“I am ready to give myself entirely, unreservedly to you”: Newly Ordained Nigerian Bishop

The Catholic Church leader continued, “To you Mary my Mother, my Queen and my Mediatrix and to you Jesus I say, I am totally yours; do with me what you want; use me as your slave and instrument to accomplish the divine purpose not only today but every single day of my episcopacy.”

The 55-year-old Catholic Bishop succeeds Bishop Michael Nnachi Okoro who retired in June at the age of 80. Bishop Okoro had been at the helm of the Nigerian Diocese since February 1983. 

At the time of his episcopal appointment on July 6, the member of the Clergy of Abakaliki Diocese was serving as the chairman of the Planning Committee for the Diocesan Golden Jubilee set to be marked in 2023.

In his homily during the August 19 episcopal ordination, the Apostolic Nuncio in Nigeria called on the people of God to “commit themselves to overcoming what divides us at every level and build in true charity and humility a true family within the great family of the universal Church.” 

Archbishop Filipazzi also encouraged the new Nigerian Bishop to imitate Christ who gave Himself for the people of God.  

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He said, “The Bishops wear a ring to show he is the spouse of the Church and like Christ, he will give his life to her when necessary. The Bishop must imitate Christ who loved the Church and gave himself to her to make her holy.”

“In the family of the Church, the Bishop is also a father. Therefore, the Bishop must make room for all those who God has entrusted to him,” the Holy Father’s representative in Nigeria said. 

He continued, “For the new Bishop to be a father, it must mean making his Diocese grow, first of all, by becoming holy himself then helping the path of holiness of Priests, of men and women Religious and of all the faithful.”

The Archbishop also advised the new Bishop to focus on the spiritual growth of the people of God in the Nigerian Diocese.

“The growth that the Bishop promotes cannot be only material. In fact, this growth remains insufficient if spiritual growth is lacking,” Archbishop Filipazzi said August 19.