Blessed Iwene Tansi Major Seminary, Onitsha Nigeria.

On 20^th day of March, 2021, history was made as the seminary as an affiliate to Pontifical Urbaniana University, Rome, held her 7^th convocation ceremony. The seminary welcomed His Lordship, Most Rev. Godfrey Igwebuike Onah, the Catholic Bishop of Nsukka diocese who is the convocation prelate. She also welcomed in her midst, Rev Fr. Prof. Nicholas Akwanya, from the Faculty of Arts, University of Nigeria Nsukka, who is the convocation lecturer.

Lastly but not the least, she welcomed in a very special way, her immediate graduands.

The principal manifestation of the Church consists in the full, active participation of all God’s holy people in the same liturgical celebrations, especially in the same Eucharist, in one prayer, at one altar, at which the bishop presides, surrounded by his presbyterate, deacons, and lay ministers (cf. S.C. 41). It is in this light that the seminary rejoiced in having the fullness of the priesthood, in the person of Bishop Godfrey Onah, the Bishop of Nsukka diocese, presiding over the Eucharistic celebration and surrounded by the college of priests, deacons and lay ministers. The Holy Mass was that of the Votive Mass of the Holy Spirit.

In his homily, the Bishop taught that there are two spirits: the Spirit of God and the spirit of evil. Both spirits are opposed to each other to the extent that wherever you find one you equally find the other. Recounting the account of the temptations of Jesus Christ, His Lordship taught that Jesus wasn’t alone in the wilderness. Jesus was filled with the Spirit of God and at the same time, the spirit of the evil one was there to tempt him. As people desiring for the ministerial priesthood, by the virtue of our ordination, we receive the Holy Spirit that will empower us and direct us in the priestly ministry. But at the same time, we are always accompanied by the spirit of the evil one who is constantly tempting us to go against the will of the Spirit of God. We are thus called to be careful on which spirit that we listen to.

It is indeed a thing of joy especially when considering the global circumstance, that even amidst the quagmire, the result of the 2020 Bachelor of Theology examinations of Urbaniana University, Rome, came out a 100% pass. A total number of 77 candidates sat for the said examinations. The analysis of their result is as follows:

Bene Probatus (3^rd class)                                                                     none

Cum laude probatus (2^nd class lower division)                                  15

Magna cum laude probatus (2^nd class upper division)                       49

Summa cum laude probatus (1^st class)                                               13

The valedictorian was Rev. Fr. Kizito Chukwuma Ezeaniekwe of Onitsha Archdiocese.