Rev. Fr. Anthony FASHAKIN

PRIESTLY ORDINATION HOMILY ON THE SOLEMNITY OF THE ASSUMPTION 15TH AUGUST, 2026 

Revelation 11:19a; 12:1–6, 10ab; Psalm 45; 1 Corinthians 15:20–27; Luke 1:39–56

A quick flashback: Last Sunday, the Prophet Elijah was said to have encountered God, not in the great and mighty, not in the powerful and fierce, but in a ‘STILL SMALL VOICE.’ So while I count myself profoundly privileged to be standing before you today delivering this homily. I see in it a symbolism- because indeed I am the smallest of voices among these men of God on the altar. (I will tell you why.) Exactly two years ago, I was the last to be laid hands upon during the Archdiocesan ordination. Hence, categorically speaking, as at now I am Baba’s last born in this Archdiocese. I would have loved to retain that position o, if Rome had granted our BABA the rest he totally deserves after several years of labour in the Lord’s vineyard. But I tell you, the strength of the Lord continues to sustain Him. The Church in Ibadan also still needs you. Baba, e ma ape fun wa o!

It is therefore, my prayer that through this still small voice of mine, unworthy though I am, the Good Lord Himself will speak to this great assembly Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

 

Your Grace, Most Rev. Gabriel ‘Leke Abegunrin, Archbishop of Ibadan and Metropolitan;

Your Grace, Most Rev. Felix Alaba Job, Archbishop Emeritus of Ibadan

Very Rev. Monsignori;

My brother priests,

Deacons;

Consecrated Men and Women;

Dear seminarians;

Distinguished guests;

Beloved parents, families and friends of our ordinands;

My dear brothers and sisters in Christ, Good morning to you all,

“A da ojo, ojo pe; ada igba, igba ko, adupe l’owo Olorun fun oore-ofe ifini joye ti alufaa ti a wa se  ni ojo oni. A gba l’adura wipe aseyori ni yoo je fun gbogbo wa oo. Amin.”

Today is a day of immense joy for the Archdiocese of Ibadan. We gather on this glorious Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, when the Church lifts her eyes towards heaven and celebrates the triumph of God’s grace in the life of the Mother of His Son. On this same day, the Church here in Ibadan rejoices because Christ, the Eternal High Priest, continues to call men to share sacramentally in His priesthood and to serve His people. What a wonderful day!

THE ASSUMPTION OF MARY

On the 1st of November , 1950, Pope Pius XII, drawing from the scriptures and the tradition of the Church, in the Apostolic Constitution Munificentissimus Deus declared that "the Immaculate Mother of God, the ever Virgin Mary, having completed the course of her earthly life, was assumed body and soul into heavenly glory.” 

Mary’s assumption is a prophecy of what is to come for all faithful- union with God. Mary’s assumption is simply a natural consequence of her deep union with God from the beginning of her earthly life till its end. She is full of grace and was conceived without sin. She lived a sinless life, she bore Christ for the world and stood by him all through his ministry.

ASSUMPTION VIS A VIS PRIESTLY ORDINATION

“Inu mi dun, ayo mi kun nitori pe iru ojo ologo yii ni ayasoto lati fi awon diakoni wa joye alufa. E je ki awo awon irepo to wa ninu igbegoke re orun ti Maria ati Oye Alufa.  Igbegoke Iya wa fi ye wa pe opin gbogbo onigbagbo ni ijoba orun, bakana ni ati pe awon alufaa lati dari awon eniyan lo si ijoba orun rere. Iya wa Maria gbe Jesu sinu re o si fi han gbogbo araye,  bakana ni atipe Alufa lati fi Jesu han si gbogbo araye, Maria duro l’abe agbelebu Jesu, Alufaa si gbe agbelebu Jesu gege bi ise re.  Mary was assumed into heavenly glory and the priest is called to become a living sign of the Kingdom towards which the whole Church journeys. The Preface at Mass for the solemnity of Assumption has a line that goes like this: ‘for today the Virgin Mother of God was assumed into heaven as the beginning and image of our Church’s coming to perfection and as a SIGN of sure hope and comfort to your pilgrim people.’  Hence while Mary’s assumption into heaven is a sign of our destiny, the priest here on earth is a sign of that same destiny which is union with God.

It is in this light that I invite us to reflect on the theme:

“THE PRIEST: A LIVING SIGN OF THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN.”

Beginning by way of definition ‘A sign is something that points beyond itself,’ Signs and symbols are quite fundamental to our Christian faith. God, all through the scriptures speaks to us in numerous signs. St John the evangelist refers to Christ’s miracles as signs. The sacraments are defined as ‘outward signs of inward grace.’ In the Church we see signs everywhere.  The prophets in the Old Testament were signs to the people of Israel – Hosea for example was a sign of God’s merciful love. God Himself said to Ezekiel in Ezekiel 12:6- ‘for I have made you a sign for the house of Israel.’ Isaiah himself says that; “Behold, I and the children whom the LORD has given me are signs and portents in Israel.” (Isaiah 8:18). Jesus said in Matthew 12:39 “No sign shall be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.” As such even people can be signs pointing to realities beyond themselves.

