VATICAN TO CANONIZE VIVIAN OGU WHO WAS KILLED FOR RESISTING RAPE BY ARMED ROBBERS

Felix Azamosa

The Catholic authority is set to canonize two Nigerians Blessed Cyprian Michael Iwene Tansi and Vivian Ogu out of 25 chosen to be canonized throughout the world as Saints.
Blessed Tansi was beautified 21 years ago by Pope John Paul II.
Vivian Uchachi Ogu who was born in Benin City on April 1st 1995 and baptized at St. Paul Catholic Church, Benin City on July 1st 1995.
She received her first Holy Communion on March 21, 2005 and she was in the preparatory class for this sacrament of confirmation, which was slated for 2010, at the time of her death in 2009.
In academics, Vivian was excellent and she consistently remained at the top of her class from her primary school to Senior Secondary II, until her death.
Her dream was to become a lawyer to enable her fight the cause of the poor and downtrodden, especially widows and orphans.
At the age of nine years, Vivian Ogu began to publicly demonstrate her zeal and courage in speaking to other children on the dignity of purity and virginity.
Although she was quite young, she was committed as she took part in almost all the activities in the parish community as much as age then would allowed.
After joining the children’s choir in the parish, she discovered that the choir director was frequently absent from its practices and activities, she then assumed the role of a choir leader.
Under the leadership of Vivian Ogu’s guidance, the choir grew from a small group of about twenty children to nearly sixty children at the time of her death.
When the Pontifical Association of Holy Childhood (PAHC) was inaugurated in St. Paul’s Parish, Vivian Ogu was unanimously elected as the first president.
During her tenure, she worked tirelessly to make the parish’s PAHC chapter second to none in the Archdiocese of Benin City, in terms of works and prayers.
Among the projects she coordinated were the collection of funds to cover the medical expenses of some disabled children at the Central Hospital Benn City, and to meet the needs of some children from the orphanages.
In 2009, towards children’s day celebration, Vivian Ogu mobilized the entire parish towards the setting up of an education trust fund for the less privileged parishioners of St. Paul’s Catholic Church, Benin City.
At the end of the appeal funds, over N300,000.00 was received, and for all these projects, her slogan was “yes we can”.
Through Archdiocesan seminars organized for children by Holy Childhood Association, Vivian Ogu became conversant with the story of Saint Maria Goretti who was stabbed to death for resisting sexual advance of a young man.
Consequently, Saint Maria Goretti became the favourite of Vivian Ogu. She consistently used the story of Saint Maria Goretti in her instructions to her peers, challenging them to a life of purity and virginity at any cost.
In the morning of the very day on which she was killed by robbers, she gave the same preaching about defending purity and virginity like Saint Maria Goretti to her fellow children after the children mass in Saint Paul’s Catholic Church on Sunday November 25th, 2009.
At about 9.00pm, the same day, three armed men came to their house and robbed the family.
The robbers in the process abducted Vivian and her sister, Grace and took them to a bush. The armed man attempted to rape Vivian, but she vehemently refused and insisted that she would prefer they kill her instead.
And with the attention of the armed robbers on Vivian, her sister Grace had the opportunity to escape and within second of her escape, Grace hear the gun shot that killed Vivian.
Hearing of Vivian’s heroic death, Edo State government gave the land on which she was killed to Catholic Archdiocese of Benin City to immortalize her. And two years later, Ikpoba Okha Local Government Council Area named the street after Vivian Ogu.
In fact, some of the pictures she took with her peers and friends in carrying out financial assistant to hospital patients and visits to orphanages are there for anybody to verify.
Papa Francis, who was represented by Archbishop Guampatno Dal Toso,
International President of Pontifical Mission Societies described the late 14 years Vivian Ogu as an example to all Christians not only in Nigeria but all over the world at the ceremony of National Mission Congress of Nigeria at Vivian Ogu Missionary Animation Centre, Benin City.
Governor Godwin Obaseki who promised to contribute to developing Vivian Ogu Centre, remarked that the Vivian who is set to be beautified and canonized by Vitican led an exemplary holy life which has become an enduring legacy for the present and future generation.
