We cannot relegate the importance of prayers In Nigeria Situation, Fr. Ikpere CSsR: Interview

Good Morning, you are welcome to Holy Spirit Parish. Well before going to answer any question, let me correct something. For us Redemptorists or Religious, we don’t really see any position given to us as elevation or promotion, but rather a call to serve. Primarily, we committed ourselves to serve God in this way of life as missionaries. So wherever we are sent to work, it is an opportunity to serve and no other thing attached to it. And it is not as if you have been given an office that is bigger than others. Wherever you find yourself, primarily is to serve and do the missionary work.

So far, this isvour fifteen years of existence or stay in Warri Diocese. We arrived the Diocese in 2004 and this place, Holy Spirit Parish Iwhrekpokpo was an outstation to Saints Peter and Paul Parish Ughelli but the Redemptorists were asked to take over and since then, I believe you would have seen what has become of this part of the church in Warri Diocese. Then the mission of the Redemptorists is simple; coming from our motto; “To bring plentiful Redemption to the people of God”. That is the reason, the aim, the goal of our founder Saint Alphonsus. To bring plentiful Redemption, To bring Salvation. Like our founder, Saint Alphonsus, he went down and penetrated the people. So there is this personal touch to the people. In all our foundations as Redemptorists, whether being in the parish, in the mission or in the retreat house, the emphasis on our messages is to bring plentiful Redemption, the salvation or the soul of christian and these can only be possible through the emphasis on the love of God, emphasis on repentance and emphasis on conversion. That is why in our parishes, the sacrament of reconciliation is very very key to us. All our parishes all over the world, wherever we work, even if you wake a priest from a deep sleep for confession, he will not deny you because that is a moment if salvation for that soul.

Then in our parishes, we have confessions daily at all Masses. Whenever a priest celebrates Mass, after the Mass he is approachable for the sacrament of reconciliation. So our staying here,we have been able impact on the people of God in this area, what it means to love God and what it means for God to love them. Bringing closer to them the ideas of God’s love. So working here, there is a new orientation that God is not just that father that is far from the people, but a loving father that is close to the people. So we have been able to serve about ten outstations, one is now a parish. That is Saint Francis Agbarho-Otor and other outstations that where originally part of Holy Spirit Parish, Iwhrekpokpo that was given to Saint Francis Agbarho-Otor. In all of this, every week we give them masses apart from the Sunday masses, we made ourselves available to give them masses during the week unlike what they might have experienced in the past as an outstation when it may take them two or three months after before having a mass. So I think with this idea of bringing God close to them and the messages of plentiful redemption, we have been able to draw the people closer to God.

Currently here, we are three priests, myself Rev. Fr. Isaac Ikpere CSsR, Fr. Kingsley, CSsR and Fr. Paschal CSsR.

As Redemptorists, we don’t work alone, we work as a team because we live what we call community life. So, no one Redemptorist  work in a parish. It must be two at least or three and above. At the same time, we are open to mission preaching like going out for retreat, and going out for others.

