Pictures of Father Peter's Dream

St. Peter Catholic Church (Front) Eziala, Owerri

St. Peter Catholic Church (Side) Eziala, Owerri

St. Peter Catholic Church (Side) Eziala, Owerri

St. Peter Catholic Church (Side) Eziala, Owerri

St. Peter Catholic Church (Inside) Eziala, Owerri

St. Peter Catholic Church (Alter) Eziala, Owerri

A Tribute to Our Fallen Brother Reverend Father Peter Chukwuma Njoku

We the members of Umunne Cultural Association, the flagship organization for the Igbo
community in the State of Minnesota, United States of America, remain in shock and
disbelief over the untimely and sudden death of a very exemplary member of our
community—the Reverend Father Peter Chukwuma Njoku. Father Peter was exemplary
in the sense that he was a leader who was never too busy to attend to the needs of our
community. He was a leader who led by example and was loved by all in our Igbo
community in Minnesota. Not too long ago we were honored with a visit by His
Excellencies, Archbishop Anthony Obinna and Bishop Gregory Ochiagha. Knowing the
untiring servant he was, His Excellency Archbishop Anthony Obinna needed Father Peter
to return home to help with some important projects. At that gathering at St. Peter Claver
in St. Paul, Minnesota we pleaded with the Archbishop to reconsider his decision and let
Father Peter remain with us. Among the reasons we presented to His Excellency was the
fact that Father Peter was metaphorically an indispensable glue that was holding our
community together. We went on to say that without Father Peter we would be left
without a loving shepherd. All of us heaved a collective sigh of relief when Father Peter
continued his sojourn here with us.
No matter where his pastoral work took him, Father Peter was always available to
perform vital services for the Igbo community in Minnesota. Although he served in
numerous parishes in Minnesota, we remember vividly his pastoral work at St. Peter
Claver in St. Paul, St. Michael Catholic Church in Stillwater, Church of the Epiphany in
Coon Rapids, St. Paul Catholic Church in Zumbrota, and St. Jerome Catholic Church in
Maplewood, the parish he served until his tragic death. Other parishes Father Peter served
briefly were: St. Michael Catholic Church in Kenyon, St. Michael in Pine Island, St.
Mary in Bellechester, St. Phillip in Minneapolis, Sacred Heart-St. Lawrence in Faribault,
St. Patrick in Faribault, Most Holy Trinity in Saint Louis Park, Blessed Sacrament in St.
Paul. Father Peter also served as a hospital chaplain at United Hospital in St. Paul. These
were areas that were long distances away, but distance never stopped Father Peter from
ministering to his own—the Igbo community. It was Father Peter who linked us and the
University of St. Thomas clergy President, who has given us a blank check to hold our
annual Igbo cultural day or Igbofest at the University. Father Peter’s conflict resolution
expertise saved the day once during a particular Igbofest when a misunderstanding
among Umunne Cultural Association members threatened to torpedo the sale of raffle
tickets already printed for the event. Numerous are the sons and daughters of our Igbo
community in Minnesota who received their Sacrament of Baptism from Fr. Peter, as he
was fondly known. He presided over the Sacrament of Matrimony for many couples, both
the Igbo and Americans alike. It was Father Peter who was always there to perform the
funeral or memorial service of our deceased sons, daughters, mothers, and fathers who
passed on in Minnesota or Nigeria. Father Peter was somewhat prophetic in his sermons
during the last two funeral and memorial mass he presided over at St. Jerome Catholic
Church, Maplewood, saying that he could be the one for whom we would be gathered
tomorrow. It is quite possible that Father Peter had a premonition of his death shortly
before his trip to Nigeria, because for some reason he felt the need to get in touch with
many of us before his flight to Nigeria. Now, those parents who live in anticipation that
Father Peter would baptize their new babies, those couples expecting him to unite them in
the bond of matrimony have been denied the fulfillment of their dreams by his death.
Death has robbed us of our Father Peter, leaving us who relied on his quintessential
leadership to wander aimlessly like a herd of sheep without shepherd.
The Almighty God gave us Father Peter to cherish and to build tons of pleasant memories
together before He called him home for other assignments. Distraught and wounded as
we may be, we thank and give praise to the Giver of life, for even though He has
called home Father Peter, He has left us to find solace in the great memories that
will remain with us until we reunite with him to part no more. As stated in 1
Thessalonians, "But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters,
about those who have died, so that you may not grieve as others do who have no
hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through
Jesus, God will bring with him those who have died. For this we declare to you by
the word of the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the
Lord, will by no means precede those who have died. For the Lord himself, with a
cry of command, with the archangel's call and with the sound of God's trumpet,
will descend from heaven, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are
alive, who are left, will be caught up in the clouds together with them to meet the
Lord in the air, and so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage one
another with these words." (4: 13-18)
The late Mazi Jacob Njoku and his late wife, Mrs. Catherine Njoku named their
son Chukwuma, which is an affirmation of their unwavering faith in God: a belief
in the reality that is God who is omniscient. Only God knows why He has left us
without the soothing and calming physical presence of Father Peter, for his spirit
leaves on with us till we all join him in the Lord. The late parents of Father Peter,
a teacher of modest means and his homemaker wife, did not seek any
chieftaincy title, for they had as their number one priority the education of their
children. To the family, grandchildren, and great grand children of the late Jacob
and Catherine Njoku and the community of Eziala-Obiangwu in Ngor Okpuala
Local government area, we send our heart-felt condolences. May God grant all of
you the strength to handle the tragic loss of your son with fortitude and
unrelenting faith in Him. We pray that the Lord God will grant you all the
presence of mind to celebrate the much admired life of your great son. Our
sincere thanks go to both Archdioceses of St. Paul/Minneapolis and Owerri. And
thank you, Father Peter, for your selfless service and everything! The void you
have left in our community will be hard to fill, but we pray in supplication to God
to bless us once more with another like you. We in your Minnesota community
miss you and will always love and remember you. Farewell, dear Father Peter
Chukwuma Njoku. May God be kind to you and grant you peace!
Dr. Anthony I. Akubue
Professor, Environmental & Technological Studies
St. Cloud State University, St. Cloud, Minnesota
and
Dr. Isaac N. Obi
Administrator
Divine HealthCare Corporation
St. Paul, Minnesota
for
Umunne Cultural Association of Minnesota