Daniel Oghenerukevwe should have ensured he was freed from his vows of celibacy before getting married - Fr. Kelvin Ugwu reacts to suspension of Delta State Catholic priest

 Nigerian Catholic missionary priest, Fr. Kelvin Ugwu has reacted to the suspension of Rev. Fr. Daniel Oghenerukevwe by the Warri Catholic Diocese following his marriage to his wife, Dora Chichah, in the United States.

 

 

The Bishop of Warri Diocese, RT. Rev. Anthony Ovayero Ewwherido, in a statement on January 16, 2025, said Oghenerukevwe, who has been out of active ministry, contacted him with a request to be released from all canonical obligations associated with Holy Orders within the Catholic Church.

 

 

The Diocese reached out to the priest, requesting the submission of necessary documents to initiate the process which he didn't but instead went ahead and got married without being laicized. 

 

 

In a post on Sunday night, January 19, Fr. Ugwu said the marriage was publicly done as the suspended priest had earlier expressed his intentions to leave the Catholic priesthood.

Ugwu however said that if it took Daniel 9 years to be ordained, he should have waited to be Laicized and also freed from his vows of celibacy before going into the marriage. 

 

“In fairness to Fr Daniel Oghenerukevwe, he did not secretly get married, it was publicly done. So, I say again, be careful of some of the headlines you will be reading on this issue,” he wrote.

 

The suspended priest in question had earlier expressed his intentions to leave the Catholic priesthood. What we may consider as the issue here is that he was not patient for the process which he had already initiated to be concluded before going ahead to wed his lover, Dora Chichah.

 

So, since this issue is trending online, I think it is time we learn something from this.

 

The first point is that no one is forced to be a priest. And even as a priest, if at any time you feel you can't continue, there are procedures which you will follow to be laicized (returned to the state of the laity.)

 

The process to be Laicized includes the following:

1. A request from the priest seeking it;

2. An investigation of the request by the (vice)provincial superior (or delegate);

3. Approval of the superior general (Bishop) with the consent of his consultors;

4. Preparation of dossier by the procurator general;

5. Approval of the competent Vatican Congregation;

6. Granting of the dispensation by the Pope personally;

7. Notification of the (vice)provincial superior who informs the petitioner and receives his acknowledgement.

 

It is important to note that even though you are laicized, you are still a priest because once validly ordained, it is never invalidated for any reason whatsoever. It is just like baptism, once baptized, you can't be un-baptized. However, when Laicized, you no longer have the obligations or the privileges to function as a cleric. You can't say mass or be addressed as a priest. If you carry out any priestly function, it may be valid but illicit (unlawful).

 

Daniel Oghenerukevwe knew of it and already started the process to be laicized, but as the process was still on, he went on to wed his lover.

 

According to Canon law, once you do that, you are, by that very act, suspended. You don't even need the bishop to write anything for it to take effect. The reason the bishop had to write is simply to make the Christian faithful aware and also for documentation purposes.

 

If you read Canon 1394, it states that a cleric who attempts marriage, even if only civilly, is to be suspended. If the cleric does not reform after being warned, they may be punished with deprivations or even dismissed from the clergy.

 

This is why Daniel Oghenerukevwe is given Latae sententiae suspension which is a suspension that is imposed without delay.

 

The most honourable thing that Daniel would have done would have been to ensure he was Laicized and also freed from his vows of celibacy before going into this marriage. It may take time, but if it takes 9 years for him to be ordained, what is there in waiting for a few months for the process to be complete? After all, you will be married. Why the rush?

 

Interestingly, he went and married a single mother who already had three children. The single mother is now on the NSPPD platform, giving testimony on how God gave him a husband despite being a single mother. And how God used Pst Jerry to answer her prayer for a husband despite her age and condition.And to make the mockery complete, everyone is shouting: What God cannot do does not exist.

 

I wish him success. Enjoy your kiss, bro! Na kiss you kiss, you no kee person.