Well I am not from this parish by birth or by baptism. I am from Saints Peter and Paul parish Ughelli as I was born and baptised there. It was fortunate for me that I joined the Redemptorists congregation and they are in this part of the diocese that is so close to Saints Peter and Paul Ughelli. So by affiliation of being my congregation, I attached myself to the parish when I was a student. Whenever I come back home for holiday, I come here to assist or help, but my home village Owevwen is under Holy Spirit Catholic Parish and by virtue of my village being an outstation to this parish, am also from here. So when I got the information to come here and work by my superior, there were other plans, ambitions for me. I have earlier work in two other dioceses and this is the third, bit you know everyman will have a personal  ambition, bit as a Redemptorist,  considering your vow of obedience, your congregation comes first. Whatever you are called to do, you must obey. That is what you freely vow to, you were not compel, you were not force to so when I was called, humanly I felt coming back to familiar territory and following that biblical injunction, but again the will of our superior is the will of God at any given time. Then I said,maybe God is calling me to something different and maybe God is calling me to minister differently. Again there is a saying that Charity always begins at home. So my first Sunday here in the parish, I told the people of God that even though that I maybe thinking that some days I might come back home to work, but not definitely at this stage of my life. But same time, you cannot question the will of God. So He alone decided through the wisdom of the superior, whom am I? And I vow to obey the will of the congregation, so I said if this is the will of God, so be it because I have vowed to work or go to wherever I am sent to work. I will not deny appointment nor refuse any appointment. I will make myself available wherever I am sent. But you also know one thing, one of the reasons I join the missionary is to work outside home, but when you are planning, your plans may not be the plans of God. God always has his plans. So my impression is that the people must express their feelings because you are from the soil and close to them, as such there must be over familiarity and you know familiarity brings contempt. There must be this attitude towards you because it also affected the master of the work Jesus Christ himself. But the truth is that no matter what they said about Him, inasmuch he knew what he was doing was right, He continues. So one thing I told myself, is I am here to do mission work of God, anything that will make me deviate from it, that will not be the will of God, but in as much what I am doing is of God, no matter what anyone says, I will be focus and continue my work until I live here. Whatever people may say will not discourage me, inasmuch I am convinced that this is work and this is what God ask me to do, I will do it with all my heart without any fear.

For your few months of stay here, will you say you enjoy working here and, would you say your parishioners are cooperating and supportive?

Yes . I think the people of Holy Spirit Parish or people from this part of Ughelli are very very passionate in terms of what they believe in. They believe that their pastor is leading them to grace and that is the best for them. They are supportive and is visible in the pastoral team that have work with them. They have always threw their weight behind each pastoral team in any project inspite of coming from a very poor background. Whatever you see on ground here is not really but the little they gave, like when we were building our church here, you see parishioners coming from home with shovels, head pans and other tools to work. They use both their time and energy to work. Some cook food for those working, some bring water and other things. They are very passionate and whenever their is a project to be actualised, they stand behind the pastoral team. So far, I will say their support has not been different from what hey have shown to other pastoral team. The people have been supportive and I must appreciate and commend their efforts even in the middle of hardship.

Well the first team was made up of three Redemptorists. For us what make you a Redemptorists, is not your ordination but your profession. Taking of vow makes you a Redemptorist. Once the vow is taken, the CSsR will be added your name as a Redemptorist. So three Redemptorist started this mission, Rev. Fr. William Ikreh a native of Warri diocese, Rev. Fr. Alfred Osamor, a native of Issele-Uku diocese and then Brother Prayer Odede now Rev. Fr. Prayer Odede who later became a parish priest here. Three of them started  the parish then followed by pastoral team of Rev. Frs. Alfred, Humphrey, Donatus Chukwu and Sabin. After these team, it was the team of Rev. Fr. Fidelis Okpanachi, Benjamin Emetor also of Warri diocese. Among them were Brothers who came for pastoral year that I may not be able to mention just like Fr. Prayer did when the parish begun. The fourth team was made up of Rev. Frs. Fidelis Okpanachi, John Ogiehor, Henry Ogiese and immediately after these team, Rev. Fr. Fidelis was left with Rev. FRS. John Ogiehor and Michael Emeruo before the turn of Rev. FRS. Kurungu, Prayer and Vincent and in between Rev. Fr. Thaddeus who also worked here. These team is now followed by the present pastoral team which include myself Rev. Fr. Isaac and Rev. Fr. Paschal. Together, all of us that have worked here or served in the pariah is about fifteen priests and numerous brothers. And in each team, hardly you see one priest, it is either two or three because we live a community life. So it takes two above to form a community and for us, two is inadequate for a proper community. It is either three or four and above.

