BRISBANE archdiocese’s newest priest Fr Lucius Edomobi said the high point of his ordination was knowing his family watched the Mass live in Nigeria.
The ordination Mass at St Stephen’s Cathedral, Brisbane, on Friday, December 7, was streamed live via the Internet.
“The high point of the whole ceremony was that my parents, who are my support and my best friends, were able to watch it live.” Fr Edomobi said.
“They were not sure beforehand if they were going to be able to get it (live stream) because the network was congested and I was disappointed, but when I got home and rang my Dad the first thing he said was ‘we watched everything’.”
Lucius Chizoba Edomobi was born in Ehime Mbano, Imo State, Nigeria, on May 10, 1979, the youngest son of Chief Sir Lazarus and Lady Angelina Edomobi.
He was the youngest son of a family of eight – four sons and four daughters – and started his seminary formation in 2003 at Bigard Memorial Seminary, Nigeria.
He obtained a double degree in Philosophy and taught in the minor seminary for two years before returning to theological studies.
Following a request from Archbishop John Bathersby to Bishop Lucius Ugorji of Umuahia, Nigeria, Lucius arrived in Brisbane in August 2010 to continue his seminary formation.
Fr Edomobi said while his parents could not be in Australia for his ordination they mounted a large screen at their home and invited the wider community to celebrate the ordination and hopefully watch it live with them.
“The whole community was there, with food and music; it was a really huge community celebration that they organised,” he said.
“I would have liked that.”
As a deacon, Fr Edomobi was appointed to the Clayfield parish under the guidance of parish priest Fr Adrian Farrelly, and a large contingent of parishioners from St Agatha’s, Clayfield, were present at the ordination Mass.
“They are my family here,” he said.
“When I saw how many of them were there, I thought, ‘Wow, this is incredible’.
“I had the full sense of belonging here (Brisbane).”
Fr Edomobi expressed his gratitude to Holy Spirit Provincial Seminary rector Monsignor Anthony Randazzo, Fr Farrelly and to Archbishop Mark Coleridge, who ordained him.
“He has not just been my archbishop, he has been my friend,” he said.
“He has always said to me, ‘Lucius, I will look after you’ and that has made me very happy.”
Fr Edomobi was due to return to Nigeria on December 14 to spend Christmas with his family.
While he is there his home community will have the opportunity for its own thanksgiving Mass that he will celebrate on December 23 for a congregation expected to number more than 4000.
On his return from Nigeria in late January, Fr Edomobi will take up a new appointment as associate pastor at Burleigh Heads.
At the end of the ordination Mass Archbishop Coleridge took advantage of the live stream to thank Bishop Ugorji of Umuahia, Nigeria.
“Bishop Lucius, if you are watching, I greet you with a brother’s love and I say how much we look forward to you visiting Brisbane, Australia, next year and how much I look forward to making my first ever visit to Nigeria,” Archbishop Coleridge said.
“So, a very special greeting to you Bishop Lucius and a deep expression of gratitude from the entire Archdiocese of Brisbane to you and your people.
“May God bless you for your magnificent generosity, thank you.”
Fr Edomobi is the third priest to be ordained in Brisbane this year and archdiocesan Vocations Office director Fr Morgan Batt said it was an exciting time for vocations in Brisbane.
“There is a buzz around the archdiocese about it,” Fr Batt said.
“Canali House (of discernment) is going very well. We have five in the house this year and will have six or seven next year.
“We had a lot of enquiries following the V9 (vocations novena) this year (and) we would have about 15 guys coming along to our Consilium each month at the moment.”
Fr Batt thanked parishioners for their ongoing prayer support and said it wasn’t just Brisbane men answering the vocations call.
“We have also had three young Brisbane women enter the convent this year,” he said.
He said V9, the vocations novena, would run again in 2013 beginning on June 16.
