AHIARA DIOCESE ORDAINS 13 NEW PRIESTS AS BISHOP NWOBI CHARGES THEM TO SERVE, SACRIFICE & REMAIN WITH THEIR SHEEP

By Vivian Iwu 

***

A new chapter of service, sacrifice and missionary commitment opened in the Catholic Diocese of Ahiara yesterday as 13 Deacons were ordained Priests, answering the call to go into the world and bear fruit for the Kingdom of God.

The historic Priestly Ordination took place during the 10 a.m. Mass at Maria Mater Ecclesiae Cathedral, Ahiara Mbaise, Imo State, drawing Catholic faithful, priests, religious, families and well-wishers into a profound celebration of faith and vocation.

The ordination was anchored on the powerful words of Jesus Christ in John 15:16:

“You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit.”

For the 13 candidates, the day marked the fulfilment of years of formation, prayer, sacrifice and preparation. But as the Catholic Bishop of Ahiara Diocese, Most Rev. Simeon Okezuo Nwobi, reminded them, priesthood was not the end of a journey towards honour.

Rather, it was the beginning of a life poured out for others.

The newly ordained priests are:

* Rev. Justin Oguledo

* Rev. Kizito Anamekwe

* Rev. Nwachukwu Nzenwa

* Rev. Brendan Onyemegnulem

* Rev. MacDonald Ohakpugwu

* Rev. Franklin Amadikwa

* Rev. Stanley Eke

* Rev. Onyeogonna Onyekere

* Rev. Noel Eze

* Rev. Ethelbert Ihuoma

* Rev. Emmanuel Nwachukwu

* Rev. Terence Okoro

* Rev. Jude Daniel

In a deeply moving homily, Bishop Nwobi challenged the newly ordained priests to understand the enormous responsibility being placed upon them.

The Church, he stressed, was not simply conferring titles, positions or social recognition upon them.

“The Church does not simply give you a title or position,” the Bishop told the ordinands in substance.

Rather, Christ Himself was placing in their hands the lives of the people for whom He died.

It was a sobering reminder.

For in the Catholic understanding of priesthood, ordination is not a promotion into privilege.

It is a call into service.

It is not an invitation to be served.

It is an invitation to serve.

It is not an opportunity to seek personal importance.

It is a commitment to surrender one's life to God and to humanity.

And just as Christ was not merely a shepherd but the Good Shepherd, Bishop Nwobi urged the new priests to embrace the same model of selfless pastoral care.

The Bishop reminded the newly ordained priests that their lives were being offered in a special way for the service of God's people.

“Your life is being poured out today for the sake of the Kingdom of God,” he declared.

The message captured the essence of the priesthood they had just embraced.

The priest, Bishop Nwobi explained, is ordained to give himself totally for God's humanity.

To be available.

To be compassionate.

To be patient.

To sacrifice.

And to place the needs of God's people above personal convenience.

Drawing from the teaching of Christ, the Bishop reminded them that greatness in the Kingdom of God is measured differently from greatness in the world.

“The greatest among you is the one who serves.”

It was a challenge to the 13 new priests to remember that the priesthood they had received was fundamentally a ministry of sacrifice.

They were ordained not to be celebrated.

They were ordained to serve.

Not to dominate.

But to lead with humility.

Not to seek comfort.

But to be willing to carry the burdens of others.

Perhaps one of the most striking messages of the homily was Bishop Nwobi's reminder that the path of a good shepherd is not always comfortable.

“It is not pleasurable to be a good shepherd,” he cautioned.

There will be difficult moments.

There will be moments of discomfort.

There will be times when the priest may feel misunderstood.

There will be challenges, disappointments and sacrifices.

But the Bishop urged the new priests never to abandon the people entrusted to their care.

“You must not give up on your sheep. Remain with the sheep.”

Those words carried enormous pastoral significance.

A shepherd is not known merely by standing before the flock when everything is peaceful.

A true shepherd proves himself in difficult moments.

When people are grieving.

When families are divided.

When communities are troubled.

When faith is weak.

When the sick need comfort.

When the poor need hope.

When people have lost their way.

It is then that the shepherd must remain.

Bishop Nwobi also reminded the newly ordained priests that pastoral leadership cannot be built on position alone.

A collar may identify a priest.

Ordination may confer authority.

But the confidence of the people is built through a life of faithful service.

The Bishop stressed that it is through commitment and proven service that a shepherd becomes truly known by his flock.

In other words, priesthood must be lived.

It cannot merely be worn.

The people entrusted to the new priests will watch them.

They will listen to their preaching.

They will observe their conduct.

They will remember their kindness.

They will experience their patience—or lack of it.

And through the daily realities of pastoral life, the new priests will gradually reveal the kind of shepherds they have chosen to become.

The Bishop further urged the 13 priests to allow their sacred position to make them more humble, not more proud.

Relying on Jesus, he reminded them, must remain the foundation of their priestly lives.

For priesthood without humility can easily become a search for power.

But priesthood modelled after Christ becomes service.

The Bishop pointed to Christ's total self-giving, recalling the words of Jesus:

“No one takes my life from me; rather, I give it freely.”

That voluntary self-giving, the new priests were reminded, must become central to their vocation.

Their answer on the day of ordination was, in effect:

“I am present. Lord, send me.”

But saying “I am present” is only the beginning.

Living that response every day is the greater challenge.

Bishop Nwobi also described the heart of the good shepherd as the heart of a missionary.

The new priests were therefore charged not to become isolated religious figures but builders of communities.

Build bridges.

Reconcile people.

Bring hope where there is despair.

Bring people together where division has created walls.

The missionary priest, the Bishop's message suggested, must be a man who brings Christ into the broken places of society.

In a world increasingly divided by politics, ethnicity, family conflicts, economic hardship and personal interests, the priest must become a bridge.

Where others see enemies, he must seek reconciliation.

Where there is hatred, he must encourage love.

Where there is division, he must work for unity.

Where there is hopelessness, he must proclaim the Gospel of hope.

That is the demanding but beautiful mission now placed before the 13 new priests of the Ahiara Diocese.

For their parents and families, Saturday's ordination was undoubtedly a day of extraordinary joy.

For the Catholic faithful, it was a moment of thanksgiving.

For the Diocese of Ahiara, it represented the addition of 13 new labourers to the vineyard of the Lord.

But beyond the joy, the music, the celebration and congratulations lies a lifetime of responsibility.

The 13 young priests have been ordained into a world desperately in need of good shepherds.

A world in need of truth.

A world in need of compassion.

A world in need of reconciliation.

A world in need of leaders who understand that true greatness lies in service.

As they begin their priestly journey, the words of John 15:16 will remain a powerful reminder of the mystery of their calling:

“You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit.”

The question before the new priests is no longer whether they have been called.

They have answered.

They have presented themselves.

They have been ordained.

The greater journey begins now.

To go.

To serve.

To sacrifice.

To remain with the sheep.

To build bridges.

To reconcile.

And to bear fruit.

For the 13 newly ordained priests, September 5, 2026, will forever remain a day of sacred joy.

But as Bishop Simeon Okezuo Nwobi reminded them through his powerful charge, the priesthood they received is not a title to be celebrated.

It is a life to be given.

And as they step into that life, the Catholic Diocese of Ahiara prays that their ministry will indeed bear abundant and lasting fruit for the glory of God and the salvation of His people.