By Olivia Obijiaku
The significance of Requiem Masses in the Catholic Church was explained by Rev. Fr. Barr Anthony Ezeoke, Parish Priest of St. Maria Goretti Parish, Umuona, Catholic Diocese of Ekwulobia. Fr. Ezeoke was the homilist at the Mass offered for the eternal repose of his cousin, late Mrs. Edna Nwakaego Ezeuňara (née Uzoh), who passed away on Wednesday, December 11, 2024, at the age of 66.
The Mass was presided over by His Eminence, Peter Cardinal Ebere Okpaleke, Catholic Bishop of Ekwulobia, at St. Clement Catholic Church, Ozara Akukwa Umuchu, Aguata Local Government Area, Anambra State. Fr. Ezeoke explained that during Requiem Masses, the corpse is brought to the church to be placed at the feet of Jesus, the Merciful Judge.
“Sometimes people undermine the Mass for the dead,” Fr. Ezeoke observed. “The Holy Mass is the celebration of the death and resurrection of Jesus. It is a mysterious and powerful prayer that can be offered on earth. When the Church brings the corpse to the church, it means that she is placing the corpse at the feet of Jesus, praying that the Blood from the Body of Jesus and Water from His side may immerse the dead and have mercy on them.”
Fr. Ezeoke testified that the deceased, whom he had catechized before the war, lived a life of prayer from her childhood until her last days on earth. He added that she was the one who had invited them to pray together at the Mass.
During a brief stop at her father’s house at Umugama Village, Umuchu, Late Ezeuňara’s eldest brother, Mr. Aloysius Uzoh, attested that his sister had started identifying with the Church early in her life. Despite their parents not being Christians, “She started following Reverend Sisters early in life. As a young lady, she joined the Confraternity of the Most Holy Rosary, dancing for them, with Rev. Sr. Grace Egboka.”
Mr. Uzoh welcomed his sister on her last journey to her father’s compound before bidding her farewell to her husband’s compound, her final resting place at Ozara Akukwa Village, Umuchu.
In an interview with Trinitas Newspaper, Onitsha, the deceased’s first child, Dr. Mrs. Patricia Uchenna Okeke, disclosed that her mother’s demise had taught them to be prepared at all times. “We never envisaged death at this time, even though she had always been sick. But she had always professed positive faith, and we thought she would live longer.”
Dr. Okeke described her mother as a peaceful, prayerful, and kind person who was never troublesome. “We fondly called her ‘O jee na nwayo.’ We intend to keep her legacies of prayer by constantly organizing prayers among ourselves and by retaining those she used to help, even though she is no more.”
Dr. Okeke acknowledged that mourning can be painful and sometimes lead to depression. She encouraged those mourning the loss of loved ones to put their trust and hope in God, assuring them that “He is the only one who can console and comfort the bereaved. Be assured that the love of God is stronger in our weaknesses.”
