UGORJI INSTALLATION: Succession, a crucial element of the Church being Apostolic – Archbishop Filipazzi

By Padre Mike Umoh, CSN

The iconic Cathedral of Maria Assumpta in Owerri, Imo State, on Thursday June 23, 2022, hosted a pool of worshippers who flooded in to witness the historic installation of the second Metropolitan Archbishop of Owerri Archdiocese.
It was the Solemn Holy Mass to celebrate the official transfer of the Seat of the Cathedral and the stewardship of the Archdiocese of Owerri from Most Rev. Anthony John Valentine Obinna, who had shepherded the diocese for 28 years, to Most Rev. Lucius Iwejuru Ugorji, the former Bishop of Umuahia diocese.

Present at the epoch-making event were the Apostolic Nuncio to Nigeria, Most Rev. Antonio Guido Filipazzi and two Nigerian born Nuncios, Cardinals John Onaiyekan and Peter Okpaleke, and 37 Archbishops and Bishops from all over Nigeria. Also present were hundreds of priests, religious, seminarians, catechists and dignitaries from Church and State, led by the Governor of Imo State, Senator Hope Uzodinma, as well as the Presidential candidate for Labour Party, Mr Peter Obi.
In his homily at the Mass, Archbishop Filipazzi reminded the teeming congregation that the practice of succession as witnessed was a necessary corollary to the Apostolic character of the true Church of Christ. This is founded on the Catechism which teaches that “the Church is apostolic because she is founded on the apostles.” This implies that “the Church is apostolic in her origin, in the content of her faith and in the succession of those who guide her.” Following from this, the prelate affirmed that “the succession between Archbishop Ugorji and Archbishop Obinna is not a mere organizational change, but refers us to the fundamental characteristic of the Church….” Succession ceremonies in the Church are in keeping with the tradition of the Apostles who “established successors to continue their mission of preaching the Gospel, giving divine Grace and guiding people to salvation.”

Additionally, the Pope’s envoy to Nigeria explained that since “the College of Apostles was … succeeded by the College of Bishops, just as the Supreme Pontiffs succeeded the Apostle Peter up to Pope Francis, “Jesus is always with the Apostles who preach, baptise and govern the Church, because He is always with those who, in every era carry out the tasks given by the Apostles.” Thus, “Apostolic Succession is an instrument that the Holy Spirit uses to make the Lord
Jesus, Head of his people, present through those who are ordained for the ministry through the imposition of hands and the Bishop’s prayer.” It follows therefore that in Apostolic succession, it is Christ who reaches out, speaks, and acts, by the power of the Spirit.
Going further, the Homilist explained the consequences of the mystery of apostolic succession on Bishops and priests on the one hand, and on the lay faithful, on the other. For Bishops and priests, he said that since the mission of the Church is the same by the virtue of apostolic tradition, they are bound to remain faithful to the authentic practice of the faith instead of improvising; also, as true ‘servants and administrators,’ instead of inventing personal theories, Bishops and priests are to always preach the truth about Jesus Christ as revealed and handed down by Christ through the apostles; rather than seek after power, wealth and honour, they must carry out their duties in humility and strive to grow above self-interest and resist the temptation to abuse their pastoral position.
Similarly, the Nuncio exhorted the lay faithful on the demands which the reality of the Church as apostolic makes on them. Notably, the laity must see their Bishops as representatives of Jesus, and realise that the respect they accord them is actually to Christ…. “I invite all the children of the Church to have a true vision of faith in the Shepherds of the Church. Otherwise she becomes the field of a continuous struggle caused by ethnic, caste, local, political, social and economic divisions.” Moreover, the laity must consider the manner of their relationship with the bishop and pray more for him; apostolic succession also recognises and fosters the particular role of the laity in the Church, calling them to be more disposed to this mission particularly in the temporal order.

On his part, the newly installed Archbishop of Owerri expressed profound gratitude to God “for His unfathomable goodness … and for the golden opportunities to serve Him and the Church in different capacities.” He thanked the Holy Father and the Apostolic Nuncio for the enormous work he is doing in the Church in Nigeria. Archbishop Ugorji also accorded enormous respect to his predecessor, Archbishop Anthony Obinna, whom, in glowing tributes, he described as “a visionary, zealous, erudite and self-sacrificing prelate.” On behals of the people, he thanked him for successfully shepherding the Church in Owerri since 1993 as an indefatigable leader and prayed God to grant him good health, joy and interior peace in his well-deserved retirement.
Archbishop Lucius Iwejuru Ugorji has been a priest for 45 years, Bishop of
Umuahia for 32 years, and the Apostolic Administrator of Ahiara diocese for 4 years. Besides being the Metropolitan Archbishop of Owerri, he is also the President of the Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria (CBCN).
The history of Owerri Archdiocese can be traced as far back as 1912 when the Irish Holy Ghost priests established their first mission in Emekuku. This initial effort yielded remarkable fruit in the creation of the Vicariate Apostolic of Owerri in 1948 and the Diocese of Owerri in 1950 with Bishop Joseph Brendan Whelan, CSSP as the first Bishop. He was succeeded in 1970 by Bishop Mark Onwuha Unegbu, until 1993 when Bishop Obinna took over. Owerri became an
Archdiocese on March 26, 1994 with Archbishop Anthony Obinna as the first
Archbishop. Today, Owerri city is predominantly a Catholic community with over 160 parishes served by about 300 incardinated priests, and over 500 male and female religious.