ABRAHAM ANSELM ISIDAHOME OJEFUA, PRIEST AND FOUNDER

SERVANT OF GOD ABRAHAM ANSELM ISIDAHOME OJEFUA, PRIEST AND FOUNDER

Father Ojefua was born at Igueben, Igueben Local Government of Edo State on January 15, 1910 and named Isidahome. At Baptism he took the name of Anselm. He entered the seminary at Asaba on February 10, 1930 and was ordained Priest at Warri on December 20, 1942.

He returned from further studies (which he undertook in Ireland) and began a teaching career at Saint Patrick’s, Asaba. Father Ojefua

later founded and headed a number of secondary schools and eventually became the Catholic Education Secretary for the Diocese of Benin.

This holy Priest used the mass media and lectures to fight social evils and such anti-Catholic and anti-social institutions as Freemasonry and the Ogboni Society. He also edited Catholic Life, an immensely popular magazine that was very critical of the then Western Nigeria government and the ills of society. Apart from publishing many booklets and leaflets on Catholic Doctrine and social issues, Father Ojefua, at the instruction of the Catholic Bishops of Nigeria, established the Order of the knights of St Mulumba (KSM), which was modelled on the Sacred Order of Catholic Knighthood. It has a current membership of over 20,000 (both male and female).

Established in Nigeria on June 14, 1953, the Order's aims and objectives include, “to bring Catholics together in a fraternal association for the good and progress of the church, welfare of its clergy, wellbeing of members of the Order in particular and Nigeria in general”.

The women wing known as the Ladies of Saint Mulumba (LSM) was inaugurated on June 24, 1978 in Calabar (Present day Cross River State). The Order has since established its presence as the Knights of St Matia Mulumba, Kampala, Uganda in 2004 and the Knights of St Mulumba , Mamfe, Cameroon, in 2008.

The saintly Reverend Father Abraham Anselm Isidahome Ojefua, though Esan by birth, spoke perfect Latin, English, Igbo and had a working knowledge of many local and international languages. He taught catechism and even celebrated Mass in Igbo and Latin.

After a life-changing accident, Father Ojefua

left his work as Catholic Education Secretary, entered monastic life. With His Lordship, Most Rev. Dr. G. M. P. Okoye, C.S.S.P, he co-founded Our Lady of Mount Calvary Monastery, Awhum, now an Abbey, in the early 1970s. He later founded Holy Cross Monastery, Illah (in present day Delta State) in 1982. Father Ojefua went to his eternal reward in 1988. He obviously belonged to the group of exemplary followers of Christ whose whole life consisted in service of God and humanity.

On April 17, 2021, the Inauguration of the Diocesan Inquiry began, led by Most Reverend Michael Elue, Bishop of Issele-Uku Catholic Diocese.

Sources: https://www.thegazellenews.com/news/rev-fr-anselm-abraham-ojefua-the-making-of-a-saint/

https://ksmnigeria.org/rev-father-ojefua/

https://www.issele-ukudiocese.org/bishop-elue-closes-diocesan-inquiry-towards-canonization-of-fr-abraham-ojefua/

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