The governor said, “we are here in memory of the life of a young girl who at the age of 14 paid the supreme price for refusal to be raped by the armed robbers that robbed her family that night.”
According to him, “the teenager died for what she believed in rather than succumbing to the whims and caprices of the armed robbers who shot and killed her for refusing to be raped”.
Welcoming dignitaries who graced the ceremony from within and outside Nigeria to the memorable occasion for the consecration of the ground on which Vivian Ogu was martyred, Governor Obaseki said further that, “believe me, this is the most befitting honour in preserving the memory of untimely and painful death of a heroic who strongly affirmed her belief in the teaching and doctrine of her Christian faith.
According to Governor Obaseki, “we give in to everything thinking that we are saving our lives whereas Jesus Christ said those who want to save their lives will lose it and those who lose their lives for His sake will gain it.”
Also speaking, Cardinal John Onaiyekan, the Catholic Archbishop of Abuja declared that God has a message which He wanted to pass across to the world through Vivian’s death, noting that there had been series of similar deaths in the country, yet there were no much news about them.
He said Vivian’s case has proven otherwise, “you must see the hand of God in this. How many times have we been hearing that armed robbers killed people? But this particular case is special.
“It must be because God wants to use her to tell a story that we are so anxious to try to save our lives”, Cardnal Onayekan added.
Also speaking, Archbishop Augustine Akubeze, President of the Catholic Bishops
Conference of Nigeria (CBCN), said the death of the teenager was a clarion call for Christians to practice their faith very well.
He said Vivian Ogu preached purity of life and she died protecting it, noting that it a sign for young people to practice their faith.
“She practiced her faith till the end, that is why the church is even promoting her and people like her so that other young people and adults will emulate them, because the process for her sainthood was already in motion”, he posited.
According to Rev. Fr. Stephen Dumbiri, the Director of Vivian Ogu Movement, “the rare virtues of Vivian Ogu, her campaigns for purity and virginity and her martyrdom serve as a reference point in speaking against all forms of sexual immorality especially prostitution and homosexuality that is plaguing our modern society.
“In a country where our youths continue to fall prey to human trafficking, harvesting and sales of human organs, forced marriage, etc with the excuse of pressure from poverty, the heroic death of Vivian is a missionary tool in encouraging our youths to uphold their human dignity at any cost.
“In a country where our youths are becoming increasingly disinterested in religious matters, the life of Vivian Ogu would serve to propel them to participate in church activities and be dedicated to them and to prove to them that one can be very involved and active in religious matters and still maintain excellence in academics and social life.
“The courage of Vivian Ogu to embrace martyrdom at the face of armed men who threatening her faith, is a source of motivation to Christians in Nigeria today who suffer persecution and risk losing their life on account of their faith.
“The campaigns and work of charity by Vivian as president of the Holy Childhood Association through which she positively touched the lives of many indigent children is a unique example in teaching all in position of leadership in Nigeria to use their offices and opportunities to become instruments of God’s love for all.
“The virtuous life and heroic death of Vivian Ogu gives the Church in Nigeria the joy that our mission of missionary formation for our children especially through the Pontifical Mission Society of the Holy Childhood over these years has not being in vain.
“The presentation of Vivian Ogu by the Holy See to the whole world to be emulated and celebrated as a heroic witness of the Christian Faith gives us, the church in Nigeria the hope that in no distant time, another saint would be canonized from amongst us”, Rev. Fr. Dumbiri, added.
The ceremony was attended by 14 Bishops, 138 Priests, 131 Rev. Sisters, 158 Choir members and those registered during the ceremony were 2,785. And the number of person who came while the ceremony was going on could not be counted.
To God be the glory.

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Kadiri Christopher

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