Golden Jubilee Celebrations of the Brothers of St. Stephen Reach Grand Finale
The Golden Jubilee celebrations of the Brothers of St. Stephen formally concluded on Saturday, 6 December 2025, with a solemn Holy Mass. The Eucharistic celebration was presided over by His Eminence, Francis Cardinal Arinze, Prince of the Holy, Roman Catholic and Apostolic Church and Founder of the Brothers of St. Stephen. The Apostolic Nuncio to Nigeria, His Excellency, Most Reverend Michael Francis Crotty, was unavoidably present at the celebration. The Archbishop of Onitsha, Most Reverend Valerian M. Okeke, along with the Bishop of the Aguleri Diocese, was duly represented.In attendance were numerous priests and religious from within the Metropolitan See and beyond, as well as a large gathering of lay faithful. The First Reading, taken from the Book of Isaiah, was proclaimed by Rev. Br. Linus Ngene, BSS, while the Gospel reading from the Gospel according to St. Matthew was proclaimed by Rev. Fr. Jude Udechukwu.During his brief homily on the Gospel passage (Matthew 9:35–10:1, 5a, 6–8), His Eminence highlighted Christ’s compassion for the multitudes, describing them as sheep without a shepherd. He recalled Jesus’ exhortation to His disciples on the abundance of the harvest and the scarcity of labourers, urging prayer for more workers in the Lord’s vineyard.
Cardinal Arinze further reiterated Christ’s mandate to His disciples to proclaim the nearness of the Kingdom of God through selfless service—healing the sick, raising the dead, cleansing lepers, and casting out demons—freely giving what they had freely received.
His Eminence reminded the Reverend Brothers of their vocation to radical discipleship, in faithful imitation of Christ’s call to His apostles. He observed that while priests and religious sisters are more widely recognized among the faithful, the contribution of Reverend Brothers is often less visible. He noted that among the early missionaries to Onitsha were Reverend Brothers who distinguished themselves as professionals across various fields of human endeavour, serving both in the Basilica and as educators at Christ the King College, Onitsha. He emphasized that the emergence of Reverend Brothers arose from pastoral necessity within the life of the Church and underscored the need for their vocation to be acknowledged, appreciated, and supported to enable the mission of Christ to flourish. He reaffirmed that the primary mission of the Reverend Brothers is to bear witness to Christ within their respective apostolates.Cardinal Arinze commended and expressed gratitude to the Brothers who have faithfully lived out 25 years of consecrated life in radical discipleship, encouraging them to remain steadfast in the mission of Christ as outlined in the Gospel of Matthew. He also exhorted those approved for Final Commitment into the consecrated life within the Brothers of St. Stephen to persevere with vigilance and unwavering dedication to the Lord of the harvest who has called them.
In conclusion, His Eminence appealed to the faithful for continued spiritual and material support for the Brothers of St. Stephen, particularly in their educational apostolate and other missionary engagements.To Jesus be praise, now and forever. Amen.
By Rev. Br. Goodnews Iwuoha, BSSDirector of Communications/Editor, Brothers of St. Stephen