40th Anniversary of the Priestly Ordination of Rev. Fr. (Prof.) John O. Egbulefu CCE, Founder of the Congregation of Christ the Emmanuel

Very Rev. Fr. (Prof.) John O. Egbulefu CCE, founder of the Congregation of Christ the Emmanuel is celebrating the 40th anniversary of his priestly ordination. This event will take place on the 1st of May 2016 at St. Peters Basilica, Vatican City, Rome. The celebration will start with a solemn Eucharistic celebration at the Altar of St. John Paul II with a host of concelebrating priests.

Fr. John Okoro Egbulefu, he was born on 19th April 1950 in Ohuru – a village at the suburb of Aba (Nigeria); he was baptised on 30th July 1959 in the Holy Family Parish Church, Amiri – another village near Ohuru by Rev. John Ogbonna; he received the First Holy Communion and the Sacrament of Confirmation together on 25th Oct. 1959 in the Christ the King Parish Church Aba and under the hands of Bishop Anthony Gogo Nwedo CSSp. He was ordained priest on 1st May 1976 in the Holy Cross Parish Church at Ziril, at the suburb of Innsbruck in Austria, under the hands of Bishop Paulus Rusch, and celebrated His First Holy Mass in that Church the following day. His father’s name is Christopher Egbulefu Njoku and his mother’s name is Christiana Comfort Enekwogu, alias Alozu Nwogu. His father and mother received the sacrament of matrimony under the hands of Rev. John Anyanwu in the same Holy Family Church, Amiri, where himself was baptized. His parents have seven children the first six of whom are male and among whom he is the second.

After his primary school education at the St. Anthony’s Catholic School, Ohuru, from 1956 to 1963, and the secondary school education at the Immaculate Conception Junior Seminary, Umuahia, from (1965 to 1970), he entered the Senior Seminary, first the Bigard Memorial Seminary, Enugu (Nigeria) for his studies in Philosophy (1970/71-1972/73) and in Theology (1973/74), and then the Collegium Canisianum SJ, Innsbruck (Austria) for the continuation of the priestly formation and the perfection of the philosophical and theological studies. Father John got doctorate in Philosophy in University Innsbruck (Austria) in 1979. He transferred to the University of Munster in Germany where he did his doctoral studies in Theology in 1982. From 1984 to 1987, Father John did his post-doctoral studies in the University of Bonn, Germany and in 1989 was then called to the Vatican City by the then Cardinal Josef Ratzinger (Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI) to teach Dogmatic Theology at the Pontificia Università Urbaniana, Vatican City.

He did his First Religious Profession in the Congregation of Christ the Emmanuel on 8th September 2002, feast of the Nativity of Our Lady in the St. Jude’s Church Ohuru, and his final Religious Profession on the 22nd of August 2007, feast of the Queenship of our Lady, both professions were done under the hands of Bishop V. V. Ezeonyia CSSp.

His other particular activities outside the founding and running of the priestly Congregation of Christ the Emmanuel are of scientific and pastoral nature. The scientific activities stretch i) from teaching of Dogmatic Theology at the Catholic Institute of West Africa in Port Harcourt Nigeria (in the academic years 1984/85 and 1987/88) and at the University of Pope Urban VIII – Pontificia Universitas Urbaniana – in Rome from 1989 till date, ii) to inter-disciplinary scientific Researches and a series of publications (over seventy-two, as at December 2014). The pastoral activities embrace i) preaching the Word of God and preaching retreats, and giving spiritual direction to Consecrated men and women, as well as married and unmarried lay persons, the formation of future priests and the composition of hymns (forty of them as at December 2014) for the choral adoration of God in the Blessed Sacrament.

In 1990, Pope John Paul II appointed him theological expert (Peritus – Adjutor Secretarii Specialis) for the General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops on the formation of priests. In 1992, he was appointed Consultor of the Pontifical Council for dialogue with the non-believers. In 1994, the same Pope appointed him again Peritus for the Special Assembly of the Synod of Bishops on the Church in Africa. In 1995 he was appointed member of the International Historico-Theological Commission (for the quinquenium 1995-2000) for the Great Jubilee of the year 2000. In 2001 the then Bishop of Aba, Most Rev. Vincent Valentine Ezeonyia CSSp appointed him Delegate President of the first Synod of the diocese of Aba.