downloadThe Catholic Church all over the world celebrates the feast of St. Patrick every 18th day of March. It is celebrated inside Ireland as a religious and cultural holiday. In Ireland, it is both a solemnity\o “Solemnity” and a holy day of obligation. In 1903, St Patrick’s Day became an official public holiday in Ireland. This feast Day is not just only by the Irish citizens it is also widely celebrated by the Irish diaspora around the world. Because of the influence of the Irish Priest in Nigeria, St. Patrick is also among the official patron saints of Nigeria, along with Mary, the Queen of Nigeria.
As we celebrate the feast of St. Patrick, we want to use this medium to reflect on the following questions: Who is St. Patrick? What is so special about St. Patrick, especially in his relation to the Irish people? hat his feast day is mark as a national public holiday? What is the relationship between St. Patrick and the Irish missionaries? What is the relationship between the Irish missionaries and the Church in Nigeria?
Patricius is an Irish name for Patrick. He was a fifth-century Romano-British Christian Missionary. He was the first Bishop of Armagh, the Primate of Ireland. He was active and so influential in the evangelization of the Irish people. He is popularly known as the “Apostle of Ireland”. He is the primary patron saint of Ireland, along with saints Bridit and Columa.
When he was about 16 year old, he was captured by Irish pirates from his home in Great Britain and taken as a slave to Ireland, where he was looking after animals. He lived there for six years before escaping and returning to his family. After becoming a cleric, he returned to northern and western Ireland. His arrival was indeed the arrival of Christianity in Ireland. As a missionary, he brought the Christian Faith to Ireland. In later life, he served as a bishop. By the seventh century, he had already come to be revered as the patron saint of Ireland.
St. Patrick’s missionary zeal inspired the lives of so many young Irish Priests. The Church in Ireland has produced the highest number of missionaries across the world. Nigeria is one of the beneficiaries of the Irish missionaries. According to Edward Burke Okoro, “The Christian evangelization of Nigeria, especially the Igboland, was chiefly an Irish Mission. Irish missionaries traveled the length and breadth of Igboland to plant the seeds of Christianity. Most of these Irish missionaries were buried a the Holy Trinity Basilica Onitsha Anambra State of Nigeria.
Some of the Irish missionaries are still working in some parts of Nigeria. Worthy of mention is the Irish Priest that brought the Discalced Carmelite Order to Nigeria, Very Rev. Fr. Charles Nowell, OCD. He was the most recent Irish missionary to be buried here in Nigeria. He was buried at Mt. Tabor Carmelite Community, Onuiyi Nsukka in Enugu State of Nigeria. The Irish ambassador to Nigeria witnessed his burial.
Fr. Charles Nowell was born on July 1, 1923 in Curracuggeen, Headford, Co Galway, in Ireland. He was admitted into the Discalced Carmelite Order where he made his first religious profession on July 16, 1943 with the name, “Friar Charles of Therese of the Child Jesus.” On April 23, 1950 Friar Charles was ordained as a Catholic Priest by Venerable Pope Pius XII. He rose to the position of the Secretary General of the Disclaced Carmelite Order. While he was in Rome he was the confessor of Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta.
Fr. Charles left Rome and embarked on his most fruitful missionary journey. He landed in Nigeria on April 7, 1988 where he became one of the founding Fathers of the Discalced Carmelite Mission in Nigeria. He was the first Regional Superior of the Discalced Carmelite Order in Nigeria and the first Carmelite Parish Priest of Mary the Queen Parish Ekpoma, in Edo State of Nigeria. Fr Charles devoted his mission as a Parish Priest visiting the sick both at homes and in the hospitals.
Fr. Charles was a prayerful man. He was strongly devoted to the spirituality of the Infant Jesus. He was a strong promoter of the devotion to the Infant Jesus. He was a generous and caring priest. He was always available and approachable. He was a true confessor and counselor. He lived a life of simplicity and total surrender to God. Before his death Fr. Charles Nowell left a will where he clearly declared that he wants to be buried in the Nigerian soil. Thank God, his will was granted!
Child of God, do you know that the choice we make in life will determine where we shall spend eternity. There are two fundamental options in life, the option to follow satan and the option to follow God through our Lord Jesus Christ. When Jesus was in the world his life style attracted so many people to God. So many people even left their occupation, their families and even nation just to follow Jesus – probably because he has something special to offer.
In the gospel of Luke chapter 5 our Lord Jesus Christ performed his mission as a dynamic teacher and preacher. He used an ordinary boat as a pulpit. “He sat dawn and taught the people from the boat.” Child of God, as a missionary and as a preacher, you don’t need a big cathedral in order to preach the gospel of Christ to the people. Anywhere you find people there is the church. For a true missionary, distance is never a barrier.
For the early missionaries, distance was not a barrier. Imagine, the distance between Britain and Ireland, still Patrick was able to leave his country to Ireland where he became an apostle of Ireland. What of the distance between Ireland and Nigeria? People like Fr. Charles Nowel left their beloved nations so as to plant the faith and the gospel in the Nigerian soil. Today, we are enjoying the fruit of their labour.
In that same gospel of Luke chapter five, after preaching to the people, Jesus went further to demonstrate his mission as a miracle working God and as the great provider. He ordered Peter, a professional fisherman, what he should to in order to catch more fish. Peter told him, “Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word I will let down the nets.” What a hopeless situation! But with our Lord Jesus Christ there is nothing like a hopeless situation. God makes a way where there is no way. And He makes the impossible possible!
As soon as Peter obeyed, they enclosed a great shoal of fish. They even beckoned to their partners in the other boat to assist them. Child of God, even if you have been recording failures from today your story will change! You will start recording success. A missionary is not just a preacher of the gospel he is also miracle worker, and indeed a visionary. As Jesus opened the eyes of the fishermen to see the best place to catch fish; a true missionary is also called to open people’s eyes to greater and higher opportunities in life.
When Peter saw the miracle which Jesus performed, he fell at the feet of Jesus and said, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man; For he was astonished.” Peter could not believe what he saw. He did not know that the impossible could become possible, especially through Jesus Christ. Indeed, Peter was astonished! Child of God, the Lord will soon surprise you!
As a missionary of our Lord Jesus Christ, we are called to amaze people through our good work. Hence, our Lord Jesus Christ said to his followers, “In the same way your light must shine before people, so that they will see the good things you do and praise your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:16). Your life, as a Christian and as a Missionary must bring glory to God!

Today, the Irish people all over the world are praising God for the good work He did through St. Patrick. We, the Discalced Carmelites in Nigeria are praising God for the God work He did through Fr. Charles Nowell, Nigeria as a whole are ever grateful to God for the contribution of the Irish Missionaries to the Church in Nigeria. These were great men and women whose life is bringing glory to the Most High God.
Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid; henceforth you will be catching men.” The fishermen left everything and followed him. A missionary must practice detachment. He must be prepared at all times to leave material things behind as he followers Christ Jesus wherever He leads. The fundamental work of a missionary is to win soul into God’s kingdom. Child of God, indeed, you are a soul winner. As you give your life completely to God and to the service of humanity, it shall be well with you, in Jesus name – Amen!