By Valentine Obienyem—
I was at his funeral Mass with Prof. Patrick Obi, representing Mr. Peter Obi. Everything about the occasion was deeply moving. The funeral oration delivered by the Awka Diocese Presbyterium touched the heart profoundly. Even the voice of his Bishop, Most Rev. Dr. Paulinus Ezeokafor, carried unmistakable traces of emotion.
However, perhaps the most touching moment came when his mortal remains were being lowered into the grave. One woman, whose anguish reminded me of the women of Jerusalem, kept crying out repeatedly: “Onye nso anaa?” (“The saint has gone”). She said it over and over again, her words drenched in grief and longing. At the same time, another woman standing behind me followed her own path of sorrow, lamenting: “Fada melu ka okwukwe m sie ike na ụka anaa?” (“Father, the one who strengthened my faith in the Church has gone.”).
By an osmosis of emotional influence, the grief began to spread quietly through those present. Others, almost imperceptibly drawn into the atmosphere of mourning, began to echo similar lamentations. In that moment, sorrow seemed to pass from heart to heart, until the entire gathering was enveloped in a shared sense of profound loss.
Listening to the reactions around me, one could safely conclude that Fr. Sylvester Dunu was a good priest — one who truly represented Christ.
Our old boys loved him greatly because our revered “Big Daddy,” Monsignor Sylvester Mgbemfulu, spent his retirement years in his former parish at Nibo. In the course of visiting Mons, we gradually became close to Fr. Dunu. He embraced Monsignor as a father, while Monsignor, in return, showered him with a father’s surpassing love and blessing. Their relationship was beautiful to behold: Fr. Dunu cherished him as a son would a father, and Big Daddy loved him as only a father can.
Among the many funeral tributes delivered was that of the old boys (SABOBA), which represented the umbilical cord connecting us to him. The oration read by the President, Dr. Celestine Oguegbu, fittingly described him as “a shepherd in the truest sense — tireless, compassionate, and humble.”
Indeed, all the tributes converged into one unmistakable testimony: Fr. Dunu lived as a true priest of Christ, and his life left an imprint too deep to be buried with his mortal remains.