• Pope St John Paul II in his Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation Pastores Dabo Vobis, no. 16 says: “by his very nature and sacramental mission, the priest appears as a sign of the grace of the risen Christ and as a ‘visible continuation and sacramental sign of Christ before the Church and the world.”

Pope Paul VI, in his 1967 encyclical letter Sacerdotalis Caelibatus, no. 31 wrote that: “To his children in Christ, the priest is a sign and a pledge of that sublime and new reality which is the kingdom of God.” “Eyi tumo si pe: Sí àwọn ọmọ rẹ̀ nínú Kristi, àlùfáà jẹ́ àmì àti ẹ̀rí ìdánilójú fún Ìjọba Ọlọ́run.

“Àlùfáà ń lo gbogbo ìgbésí ayé rẹ̀ ní dídúró ní àárín ibi tí ohun tí a lè rí àti ohun tí a kò lè rí ti ńpàdé. Ó ń mú àkàrà àti wáìnì, ṣùgbọ́n nípa agbara Olorun, ninu awon alufaa,  wọ́n ndi Ara àti Ẹ̀jẹ̀ Kristi. Ó gbé ọwọ́ rẹ̀ sókè, àti nípasẹ̀ iṣẹ́ ìránṣẹ́ rẹ̀, Ọlọ́run ńbùkún fun àwọn ènìyàn Rẹ̀. Ó ńsọ àwọn ọ̀rọ̀ ìdáríjì ẹ̀ṣẹ̀, àánú Ọlọ́run tí a kò lè rí ndi ohun tí a gba nípa sakramenti.”

 

Having identified the priest as a sign, pointing towards Christ and His kingdom, let us identify the ways in which the priest is a sign:

HOW IS THE PRIEST A SIGN

• His celibacy points to the Kingdom where people “neither marry nor are given in marriage” (Mt 22:30).
• His Eucharistic ministry makes present the heavenly banquet.
• His prayer lifts earthly realities toward heaven.
• His forgiveness points to the mercy of the Kingdom.
• His charity gives a foretaste of the Kingdom.
• His obedience witnesses that God's will is greater than his own.
• His death, when it comes, should become the final witness that his true homeland is heaven.

As such, with every priest we should be able to say, in conjunction with the last line of our first reading that: ‘Now the salvation and the power and kingdom of our God and the authority of His Christ have come.’ Because every priest makes Christ present among us.  

 

 

TO THE ORDINANDS

Our dear ordinands, a few words for you:

 

1. You are a sign, and as a sign, you contain within yourself the identity of the destination yet your purpose is entirely for those coming. The priesthood is as vocation of service- responsibility for others. Take it as such and live entirely for the mission. I always tell people, no matter how much you try, you can never become wealthy as a priest. The reason is simple everything you have comes from others. Hence, your true wealth is in others. In how many people you are able to be a true sign to, in how many people you are able to serve.  
2. AS A SIGN YOU ARE FOR EVERYONE- On the 26th of June, 2026. I was at table with the Archbishop (I’m sure you all know how last borns like to eat with their Father) and he said at some point during the conversation- ‘I cannot be for this or that person as a Bishop. I must be for all. Everyone is special, everyone is chosen, and I must be a friend to everyone.’ Those words struck a chord in my chest. As priests, you cannot afford to be for the poor alone or for the rich alone or for the children alone or the adults alone- You must be for all. The sign doesn’t select who to point the way to, it shines for all.  
3. YOU ARE NOT THE END POINT- A sign is never meant to draw attention merely to itself. A road sign saying “Ibadan” is not Ibadan; it points you towards Ibadan. A wedding ring is not the marriage itself; it points to a covenant of love. Likewise, a priest is not the Kingdom of Heaven itself, but his life should point people towards that Kingdom. Therefore, though people sometimes can get attracted to you, always redirect them to God himself. To lead people to yourself is to lead them astray, for in you they will never reach the kingdom. Rather than drawing attention to herself, Mary says to the servants at the wedding feast –‘Do whatever HE tells you.’ She directed then to Christ.
4. A sign should never be wrong- A sign in itself does not have the luxury of being wrong in its direction. In every action, thought and words, a priest therefore is called to always strive for perfection in such a manner that people can call you ‘blessed among men’, just as Elizabeth called Mary ‘blessed among women’ in our Gospel reading today.
5. As a priest you are the sign of God’s victory over death- In few minutes, you will lie prostrate on this sanctuary. That gesture is a symbol of total surrender. It is a symbol of your union with Christ in his death. But you know what, even though today you die in Christ, you shall rise to new life. A life that shall no longer be yours but Christ’s. St Paul says ‘it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me’ (Galatians 2:20). St Paul also says in our second reading today that although death and sin came through one man, life and salvation has come through Christ. The new life in Christ that you shall receive is a powerful sign of the victory of Christ over death. You shall rise today as powerful agents destroying every rule and every authority and every power that opposes our life in Christ until in the concrete situation of people around you, all the enemies of man has been put under foot.

