The Book
PREFACE
After my being announced as the new Bishop of Enugu on 9″ February 2009, Bishop A.0. Gbuji, my immediate predecessor, travelled with me or rather took me to Rome in March of the same year. One of the places we visited was the Grotto of Our Lady. There we spent some time praying. He later told me that as the search for his successor in Enugu was going on, he had always come to this place to request the intercession of Mary in the choosing of the Bishop of Enugu.
Now that I have been chosen, he is presenting me to Mary in thanksgiving for prayer answered, he said. This left a deep impression on me to date. This was at St. Mary Major Basilica. Occasionally, I go there to pray whenever I visit Rome.
Whoever comes close to Bishop Gbuji will not fail to feel his strong attachment to the work of evangelization. Many of us who had no contact with him before his episcopacy here in Enugu Diocese would only associate him with Schools of Evangelization in Nigeria. With time, it became clear that his strong devotion to Mary, the Mother of God, was the basis for this strong spirit of evangelization.
“Have you strayed from the path leading to heaven? Then call on Mary, for her name means Star, of the sea, the North Star, which guides the ships of our souls during the voyage of this life. And she will guide you to the harbour of eternal salvation.”
The book you have in your hand, titled “Mary Star of Evangelization”, written by Bishop A.O. Gbuji, is all about the role of Mary in the work of Evangelization. Bishop Gbuji is a great devotee of Our Beloved Mother Mary from his childhood days. His parents laid the foundation by inculcating in their children a filial love and devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary.
As a small child, he was praying the “Memorare” before the picture of our Mother of Perpetual Help. All through his primary school, Minor Seminary and Major Seminaries, his devotion to Mary grew deeper. This deep love for Mary is expressed more in his Episcopal calling. At Issele-Uku, he consecrated the Diocese to Our Lady of Perpetual Help.
In founding a female Congregation, he also flew to the patronage of our Blessed Mother Mary and gave it the name New Evangelization Sisters of Our Lady of Perpetual Help. On arriving at Enugu Diocese as the Chief Shepherd, he again invited the Redemptorist Fathers to come and pilot the affairs of the Marian Shrine at Ugwogo Nike under the patronage of Our Lady of Perpetual Help.
Going through this book, one will be convinced that Bishop A. O. Gbuji, like St. Dominic, “All during his life had nothing more at heart than to praise Our Lady.” It is not surprising that at the celebration of his Episcopal Golden Jubilee, he is using a book devoted to Mary and the work of Evangelization as a Souvenir.
The content of this book is a faith testimony of a first-hand union and respect for Mary. It is a great gift to the Church and the work of Evangelization in Catholicism. This book is very rich in Magisterial and particular Papal teachings on Mary the Mother of God. It is a text on Mariology and devotion to Our Mother Mary.
I recommend it to all Catholics who want to know more about the Mother of God and her role in the work of evangelization. The clergy and laity of the Catholic Diocese of Enugu are grateful to our Father in Faith, Most Rev. Anthony Okonkwo Gbuji, for this rich and invaluable souvenir of his Episcopal Golden Jubilee. I wish him a happy and blessed Episcopal Golden Jubilee!
Most Rev Callistus V.C. Onaga
FOREWORD
Mary Star of Evangelization is the fruit of a deeply personal experience, research, reflection and an efficacious prayer life spanning over 91 years. It is one of those books you do not want to drop once you start reading it, as refreshing as it is incredibly enlightening.
The book has ten chapters. In the first chapter, the author, Bishop Anthony Okonkwo Gbuji, discusses his childhood experiences, revealing the background of his deep understanding of the role of Mary in the economy of salvation. Unlike many books on Mary, this book is a product of deep research rooted in the Holy Bible and the Church’s Tradition.
This is seen clearly in chapter 2, where the author discusses extensively the concept and origin of Mary Star of Evangelization (in the scriptures, medieval traditions and papal documents). The author understands the Pauline maxim ‘Keep to what is written’ and shows how both the Bible and the writings of the Fathers of the Church portray the importance and the role of Mary in our salvation.
Mary is also placed in the context of many biblical women whose roles in our understanding of Christian spirituality and religion remain clear and inspiring. Mary is shown to have surpassed these women (Hanna, Rahab, Judith, Esther, Deborah, etc.) by being God’s chosen instrument for the fulfilment of the promises and hope of the women, the realization of all they foreshadowed.
The author goes on to show in chapter 3 how the saintly Pope John Paul II highlighted the power and role of Mary in the economy of our salvation. She is indeed the Star of Evangelization! A must-read in the book is chapters 4 and 5, which present one of the best teachings on Mary’s role in evangelization and the economy of salvation.
It is very clear from these chapters why Mary is called “Mediatrix” or “Mediatrix of all graces”, a term often misunderstood by some Christians. These chapters make it easy and attractive for all Christians to understand the meaning of these terms used for Mary.
Having given us all the teachings on Mary with the historical and biblical background, the book discusses devotion to Mary in chapter 6. The placing of devotion to Mary after the enlightening teachings on Mary is like the natural flow of water on a smooth ground. The soul is prepared for the devotion through the deep insights brought by the previous chapters.
Chapter 7 reechoes the title by showing Mary as the Star of evangelization in the liturgy of the Church, in our daily and sacramental celebration of the mysteries of our faith. Mary is indeed the Star of Evangelization!
Furthermore, one interesting result of Bishop Gbuji’s deep devotion to Mary is the conceptualization and realization of the New Evangelization Research and Ministry (NERAM), a programme approved by the Senate of Godfrey Okoye University for the promotion of new evangelization and research (fresh ways of communicating the Catholic faith in our time and world).
The author’s deep devotion to Mary has paid off in the blossoming of NERAM, which has placed Mary at the forefront of its academic and research activities as the Star of Evangelization.
The final chapters, 9 and 10, place Mary as our role model in many areas of the Christian life. A journey with Mary is not only a safe one but also unwaveringly leads to the intended destination of our life: seeing God face to face and living eternally with him.
Never has a book so inspired me as Mary Star of Evangelization. Here is the meeting point of intellectuality and spirituality, research and teaching, experience and devotion, work and piety. It is indeed a must-read for all lovers of knowledge and spirituality.
It invites you to follow the Star of Evangelization like the Maggi in order to meet Christ. Through Mary’s inspiration and guidance, we will become co-stars and effective messengers of Christ. Whoever listens to her and follows her soft guidance will surely find her Beloved Son, Jesus Christ.
Rev. Fr. Prof. Dr. Christian Anieke
Vice Chancellor, Godfrey Okoye University
