Changing Direction - Fr. Williams Abba, 3/16/25

One of the ancient images we still use to describe life is the “journey” that we all make from the womb to the tomb. The image of the journey speaks of a passage through time and places; it includes the people we have met, the kind of time we have had, and the successes and failures we have experienced on the way. Although many people aspire to the same goals in life, everyone’s journey is different in its own details. We all have to make our own journey; It is life's task that no one can do for us.

With most of the journeys we make in life we know our destination and how to get there. If we are unsure, we just check the map. But our life journey is not easy. This is because life is not only a journey, it is a search:  we all have to discover for ourselves the paths that will lead us to what we seek. Some of the roads we take lead us to dead ends, and unless we want to pitch our tent in a dead end we move on. We learn that it is important to keep going. As Robert Louis Stevenson observed: “to travel hopefully is a better thing than to arrive, and the true success is to labor.”

READ MORE

A Tribute In Loving Memory of Fr Sylvester Okechukwu

“Some people, sweet and attractive, and strong and healthy, happen to die young. They are masters in disguise, teaching us about impermanence.” Dalai Lama

In a couple of hours, we will gather at the Cathedral of St Peter Claver Kafanchan with heavy hearts, not just because of the loss of our beloved son and priest, Fr Sylvester Okechukwu, but because of the senseless act of violence that took his life. 

That Fr Sylvester died the way he did is not okay. Father was murdered. He was the victim of an evil, brutal, sinful, commandment breaking act.

Like all priests, Fr Sylvester had concluded plans for ash Wednesday. He had his palms burnt and ashes well sieved and kept ready. He was looking forward to marking the foreheads of his parishioners with these ashes and reminding them that they were dust and to this dust they will return. 

Unbeknownst to him, evil was lurking. Death was knocking. He was about to be dust, to be returned to  his maker. 

He went to bed early to get good rest to prepare for a busy ash Wednesday. He had hardly closed his eyes when merchants of death came knocking. 

They broke his door and took him away. He did not put up any resistance. Like a lamb, he followed, prayed, and wished for the best for himself. After all, that was not going to be his first encounter with kidnappers. He had this horrific  experience in the past and overcame it. He may have wished that this too would come to pass. But he was wrong! 

By early morning of ash Wednesday, March 5th, Fr Sylvester’s lifeless body was found at the foot of the mountain, not too far from his place of pastoral assignment. He was condemned to death by a murderous gang. 

 The kidnappers didn’t pick him up for ransom. They came for his life. No call for negotiation. Money wasn’t the motive. His life and priesthood were. 

This tragedy is a stark reminder of the dangers faced by those who dedicate their lives to serving God and humanity and the fragility and impermanence  of human life. 

Stories of priests and pastoral agents losing their lives abound.

 From North to West, East to South, priests and pastoral agents are preyed upon. They are easy targets. They are forcefully removed from their rectories. 

Lucky ones get freed when ransom is paid. Unlucky ones are not so lucky. Even when ransom is paid, they still pay the supreme price. Such is the reality of priests and pastoral agents in Nigeria.  

Fr Sylvester won’t be the first to be murdered in Kafanchan diocese. Before him, there was Fr Johmark Cheitnum, who was murdered in Yadin Garu en route Krosha, where he was billed to preach at a first Mass. His corpse was found the morning of the next day. 

But who would want to kill Fr Sylvester Okechukwu and to what end? A man who can not even hurt a fly? 

Fr Sylvester lived a life of faith, dedicated to serving God and his people. He was a true shepherd, guiding his flock with wisdom and compassion. He was well loved by the entire community, Catholics and non Catholics alike - such a priest with humble disposition. Never known for frivolities and vain life: calm, amiable, personable, soft spoken, polite, kind, thoroughly respectful, gentle spirit, and unwavering faith. 
 
He touched so many lives with his kindness and generosity.

 Without a doubt,  Fr Sylvester was a beacon of hope, a source of comfort, and a true servant of God.

 His ministry will forever be etched in the hearts of people who encounter him.
 
But we are all troubled, and, like Thomas, we too will say, “We don’t know where you’re going. We’ve lost our way.” What we’re going through is too hard, too dark, too painful. To which, just as he did to Thomas, Jesus replies, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” What he’s saying is if you want to be prepared for anything, and to safely negotiate awful times like this, keep your eyes on me. That there is ugliness, pain, sin, and hopelessness in the world, doesn’t mean you have to let your life be defined by them. If you let me, I will be your way through life’s darkest moments. This is our faith, and we trust the Good Lord to assuage our pain as we mourn our brother and friend.  

We know that Fr Sylvester is now in the loving embrace of the Lord. He is a martyr. He is at peace, free from suffering, insecurity, and fear and now surrounded by the saints.

We celebrate his short life and his faith, and we know that he will rise again with Christ on the last day.

Let us be a community of love and support for one another, especially during times of grief and loss. 

May the Lord grant us the strength to carry on Fr Sylvester’s legacy of faith, hope, and love.

Though our hearts are heavy, our faith remains strong. We know that Fr Sylvester is now with the Lord, and we will meet him again in heaven.

Let us pray for Fr Sylvester and for all those who have lost loved ones to violence and may the blood shed by Fr Sylvester not go in vain but mark the end of such violence against priests and defenceless Nigerians. May we from now on, begin to experience a new dawn, filled with peace and security of lives and properties in Southern Kaduna, the entire state and Nigeria. 

May the soul of Fr Sylvester and the souls of all the faithful departed rest in the peace of Christ.

So long, gentle servant of God. Adieu, good man!