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From Stanley Uzoaru, Owerri
The gates of Domus Clero, the Catholic Retired Priests Home in Orlu Diocese, do not open often to cameras and crowds. Recently, they opened to prayer, to memory, and to Evangelist Ebuka Obi.
The phenomenal evangelist arrived not as a guest of ceremony, but as a son coming home. The atmosphere was quiet at first, then hymns soon gave way to tears. The hands that raised the Eucharist for decades were raised again, this time to receive.
Evangelist Ebuka Obi came with more than words. To each retired priest, he presented N100,000 for personal upkeep. To the home itself, he pledged N25 million for its running and care, part of which he dropped in cash and promised to transfer the balance. The workers, often unseen in such moments, were not forgotten either. He gave to each of them as well, something they were not used to.
Standing before the elders, Evangelist Ebuka Obi made a promise that drew audible gasps: “For coming here for the first time, I will support with N25 million. Before I leave, tell me other things you need.”
It was not a speech. It was an offering. One veteran priest, with a voice shaking, clung to Obi in gratitude and prayed for him. For a long moment, no one moved. The room held the weight of years of service finally being honoured in public.
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That weight was real in Imo. Many well-to-do sons and daughters of the Church had moved on, leaving the houses of rest to survive on little more than the weekly offerings. To see someone step in with both compassion and resources, to many, felt like divine intervention.
“I’ve never seen a man like this,” said Nwachukwu Ibeh, an Imo resident who watched as things unfolded. “He got my heart immediately. He did not only visit the senior priests, he offered them money. May God continue to bless Evangelist Ebuka Obi, and may God continue to use him to win more souls.”
Although the Catholic Church no doubt has taken care of their own, Obi’s gesture is a welcome development and a clarion call to those who want to assist in building the Lord’s vineyard.
At a time charity is often advertised before it is done, Evangelist Ebuka Obi’s visit to Domus Clero was different. It was private and quiet. It was a reminder that faith, at its best, remembers the faithful.
As Obi left, the priests did not ask for more. They asked for blessings. And, in Orlu, that may be the greatest gift of all.
