By Monsignor Christopher Adebowale Edema Boyo
On December 5, 1981, at the historic Holy Cross Cathedral in Lagos, I had the privilege of witnessing the ordination of three young men by the then Metropolitan Archbishop of Lagos, Most Rev. Anthony Olubunmi Okogie. Among them was 25-year-old Rev. Fr. Gabriel Osu, who was immediately assigned as an assistant to the 70-year-old Cathedral Administrator, Very Rev. Fr. Michael Colleran, a dedicated missionary priest of the Society of the African Missions (SMA).
However, within just a year, Fr. Colleran was invalided home to Ireland due to failing health, leaving the young and inexperienced Fr. Gabriel to step up as interim administrator of the Cathedral. Shortly thereafter, momentous news arrived from Rome: His Holiness Pope John Paul II would be visiting Nigeria in February 1982. To everyone’s sheer surprise, Archbishop Okogie chose not to replace the young priest with a seasoned administrator. Instead, he trusted Fr. Gabriel. who was only one year into his priesthood, to manage the monumental task. Without hesitation, Fr. Osu took charge, handling all protocols, logistics, and liturgical arrangements like a seasoned professional. Thanks to his dedication, the papal visit to Holy Cross Cathedral proceeded seamlessly without a single hitch.
Following his tenure at the Cathedral, Fr. Osu served at St. Gregory’s College, Ikoyi, as chaplain to the students during a period when the academic administration of the school was managed by the Lagos State government. Later, he was assigned to the parish in Ibonwon, located in the Epe Local Government Area. At the time, Ibonwon was widely regarded as one of the most difficult postings in the entire Archdiocese. The average weekly Sunday collection was barely enough to purchase fuel for the parish priest’s car, let alone cover basic meals. Undeterred, Fr. Gabriel demonstrated remarkable adaptability, resilience, and practical ingenuity. He took up domestic pig farming on the church grounds to generate funds, successfully sustaining himself while ensuring the operations of the parish continued uninterrupted.
Driven by a desire to serve the Church more broadly, Fr. Osu later undertook higher studies in Rome, earning formal academic qualifications in Mass Communication. Armed with this training, he was appointed the substantive Director of Social Communications for the Archdiocese of Lagos and served as the editor of The Catholic Herald. Under his leadership, the publication grew into a formidable, respected voice for the Catholic Church within the Nigerian media landscape.
In looking back, the life and ministry of Very Rev. Msgr. Gabriel Osu truly epitomised the ideal of the Catholic priesthood. His devotion strongly mirrored the spirit of Saint John Mary Vianney, the Great Patron of Parish Priests, and recalled the timeless words of the famous 18th-century French orator, Jean-Baptiste Henri Lacordaire:
To be in the midst of the world without desiring any of its pleasures.
To be a member of every family yet belonging to none.
To preach, to entreat, to rebuke in season and out of season.
To go from man to God with their prayers and petitions,
To come down from God to man bringing His favours and blessings.
To shoulder the yoke of the oppressed.
To counsel the troubled.
To console the sick and dying.
To bury the dead.
My God! What a life!
And it is yours, O priest of God!
Monsignor Christopher Adebowale Edema Boyo
(Longtime friend and associate of Very Rev. Msgr. Gabriel Osu)
