One sunny Saturday afternoon in August 2007, my wife Felicia, was preparing lunch when she spotted a priest in white cassock inspecting the uncompleted Block 28, Plot 10A, Northern Foreshore Estate. She rushed to my room where I was resting and said: “Papa Chioma, come and see Rev. Father, come and see Rev. Father.” I stepped out straight to the plot to greet the priest. And the Priest said: “My name is Rev. Father Emmanuel Fadele, I am a Catholic Priest.” And I said “Oh!, my name is Isaac Ezechukwu, we are also Catholics”. “Really”, Father Emmanuel said. At that moment two other priests emerged from behind the house and I said “Good afternoon Fathers”, and they said, “Good afternoon sir.” The two other priests were Rev. Fathers Charles Akinloye and Patrick Ajayi. “We are coming from a wedding ceremony”, they said. I asked them if they would like to come inside the house and they accepted. My wife’s enthusiasm about seeing a priest that afternoon was because we had been waiting for a priest to bless our new home for us but the priest could not come due to a busy schedule and we moved in without blessing the house.
We exchanged pleasantries over drinks and Father Emmanuel Fadele spotted a portrait of mine hung on the wall and he said, “So you are from Aguleri”, I have been to Aguleri. I even ate kolanut in your Igwe’s palace.” “Really”, I said. He sang a popular anthem for which the Christian community in my town is known, to really tell me he had been to the town to our pleasant surprise. My wife and I reluctantly told the priests that we were new in the estate and that we had been waiting for a priest to come and bless the house for us but that the priest was yet to come due to a busy schedule. “You want to bless the house”, asked Father Emmanuel, and we said “yes.” Almost at once, the three of them got up, headed for their car and returned with their stoles and asked my wife to provide salt and water. And the house was blessed by the three priests to our great joy.
After the above encounter, Block 28, Plot 10A was eventually completed with a Chapel en-suite and Rev. Father Emmanuel moved in by the end of 2008. In March 2009, Father Emmanuel indicated interest to hold the first Mass in the Chapel. It was to be an evening Mass on a Friday and requested that I find and invite known Catholics in the Estate. The Estate was not fully populated then and socialization was still at a low level. We were able to invite just about five families we could identify, namely: Isaac Ezechukwu & Family, Charles Nwankwo & Family, Paul Ehiane & Family, Bonita Agbomekhe & Family, and Patrick Modilim & Family. Altogether, we had about 26 persons for the Mass. Father Emmanuel was elated because the response surpassed his expectation.
From one evening Mass on Friday, Saturday Morning Mass was also added. Later, Fr. Emmanuel commenced Sunday Mass at 6.30am. Population and attendance continued to increase, reaching 80 sometimes in the small sitting room.
In April 2009, Fr. Emmanuel set up Technical & Pastoral Committee and nominated Chief Isaac-Ogugua Ezechukwu the Chairman. Activities continued to take more formal shape and members generously donated needed initial facilities/items for Mass. In the first quarter of 2009, Rev. Fr. Austin Nwodo was posted to work with Fr. Emmanuel. As the year was coming to an end, members decided to have a get-together tagged: “2009 Family Get-together” which was hosted at the house of Chief Charles Nwankwo and Family at 22 Epsom Street. Plans started on how to acquire a bigger space in 2009. Our application to the Management of Northern Foreshore Estate for a parcel of land for church building was not successful. And before the year finally ended, His Eminence, Anthony Cardinal Okogie gave the name, Our Lady Star of The Sea Catholic Church” to our congregation.
2010 started with a lot of enthusiasm for growth. Evening Mass was introduced due to increasing population. The year also witnessed the first formal Harvest Thanksgiving by the members which was held at the open space by the water front in phase III, tagged “Harvest of Growth.” With a successful Harvest Thanksgiving, search for land for the church began in earnest. On December 10 2010, the First Holy Communion service was celebrated for our children.
