Bishop Godfrey Igwebuike Onah of the Catholic Diocese of Nsukka has described his predecessor, the Emeritus Bishop of the diocese, Most Rev. Francis Ogbonnaya Okobo as a living miracle and a great man of faith. The Local Ordinary made the declaration while delivering a homily on June 10, 2018 during a dedication mass at Our Lady Mary Mother of Mercy, Madonna Chaplaincy, Onuiyi, Nsukka when the Chaplain, Rev. Fr. Jude Nwodo and the entire members of the chaplaincy welcomed the Catholic Bishop for the dedication of their chaplaincy.

At the mass, which was concelebrated by Bishop Onah, Bishop Okobo, the Chaplain and some priests, Most Rev. Onah immensely thanked God for the gift of Bishop Okobo, praying God to continue to bless and sustain him. He made it known to all that the Church dedication is a miraculous deed by God and urged the Chaplaincy members to live up to divine expectations.

According to Bishop Onah, Bishop Okobo is a man of faith who has laid solid foundation for Christians in Nsukka diocese. He stressed that fidelity to Christ is the only source of salvation and urged the congregation to respect the sacredness of the dedicated Church. The Father Bishop thanked everyone who made the day a reality and commended the Chaplain for his doggedness and accountability, announcing to the faithful that it was a day set aside to hand over the Church to God.

The Bishop complimented the Church which is indeed one that has a divine aura; a Church that will leave one with a hunger to pray and worship God. He prayed for God to sustain the faith of His people and grant faith to those who lack it. The Chief Shepherd performed the rights of dedication after the liturgy of the word which included, the anointing of the sanctuary and the walls, incensing of the sanctuary and the lighting of the walls, with the help of some priests present. In his vote of thanks, the Chapain, Rev. Fr. Jude Nwodo appreciated all who were present at the event most especially, His Lordship, Most Rev. G. I. Onah and Most Rev. F. O. Okobo who laid the foundation of the Church.

Recall that it is the Emeritus Bishop, Most Rev. F. O. Okobo who started the building project with the little amount of money generated from financial assistance from well-wishers during his sick days many years ago. Hence, the Chaplain and the lay faithful were very much overwhelmed and grateful to God who made the achievement possible, because according to some of them, in the beginning they were skeptical whether they could go on, but with God’s grace, they passed through it all and came out victorious at the end.