Social Communications Commission, Oyo Diocese

ODSCCD:       Baba, you are welcome to this special Interview.

Baba:      Thank you!

ODSCCD:       It's 60 years that you have been in this work; Priestly work, let us go back the memory lane, can you share with us how you first heard or felt the Call of the Priesthood?

Baba :     Honestly Speaking, I never dreamt of it, I never thought of it, because at that time, we had only Missionary Priests in Oyo, but one day, after Mass, I was strolling with the Priest to the mission house, he turned around and Said "Julius, will you like to be a Priest?" And I stared at him because I had never thought it was possible, only Missionary Priests were there at the time. Anyway, when I left him, I went home. On my way home, I called at my friend's house (A Mass Server also, by name Joseph Adeniji Taiwo, who later became Monsignor), I told him what the Priest asked me, he said "how will I want to be a priest". I didn’t reply anything. He said "I've been thinking of that myself, I think I will go to the Seminary", I said is that so? Maybe we can go together. So, that is where it developed. January 1952, we left for Oke-Are Junior Seminary. That is the beginning.

ODSCCD:       Baba, with your journey in the priesthood, and the day of your Ordination, what do you remember most vividly about your Ordination day; what made the day Spectacular for you?

Baba:      It was a very joyful day in Oyo, and for me too, a joyful occasion. To be ordained a priest, the occasion was joyful. I couldn’t but take part in it. The Joy.

ODSCCD:       Definitely, in one's journey to the Altar, to Priestly Vocation, some people would have been of great help or great influence to you, can you still recall these people, can you still remember them?

Baba:      When I joined the priesthood, those who are of help, they were mostly the Missionary Priests, I'll mention FATHER GHOZHAN AND FABIAN CRUSHE, two Canadian Priests, who were at the station in Oyo at the time, and they were of great assistance, being very ready to help, they had to prepare for The Ordination.

ODSCCD:       Thank you very much Baba. Looking back over 60 years now that you have become a priest, what do you consider the most Significant milestones of your priestly Ministry?

Baba:      Becoming a Bishop was a milestone, only eight years after Priestly Ordination.

ODSCCD:       Thank God for your life, it’s really a memorable one for you. But are there particular moment of joy or grace that you often reflect on in your ministry, when you think you don't deserve this but God has given you the grace to carry on, what are those moments?

Baba:      I was a Simple minded, I didn’t have too many distractions along the way.

ODSCCD:       Are there moments in your life that you enjoyed or moments where by it was the peak of your priesthood that you were happy, the most Joyful moment that you felt it was grace that kept you at that moment?

Baba:      I was happy, I was Lucky, and I did not have any raised temptation along the way. It was simply a straight forward journey, so I'm lucky for that.

ODSCCD:       Thank God for your life Baba. Were there period where you had certain Challenges during your pastoral experience and how did you overcome these challenges and how did it shape your faith?

Baba:      As I said, I was simple minded and single minded, I did not look here and there, I just look Straight at my being a Priest and I enjoyed being so.

ODSCCD:       Being a Bishop, how did it change your ministry?

Baba:      It’s a mighty difference and I was looking; those around me adjusted to my condition, I handled problem with those my co-workers who are largely at the time, Missionaries. I got encouragement from them, they obeyed me, no problem, indeed, I learnt a lot from them. For example, the meaning of Church Authority, Respect for Church Authority, which local people don't have too much. I was surprised that these "Oyınbo" Obeyed me at every command.

ODSCCD:       You enjoyed the period of your leadership role!

Baba:      I really enjoyed it.

ODSCCD:       What have you learnt about leadership within the Church during your time as a Bishop?

Baba:      I have said it before; from the Missionaries, I learnt the Meaning of Church Authority and how Church personnel should bow to it at every command without any difficulty, because those who worked with me carried out my Authority, I learnt from them; Respect you should have for Church Authority, Respect!

ODSCCD:       Looking back to when you became a Bishop, and now, how has the Church developed since then?

Baba:      Tremendously, from one Diocese, it has become two, and I had the grace, courage to make the move, to taking the step, applying to Rome for the division of the Diocese. Rome did not delay it, because the reasons were obvious, they saw that we had two large areas, so we needed to have proposed Bishops for the new Creation, I proposed the two Missionaries to become Bishop of Oyo and they refused, they said no, the period of "Oyinbo" is gone, this is now the African period, you yourselves must look into it. So, I thought over it, and I said well, with all experience I have, I'm moving the base to transfer to Oyo. So I requested for transfer to Oyo to head the new Diocese.

ODSCCD:       The difference between when you resumed as the Bishop of the new Oyo Diocese and now, what are the development that we have seen?

Baba:      Ah. The development have been tremendous on both sides. When I moved to Oyo, the number of Priests were just eight or nine and about two or three were "Oyınbo," but now, completely, we have native Clergy, and the number has grown from nine to over sixty. In the Second Diocese, Osogbo Diocese, the number of Priests has grown, from a small number fourteen or so that I left behind to ninety. So, tremendous development has taken place and number of our faithful has grown.

ODSCCD:       Thank God for your life Baba. We've seen the fact that even from these two Dioceses, we've been able to produce five Bishops, those whom you ordained as Priests. How do you feel Baba?

Baba:      That's God's doing not my own. And I know about their election as Bishops. It is Rome's action, Rome decided on the actions, it just happened that they saw that those priests were stable and steady, so, they appointed them.

ODSCCD:       Thank you very much Baba. Thank God for your life and for the achievements we've been able to make in the past 60 years of your priestly Ordination. The Yorubas will Say "Ohun ti agbalagba ri lori ijoko, t'omode ba gun'gi; o le ma ri", I want to ask, what advice would you give to young men that are discerning Priesthood today?

Baba:      I advise them to face the vocation seriously, to be hard-working and sincere and to love their priesthood.

ODSCCD:       Thank you very much Baba. It is nice having this discussion with you from the stable of the Communications department of the Catholic diocese of Oyo.

Baba:      Thank you very much... It has been a pleasure to attend the Interview.

ODSCCD:       We hereby ask Baba to give us his blessing to round up this interview.

Baba:      We thank God for the work of our Communications Department in the Diocese, it is a great development to the Diocese, because we did not have anything like that before, now we follow the development in the Diocese step by step as the Communications Commission exposes them to us. May Almighty God bless all of you, give you long life and sound health, may the Holy Spirit continue to guide and direct you in your life, in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

ODSCCD:       Thank you very much Baba