a privately arranged working relationship between them and
dioceses abroad is not only administratively irresponsible but also counterproductive
to the economic benefits of the diocese. And what is worse: it is detrimental
to the spiritual well-being of our priests; this is because, among other vices,
it encourages individualism -- the most dangerous cankerworm to holiness -- and
therefore widens the road to Hell. It is our mutual responsibility not
encourage spiritual suicide, but rather create the enabling environment for all
of our people, priests and bishops included, to go to Heaven. For as the Bible
warns us: what shall it profit a man if he gains the whole world and suffers
the loss of his soul! (Matt. 16:24-26).
In other words,
for the program of harnessing our human resources to succeed, for it not to be
"the more you look, the less you see" -- you remember the game of
"copy- copy" we used to play as children? -- there is need on the
part of all of us, bishop and priests alike, for an unequivocal commitment
rooted in attentiveness to discipline, honesty, transparency and
accountability. Recall my earlier proverb: Ogwu ejiri Nnabe shie aghaghi ishi
aghugho aghugho. And so, if we really love our diocese, if we
really want it to overcome its long drawn underdevelopment, then there should
be no beating about the bush, no playing to the gallery! The lack of
discipline, the abuse of office/privilege that has lingered on for so many
years among us in the diocese both at home and abroad, ma
fada ma bishop, is a very SERIOUS sickness that demands urgent
and serious attention! Igbo n 'ekwu si: Anu gbaa ajo oso, agbiriya ajo egbe.
And as one friend of mine, a layman, used to say to me: "Fada, serious
sickness demands and only understands serious injection." For us and for
Okigwe diocese, the time for this serious injection, so to speak, is NOW!! Umu
nnem, ekwuchalam, eserelem onu-m. Atuora omara, ya mara, atuora ofeke yafere fefuo.
Udo diri unu, dikwara diocese Okigwe! Mma mmanu!!