Bishop Anthony Okonkwo Gbuji at 90 – Total Trust in Divine Providence by Most Rev. Dr. Augustine O. Akubeze (Catholic Archbishop of Benin City and President of Catholic Bishops of Nigeria)

“So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its own. Today’s trouble is enough for today. (Matthew 6:34). consider this passage very apt in attempting to summarize Bishop Gbuji’s attitude towards the work of God and in dealing with human beings as pastoral agents of God. He always trusts divine providence will take care of the worries of tomorrow. It is difficult for me to know where to begin from when writing about an ecclesiastical icon like Bishop Anthony Okonkwo Gbuji.

I was privileged to work with him for 8 years as his Chancellor. He admitted me into the seminary, and he ordained me a priest, and he sent me to Rome to study Canon Law. A brief write up on him can hardly capture the experience one gets from being with Bishop Gbuji. He is adevoted Church man. His love for God and the Church motivates everything he does. He is a seasoned administrator, a problem solver, a bridge builder, a peace maker and a pastoral adventurer. No wonder at the age of 90, Bishop Gbuji is still writing books, reading journals and writing homilies. Bishop Gbuji is most likely the first Nigerian canonist.

He basically founded Canon Law Society of Nigeria, and provided canonical advice to the Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria for many years. The history of Canon Law in the Church in Nigeria cannot be written without reference to this sound erudite jurist. Bishop Gbuji even in retirement continues to take interest in canonical jurisprudence. He reads a lot and very knowledgeable in many areas. The trust in divine providence is very manifest in his decisions. Working with him, I have come to learn that the Lord is the master of the future and that God provides for us even before we ask him to do so. Bishop Gbuji is a cheerful giver and generous person.

Gifts given to him are immediately given out to others. He always anticipates needs of people. With Gbuji, the true spirit of poverty is seen, that is, detachment from material things. The world and the Church need more of Bishop Gbuji. The income disparity between the rich and the poor is so wide because we do not have more of Bishop Gbuji. The corruption in Nigeria is so high because we do not have many of Bishop Gbuii As pioneering Bishop of Issele-Uku Diocese, he established canonical structures of governance, and embarked upon massive grass root evangelization.

For him, the Church exists for mission, the Church exists for evangelization; outreach programmes, revival programmes and re-orientation programmes are all necessary for the Church to fulfil1 her mission. It is difficult to meet a pastoral workaholic like Bishop Gbuji. When he sets out to do something, he does not rest until it is completed. One can easily see the wisdom in the mind of the Church authority when they appointed him first Bishop of Issele-Uku Diocese, and when the need came; he was transferred to Enugu Diocese. Even in his retirement, he was appointed Apostolic Administrator of the Archdiocese of Benin City.

The spiritual life of Gbuji is centered on the Eucharist. His entire prayer life is Christocentric. The daily celebration of Mass is given top most priority. He spends time praying before the Blessed Sacrament. The Divine Office for him is not just an obligation to be fulfilled but he sees it as a call to a personal relationship with Christ who speaks through the Psalms and the Sacred Scripture. The undying pastoral zeal of Bishop Gbuji definitely comes from his closeness to Christ in the Eucharist and his great devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary. It is because of Bishop Gbuji’s trust in divine providence that allowed him to establish the New Evangelization Sisters when he did. Not knowing what the future will be like, he was sure that God the Master of the future will take care of things in the future.

The religious institute he founded is now of a diocesan right, working towards becoming a pontifical right. The School of Evangelization he founded has trained many people that are now pastoral agents of transformation in the field of evangelization. Needless, to say, that many indigenous religious institutes in Nigeria owe it to Bishop Gbuji in the writing of their constitutions and Directories. Bishop Anthony Okonkwo Gbuji at 90 remains one of the few living ecclesiastical icons and patriarchs of the Faith. He remains one of the rare people who studied Canon Law with the 1917 Code, ordained with the Tridentine Rite, ordained before the start of the Second Vatican Council, and yet embraced the teachings of the Second Vatican Council.

Bishop Gbuji is not afraid of change, as long as the change leads to progress. He is one of the few Bishops who seriously promote using new methods of evangelization as long as the content of the faith remains the same. Bishop Gbuji mastering of the 1983 Code reveals a man who is dynamic and open to new ideas. Bishop Gbuji is a living icon and a moving encyclopedia. The Church in Nigeria will remain ever grateful to him for his dedicated services as a priest for the past 63 years and as a Bishop for more than 48 years.

Bishop Gbuji has taught us that there is nothing impossible for God to do if we are willing to be used; and that we place our total trust in divine providence. May God continue to use Bishop Gbuji as his instrument until the day he calls him to enjoy eternal life in heaven. Amen