Our founding father founded the Congregation with one mind of meeting the people at the grassroot and getting them to know the love of God. Our founder Saint Alphonsus published a hundred and eleven books, that is one of the reasons he is named doctor of the church. Therriscthis book he wrote about the love of God. When you read the book, even as a none christian,you will begin to see the love of God for us human. So it is one approach, our own style of bringing the gospel to the people. Telling the people that this God is so close to them. So bringing God to them in this manner, whatever you tell them about their commitment to this God, they do it knowing fully well that they are doing it to God who really loves them. I think that one secret I can say and its visible in all our parishes around this country. For instance, one of the big pariah in Lagos, The Archangel parish was built from the slunk. Something in this place. Though it is not as if ithis is possible juts because of human efforts, no. The Redemptorist being a congregation that work as as a community, so the Redemptoriats in London, USA  are in communal with the Redemptorists in Nigeria. So sometimes when something is happening here, they support our work Herr and I canvtell you more than fifty percent of  what happened here came from those people who have experienced the Redemptoist work outside there. For example, you may look at this parish as a very big parish but it is a big mistake until you attend Sunday mass here, it will now be visible to you as majority of the parishioners here are peasant farmers and old people that come to daily masses. We have old people, widows/widowers who have committed themselves to serving God.

As Redemptorists, our call is to minister to the people. The church is the people of God with Christ as their head. So first as a priest, it is your commitment to the people of God. The church is a collaborative church that was why in my first opening statement here as a priest I told them to ignore that wrong notion that the church belong to the priest. The church is Catholic church  and in the Catholic church, we are collaborators. The Church has two divide; the clergies and the lay faithful. The lay cannot do without the clergy and the clergy cannot do without the lay. And each participate in the liturgy according  to your rank, position and status. The priest will not or cannot take the role of the choir,  neither can he take the place of the church warden. A priest cannot be at the altar celebrating the mass and do all these and if they are not in place, the celebration may not be effective because the liturgy suppose to be participatory. So this ideas of the people of God saying they don’t have a responsibilities  or stake in the church is not correct. They have a big stake in the happenings of the church but each according to rank. Most time, all this happened when some lay people begin  to teach the priest how to say mass. There will be confusion there. That is where all this things are coming from when you here them say why not do it this way. Even if you want to bring something to the attention of the priest, there are ways to follow. This is the reason why the church have different councils, we have the pastoral council which is made up of leaders from different group, societies and organisations. This council is an advisory council to the parish priest or pastoral team. Being the highest council in the parish, whatever they discussed or decision reached, the priest takes this back to the pastoral team and administratively, they seal. There is also the laity council which comprises of all laity. They discuss issues that affects the life of the parish and a member or some representatives are also part of that pastoral council, so whatever thing they discussed there is brought to the pastoral council to form part of what is used to run the parish administratively. But also you cannot rule the attitude of some of our priests to the lay people, but I think my take in it is  that, it has to do with understanding of the church. For example, a lay person should know his/her bounds and responsibilities likewise the priest. Each should know his bounds and limits as well as responsibilities. Therefore, I will  say to God’s people that the church is not owned by the priest nor the laity alone, but there is a common ground as they compliment each other.

Do you enjoy working in Warri Diocese as a missionary priest?

As a missionary priest, the first thing you give to yourself is fulfilment to work where you are sent to work. Like me the first assignment given to me was at the diocese of Abeokuta. When l left, the bishop was even surprise . he said just can and now moving on? To be a missionary wherever you are sent to becomes your home. You have to learn on time. We have priests like  like Rev. Fr. Richard Timi who is 92 years of age and he is in Ibadan for over thirty years and noe he has even written his will to be buried in in Nigeria. So for him, wherever he is working is his home, even though he is from the US. That is our mentality as Redemptorists in particular. So working here I have no option than to enjoy the work. You just have to engrossed yourself and find fulfilment, if not. As for me I enjoy working in Warri diocese.

Will encourage young men aspiring for the Catholic priesthood to join the Redemptorists Congregation?

If you feel as a young person you are call to join the Redemptorists, yes I will encourage you bit I will not go the extra mile of persuading him because it a call. As a young man if you think you love this Redemptorists maybe the way they do their things or the way they preach, or perhaps the way they do their missionary work, then I will encourage you. Since I came, many have walked up to me telling me I loved the Redemptorists and I said to them okay, but now we have stop intake because we are doing restructuring and once the admission portal opens again, I will inform you and you can apply. As a young man who walked up to me that you want to join, yes I will explain to you, encourage you and pray about it and if truly it is a call of God.

