First male child becomes first Etulo Catholic Priest

Dear reader, in the last published edition in this column I had a discourse on how givers achieve social immortality. I discussed how the students of the institution I head have planned to give in such a way that they could also impact lives. I thought of proposing ways in which some of the well […]

Dear reader, in the last published edition in this column I had a discourse on how givers achieve social immortality. I discussed how the students of the institution I head have planned to give in such a way that they could also impact lives. I thought of proposing ways in which some of the well to do in our society could share with the less privileged to help tap the rich human potentials that abound in Nigeria. But something historic happened around me worthy of sharing with you. It was an ordination to the Catholic priesthood of the first Etulo son.
It was Saturday, August 1, 2009 and the venue was Our Lady of Perpetual Help Cathedral, Makurdi, where the history was made. Rain had fallen heavily the previous night to cool the heat associated with Makurdi, and it drizzled the next morning prior to the beginning of the ordination Mass at 10:00 am, a sign that something symbolic was about to happen.
The ordination Mass was presided over by the Catholic bishop of Makurdi Diocese, Most Rev. Athanasius Atule Usuh. Over 200 priests were in attendance. The ordination ceremony that normally takes two-and-a-half hours took four hours that day. Eleven deacons were also ordained to the Catholic priesthood.
As I drove during the drizzling hours to get to the cathedral on time and get the missing link with friends, I spotted two women, one with the uniform of the Catholic Women Organisation of Makurdi Diocese, the other, with a child on her back, wore a uniform of a protestant group, but intuitively I knew she was going for the occasion and I stopped to give them a lift.
As we drove to the venue, both of them were so happy that a son of their ethnic group was also going to be ordained for the first time in history into the prestigious Catholic priesthood.
On reaching the cathedral, I realized that the rain did not have any negative effect in view of attendance at the ordination, as my mind was already tuned to the Etulo’s first priest to be, I noticed that those who had come to witness his ordination were not just Catholics, almost all Christian bodies in his town of Adi and beyond, had come as well as traditional African religionists. The Etulo are another ethnic group in Benue State. Their traditional home is at a place called Adi in Katsina-Ala local government area of the state.
At the end of the Mass, I rushed to get my camera and keep memory of how the Etulo people would convey their first priest to the reception ground at Makafa Park in Makurdi. The atmosphere was really filled with the presence of God as all and sundry tried to get a glimpse of Fr Omanga and even touch his resplendent cassock. He was made to ride on the back of his kinsfolk who danced to the beat of the traditional drums.
Later on, I tracked Fr Omanga for an interview. I asked him series of questions that included his inspiration for the Catholic priesthood, the feeling of being the first Etulo Catholic priest, why it has taken the Etulo people so long to have a Catholic priest since Catholicism arrived Makurdi in the 1920s, his advice to his fellow priests as well as the lay faithful. The following is an excerpt of the responses Fr Omanga gave to the questions:
“As a little boy at St Thomas Catholic Parish, Gboko, I used to sit near the altar and I monitored the movement of the priests at the altar. It was then I became interested in the priestly vocation and I decided to join the altar boys then eventually went to the seminary.
“I am excited with the feeling of being the first Etulo Catholic priest, but the challenges ahead terrify me. I have a lot of work to do, not just in the Etulo community, but in the Catholic diocese of Makurdi. If I sow a bad seed, those coming behind me will suffer. By God’s grace, I hope it will be fine.
“There are four Etulo sons in the seminary. It has taken Etulo people such a long time to have a Catholic priest because the values attached to procreation, our people value children so much and cannot fathom one passing through this life without having children.
“An Etulo son could have been ordained a priest about 18 years ago but had to withdraw his candidature for the priesthood because of this reason. As you know, marriage is not allowed in the Roman Catholic priesthood as we take the oath of celibacy.
“The piece of advice I have for my brother priests and those aspiring to this way of life is that they should look at Christ as their model and call on him when in need because he is always there to support us. The faithful should also do their best to support their priests so that they can build a solid kingdom of God through his church on earth.”
Fr Okoh Omanga was born on the 30th November, 1979, the second of nine children, but the fist male child.
As a priest, I think the Catholic priesthood is one of the greatest sacrifices one can make. This is not to be for self-aggrandizement, one can impact many lives through the Catholic priesthood if he is only ready to be a person of prayer and serve humanity selflessly.
Gordon Lindsay says: “Successful prayer requires daily contact with God. When a person’s spiritual life begins to deteriorate it can generally be traced to a lack of consistent prayer. It is amazing to learn the small amount of time many people, even ministers, give to real prayer. Perhaps they spend five or 10 minutes a day in prayer, and then they are on their way. No wonder the forces of darkness mobilize against them and in some cases completely paralyze their efforts.”
My prayer for priests ordained during this year is that they may be men of prayer so that they can work for the moral, spiritual and physical development of our nation.
Fr Indyer, CSSp is the Principal of Holy Ghost College, Sankera,  Benue State ([email protected])