Serving the Lord “is a great thing”: 87-Year-Old Nigerian Catholic Reflects on Eucharistic Devotion, Faithful Service

“Master Jesus fell three solid times on the road to Calvary, yet He rose every time. He didn't give up,” he recalled Jesus’ passion, and added, “I say to the Lord, Nunc Dimittis—dismiss me if my work is done. But if not, I’m still ready to carry the cross. Without the cross, there’s no crown.”

Despite his age, the octogenarian remains an active Mass server at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish of Abuja Archdiocese.

“I copied Julius Nyerere, the late President of Tanzania, who used to teach Catechism while in office,” Sir Braimah said, adding, “In God’s service, there’s no age limit. You serve till the end.” 

“Young people look at me serving Mass at 87 and wonder what this papa is doing. But I tell them, this is how you show the example. That’s how you evangelize,” Sir Braimah said.

For him, the Holy Eucharist is the source of strength, he told ACI Africa, and emphasized, “Without the Eucharist, there is no Catholic Church. And without the Priest, there is no Eucharist. Jesus did not say this is like my body. He said, ‘This is my body.’”

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He decried the increasing irreverence toward the Eucharist, recalling that Pope Francis insisted, “If you do not present your tongue to receive it, he will skip you. That’s how sacred it is. And to toy with it or even steal it is the height of sacrilege.”

From his home opposite the Parish, Sir Braimah continues to attend Mass daily, even when ill.

“I’ve pulled off drips when I’m sick just to attend Mass. As soon as I see the Priest enter my room with the Eucharist, I say, ‘Lord, I am not worthy,’ and I kneel. After receiving, I feel stronger,” he told ACI Africa

Reflecting on Catholics in leadership who fail to witness their faith, he said, “Mahatma Gandhi once said, ‘I love the Christ you talk about, but I hate his Christians.’ We must live our faith. The Church is one, holy, Catholic, and apostolic — these are not empty words.”

Sir Braimah also decried disunity among Christians. He said, “It is the forces of darkness that caused the split. Martin Luther in Germany, Henry VIII in England, and now we have Lutheran, Anglican, Methodist, and others. But the prayer of Christ was for unity: one flock, one shepherd.”

He revealed that he once aspired to become a Catholic Priest but faced social prejudice and family opposition.

“Back then, I never saw a Black Priest. When I said I wanted to become one, I became a laughingstock. Even my mother said, ‘Who told you a Black man does the job of a Priest?’” he recounted.

Still, he lived out that Priestly call in his own way. “Even as a child, I would gather neighbourhood kids and reenact Mass, using my mother’s wrapper as a chasuble. We even burned the house once while trying to create incense from grass,” Sir Braimah recalled.

Despite life’s hardships, he is full of gratitude for God’s grace in his life. He told ACI Africa, “Many of those I started with are gone, and I’m still here. It is for a purpose. As the psalmist says, ‘Lord, for being faithful to you, you have given me longevity.’

Now, in the evening of his life, Sir Braimah expresses a final wish.  “I say to the Lord, when it’s time to go, begin to take me from down below — but leave my voice, so I may sing your praises all my life,” the 87-year-old told ACI Africa on July 1.

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Abah Anthony John is a Nigerian Catholic journalist with passion for Church communication and media apostolate. He holds a bachelor’s degree in mass communication from Benue State University, Makurdi in Benue State Nigeria. He has a background in print, electronic and multi-media production.