THE HOMILY AT THE FUNERAL OF LATE FR. SYLVESTER OKECHUKWU, AT ST. PETER CLAVER’S CATHEDRAL, KAFANCHAN ON 14TH MARCH 2025.
BY BISHOP JULIUS YAKUBU KUNDI
Three weeks ago, we were all here with our friends and well-wishers to celebrate in thanksgiving my 5th Episcopal ordination anniversary and the grace of resilience and survival as a people. Today, we are back here in profound sorrow but with deep faith to honour the life of Father Sylvester Okechukwu, our beloved priest taken from us in the most tragic and violent of circumstances on Ash Wednesday; a day that marks the beginning of our Lenten journey. It is a day we Catholics specially celebrate for it reminds us of the themes of mortality, repentance, and the call to transformation in our lives.
On Ash Wednesday, we were once again confronted with the stark reality of our human condition: “Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return.” These words remind us not only of our mortality but also of the fragility of life itself. Father Sylvester lived his life fully in service to God and his community. He dedicated himself to the pastoral care of his parishioners, preaching the Gospel with passion and compassion. His life was a testament to the love of Christ, a love that he embodied in every sacrament he celebrated and in every person he encountered.
Yet, we find ourselves wrestling with the brutality of his death. A barbaric act that we have described as a ‘cruel assault to our faith, our humanity and the peace of our state’. Connecting this isolated sad incident with the message of Ash Wednesday it becomes clear to us that there is still much darkness in our world, and particularly in Nigeria. We have embraced Christ and that has transformed our lives. However, the battle with darkness has not ended. Little wonder, the Apostle John warned that although light has come into the world, but we still prefer darkness to light (Jn. 3:19). Beloved, this shows that the struggle for self-renewal, the call to repentance must continue among us with urgency because the devil continues to lurk in our dark places.
Father Sylvester was ordained a Catholic priest 4yrs ago, very young and enthusiastic. He desired nothing but to be a shepherd, a guide, a priest of the Roman Catholic Church who sought nothing in this life but to lead his flock to the light of Christ. He had so many dreams, plans and goals like any one of us to accomplish in the future. All these came to an abrupt end with his cruel death. However, the consolation here is that we will never measure the worth of our lives by the length of days we spent here on earth.
Father Sylvester’s murder is a haunting reminder of the struggles we face against evil and injustice in our daily lives. A struggle in this part of the world that has stretched for so many decades with no signs to victory. A struggle that has forced us to redefine our relationships not only with other religions and tribes but with family members, spouses, siblings, children and neighbours.
Despite these temptations and threats to the threads of our common humanity, we must remain relentless in our commitment to be a family of God. The Christian call to love is categorical and has no boundaries. Love is at the heart of our faith and only the principles of Christ and not the morality of others should be our guide.
Although the death of Fr. Sylvester has stirred a heavy storm of despondency on us all, let us never be cowed into losing the faith nor proclaiming Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to gentles (cf.1Cor. 1: 23 -25). In the face of such tragedy, we are called to respond not with despair but with the hope that our faith provides. Don’t forget, St. Paul reechoes this by assuring us that faith does not disappoint (cf. Rom. 5: 5).
In the first reading, the prophet Isaiah presents a powerful vision of hope and restoration. The prophet’s vison symbolizes the ultimate victory over death and suffering, as God will remove the veil of mourning and wipe away tears from our faces. The same message of consolation from the Gospel reading we just heard assures us of Jesus’ power and presence in our lives to transform our despair into joy by raising the dead child and restoring him to life.
My dear friends, brothers and sisters, we have only one response to the murderers among us, to those who worship darkness and evil, to those who are under the grip of sinful flesh: We stand under the banner of Christ and death has no victory over us (1 Cor. 15: 55). We will not retreat, we will continue with the light of Christ until the work of Satan comes under the light of Christ.
Remember that by accepting to serve Christ, unworthy as we are, we have embraced the highest gift any human being can be given. Freely we have received and freely we will continue to give with our lives (see. Matt. 10:8). Even if the hounds of hell are bearing down on us, we will always choose Christ. By the martyrdom of our son and priest, Fr Sylvester, I enjoin you, let us reiterate our resolve as priests, pastors and people of God to courageously carry the torch of the Gospel to the ends of the earth, notwithstanding the barrage of attacks and humiliation to our dignity and Our Faith! Nothing will separate us with the love of Jesus Christ, the universal Lord of Lords (cf. Rom. 8:38).
To all of you beloved sons and daughters of the Diocese of Kafanchan and begotten children of God, know that “when the face is sad, the heart grows in wisdom” (Eccl. 7:3). I have said this before but will continue to repeat it until someone listens, that this is the time for us to drop every divisive element that threatens our collective existence. This is the time to embrace our common humanity. This is the time to form a common force that will fight for our common dignity. Let us avoid the temptation of the divisions caused by religion, ethnicity or social class. This is our heritage and we will defend it with all that we have. We carry no animosity against anyone. However, as Scripture says, there is a time for everything (Eccl. 3:1). There is a time to die and a time to live. We believe now is the time to live and in dignity.
For us as a church, we have a new challenge before us. We have to be alive before we can worship God. The dead do not praise God. There must be a deliberate attempt towards securing our lives and investments. It is now evidently clear that no one will do that for us. This is the reason I passionately appealed to you that as a matter of urgency, must take actions to solidify the gains of our evangelization. Now is the time for both the clergy and lay faithful to come together and draw up new strategies on how to secure and sustain our facilities and expand new frontiers. When the face is sad, the heart grows in wisdom!
To mama and the biological family members of Father Sylvester, I know words are not adequate to console you, but remember that love transcends even the deepest loss. Your son, who also became my spiritual son, left a legacy that will endure in the hearts of not only in the places he had worked but in all of us here in the Diocese of Kafanchan. In your grief lean on your cherished memories of him as a valuable member of our family. May you find comfort in knowing that he is embraced by eternal peace, and that his spirit will continue to guide and protect you. Your son’s life was a gift to the church and the community here, and his journey continues in the hearts of all he inspired.
Let us pray for his eternal rest, that he may find peace in the embrace of our Lord. Let us also pray for the strength to carry on his mission, to be instruments of God’s love in a world that so desperately needs it. In our sorrow, may we find hope. In our mourning, may we find purpose. And in our loss, may we find the courage to continue the work God has entrusted to us.
May God bless and grant you the grace to die in Christ!
