Friday, December 8, 2023 was a colourful day at Ndi-Elu Ugwueke, in the Catholic Diocese of Umuahia, where all roads led to the Solemn Dedication of the Nativity Abbey for the Monastery of the Order of St.Benedict and the blessing of their pioneer Abbess, Rev. Mother Mary Bride Njoku,OSB, who had before then been elected and confirmed by His Holiness Pope Francis.
The Solemn ceremony was principally presided over by the Most Rev.Lucius Ugorji, the Archbishop of Owerri, the Metropolitan of Owerri Province, and the President of the Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria, CBCN. He was assisted by other Bishops including Most Rev.Michael Ukpong, Bishop of Umuahia, Most Rev Augustine Echema, Bishop of Aba, Most Rev.Denis Isiuzo, Bishop of Aguleri, and Most Rev Solomon Amatu, Bishop of Okigwe diocese who was represented by Msgr. John Iwe the Vicar General, Monsignoris, and the clergy from Umuahia and other Dioceses.
The beautiful Abbey which was to be dedicated was filled to the brim and overflowing with nuns of the Nativity Monastery, women and men religious from different congregations, and the faithful from the host community and beyond.
The Nativity Monastery at Ugwueke in Umuahia Diocese is the first of its kind in the entire Owerri Ecclessiastical Province.It is a female Benedictine Monastery in Nigeria under the immediate cannonical jurisdiction of Rome.The Abbess, a prelate in the full sense of the word, exercises the dignity corresponding to the three-fold office of Christ, whose office she holds as Shepherd,Teacher, and King over the Monastic community which is a mystical local church under her governance just as the Bishop does over his Diocese.
The Abbey is a higher ranking monastic community under the governance of an Abbot for men or an Abbess for women.The church in the community is part of the Abbey; but it can also in a secondary sense be referred to as an Abbey.The Monastery is an Abbey because it has an Abbot or Abbess as head.The church is an Abbey because it is the church where the Abbot or Abbess resides.These clarifications apply to fully understand the status of the Nativity Abbey at Ugwueke.
The ceremony of the day was first to solemnly dedicate the Abbey according to the Sacred Rites of Dedication to function for the nuns and others as House of God and House of Prayer (Domus Dei et Domus Orationis); secondly to bless and install the Abbess solemnly within the Eucharistic Celebration after the homily to enable her rule over the Abbey and her community and all other things entrusted to her by the Lord.
At this juncture , the presiding prelate, wearing his mitre addressed a few words to the people about Abbatial blessing and installation, following the prescribed Rule of St Benedict, the founding Father and Abbot of the Monastic Order.
He then prayed and sat down as the Presiding Prelate in front of the altar while the Abbess- Elect was accompanied to the Prelate by an assisting nun, as the community intones the “Surge propera amica mea…”, preparatory to the rites of blessing.
She knelt before the Prelate as the nun that accompanied her to the prelate and asked him in the name of their community to bless her as their Abbess. Prelate asks to confirm whether she had been duely elected and subjected her to cannonical examinations orally.
This was followed by the singing of the Litany of the Saints with the clergy and people kneeling while the Abbess-Elect prostrated before the sanctuary. After this she got up and moved to the Prelate who with hands outstretched over her head said the prayers of blessings.This came to a close with “Amen” at 11.52 am.
This stage was followed by the giving of the insignia of office comprising the Rule (of St Benedict),the Ring and Crozier, earlier blessed by the Bishop; each given after reading out by a nun of an appropriate Chapter of St Benedict Rule.
The presiding prelate addressed the community, making a statement of presentation of their Abbess to them, requesting them to accept her authority, while supporting her with love and prayers.They affirmed that they will.
The presiding prelate then conducted the Abbess to her stall where she was installed by the prelate standing before her, and exhorting her to rule deligently over the Abbey and the community and all entrusted to her by the Lord.
This ceremony which in solemnity differs only slightly from the ordination of a Bishop took place during the holy Mass. She had been dressed as she ought to be earlier, and was not presented with the mitre among the insignia of office as applies to Bishops.