In the Catholic church or the priesthood, we have the diocesan life and the religious life. What differentiate the religious is the evangelical vows that remains strictly, and so they are called the Consecrated persons and out of these Consecrated persons we also have a group called to the Apostolic life. They may not make the profession of vows the way the complete consecrated persons make their vows. Some take oath or promise. But for us Redemptorists, we take solemn vows. We professes the vows of chastity, poverty and obedience and these vows we strictly followed. These vows are also lived-in  in a community. So, the difference between this life’s and those who belong to the society of Apostolic life are different from those who are strictly called the Consecrated religious. Like the MSP, SMA, SCHEONSTATS FATHERS, OPUS DEI etc, belong to the Apostolic life. It is apostolic because they don’t strictly live a community life. Though they take their own oaths, but generally all of us are religious, but we know the little differences. Congregation such as the Dominican, Augustinian, the Camellite, Jesuit or the Redemptorists are all strictly religious because they make the simple and solemn vows. What really differentiate us from others is that we make simple vows, that is first profession. So when you make your first profession, you automatically become a member of the congregation. With the solemn, final or perpetual vow, you become a member of the congregation for life. At this stage, you cannot leave on your own, but in case you choose to live, it has to be on process and such process have to come from the Vatican. In the case of Redemptorists, after your solemn vow, nobody can ask you to go except you want to go, and before you will go, you have to be laicized. So the Redemptorists Congregation in terms of similarities, it is similar to the Dominican, Carmelite, Jesuits or the Augustinian but we make this two vows and we live in a community. One thing that is unique among all religious is that we all are missionaries. We are not consecrated for one diocese unlike the diocesan priests.

Yes. What makes you a Redemptorists is not ordination. Like I earlier said, as long you have professed, you are a member of the Redemptorists. For instance, when you see a Redemptorists Brother or student like the one you call seminarian, there is no difference between the way they dress and the way a Redemptorist priest is dressing.

Well, as I earlier told you, there is a kind of restructuring going on presently in Nigeria Redemptorist. Formerly when you are admitted, you undergo a one year postulancy for pre-novitiate and a second year of novitiate like what you call spiritual year in the diocesan priesthood. After this two years, you make your first profession of vows. With the making of this vows, you are now a Redemptorist and whenever your name is called, the CSsR will be added. Then to concretized that name CSsR on you, you make your final vow after some years of studies and understanding the life and at the end, a final evaluation is made to see if you are qualify or you can tell yourself I don’t think I can cope. So for us we have Brothers who have decided not to be ordained priests, they join to become Brothers. They are lay brothers that will not be ordained priests but they are equal with the priest because what makes you a Redemptorist is your vows. The only thing they cannot do is the celebration of the mass, if not they can do every other thing. Base on our mentality, we don’t really know much or understand the life of the Brothers because we only look up to the priest. The Brother is a very noble call in the religious life as the brother has a lot to do. They help out in the catechesis of the church. For instance, all our Brothers in the Redemptorist studied Theology.

Whatever a priest knows in Theology, the brother know also. In fact, they even go far more advanced studies. There are brothers who are Canon Lawyers, who trained very wide to help the church. For example of our church building in Ibadan was drawn and design by a brother who studied Civil Engineering. So they go into different fields of study. Not all of us are called to the priesthood. To us, “The priesthood is an added blessing“, it is not a goal of becoming a Redemptorist. If you want to become a priest, you ask yourself, do I just want to become a priest? For instance if I had just want to become a priest, I would have join the diocesan priests because their aim is to become priest, parish priest who administer in the parish. To us Redemptorists, it is much more than that for us. Joining the Redemptorists is joining their way of life. This is our way of life, staying together in a community, preaching plentiful redemption. You can preach this plentiful redemption as a priest and as a brother. That is why, if a young person come to us, we try our best explaining to them. So you look unto a particular priest in a particular diocese and conclude o want to be like him and Redemptorists is now a platform or a medium to become a priest, no. The Redemptorists is not a meansvof becoming a priest, it is a call to life.