Finally, dear ordinands, as a living sign you must know that your fulfilment comes from the degree in which you embody the one you represent. It is a fact that you are not a passive sign like the signboards. No, you are a LIVING sign. You move, you breathe, you think, you make choices and you have freely chosen to respond to this call to the priesthood with a ‘YES’ like Mary. You must be who and what you are- an image of Christ.

To embody Christ two things are fundamental: the Eucharist and prayer. “Lati je alufaa tooto e ni lati nife Eucharisti mimo, e ni lati maa bola fun ni gbogbo igba, e si ni lati je eni Adura.”

THE EUCHARIST- As a priest you cannot joke with the Eucharist for you become a custodian of this great mystery. The sacrament of Holy Order which you receive today was instituted within the context of the Eucharist. ‘Do this in memory of me’ He said. (Luke 22:19) The Holy Eucharist therefore is the kpim, the centre, the all in all of your priesthood, you must celebrate the Holy Mass with all sense of grace and fervour. The Holy father Pope Francis in His Apostolic letter ‘Desiderio Desideravi’ called on priests to celebrate the Mass with art- i.e with all sense of purpose, intentionality and reverence. Christ must become visible through your gestures, your words and even your silence.

PRAYER- After the ordination of the twelve Apostles on Holy Thursday, the first thing Christ asked of them was to watch and pray with Him. He did not send them out immediately. He did not entrust them with any priestly task. All he wanted was that they unite with him in his prayer of obedience and abandonment to the Father. This was their first priestly action, their first mandate as priests of the New Covenant: not to preach, not to teach, not to heal, not even to baptize, but to watch and pray with Christ. This was in order to help them understand that unless a priest keeps watch and perseveres in prayer, all else will be in vain. He will dispense the substance of Christ’s mysteries, but without the sweetness of a heavenly unction, without the fire and light of a personal experience of Christ’s divine friendship. Mary in our Gospel reading today, prays the beautiful Magnificat exalting God and highlighting the privilege He has given her. But we must remember that before that magnificat, Mary had first said; ‘Behold I am the handmaid of the Lord.’ She had knelt before God in humility, surrendering her entire life to him. This precisely is what the priest does when he has a personal and profound devotion to prayer. Also, before Mary even went to Elizabeth at all, she had first received the WORD- She had first conceived Christ. It was Christ in her that made the child in the womb of Elizabeth leap for Joy. Dear ordinands, it is the Christ in you that will make these men and women leap for joy. It is the Christ that you carry that is the entire essence of your existence as a priest. And I tell you solemnly, it is through prayer that you conceive Christ for the world.  Hence today, I beg you dear ordinands and indeed all priests here present, become adorers of Christ in the Holy Eucharist, Become men of prayer. Strive to become experts in the art of Prayer.

TO OUR DEAR SEMINARIANS- I know on a day like this your eyes are on the road and ask God when? Don’t worry, just continue to watch and learn, follow Christ closely. And as we usually pray- ‘tiyin naa a de o.’ AMIN!

 

TO MY ELDER BROTHERS IN THE HOUSE,

“Awon Yoruba bo won wi pe- b’omode ba ni aso bi agba, ko le ni akisa bi agba. Awon arakunrin wa wonyi, looto ni won ti fo owo won daadaa, won si maa jeun pelu agba. Ama ko si ni, won si maa nilo atosona ati apeere lowo awon agbagba.” The wealth of experience that you have can never be compared to all the volumes of Epistemology, Ecclesiology, Mariology or Soteriology that they have studied. They need your mentorship. (What am I even saying). Sorry, We need your mentorship. Please, mentor us aright. As an elderly sign, it is your light that we follow. Never let that light become too dark for us to see. 

DEAR PEOPLE OF GOD: PRAY FOR YOUR PRIESTS AND SUPPORT THEM

“Eyin baba mi, iya mi, ore ati ojolumo ti a wa nibi loni, mo fe gbe ise kan pere fun yin,

Gege bi a se nse ajoyo ti ojo oni, e dakun, e maa gbadura fun awon Alufaa yin. Ise ti a gbe wok o rorun. A nduro gege bi ami oun to ju wa lo lona to po. Adura si ni opa isegun Kistiani. E je ka ranti pe, ebun oniyebiye ni awon alufa wa je fun wa, nitori idi eyi, e je ka maa gbadura fun won lorekore.

E gbadura fun won, ki won le duro sinsin pelu Olorun.

E gbadura fun won ki won mase padanu ife ti won ni si Eucharisit mimo

E gbadura fun won  ki won le je Olotito si awon ileri ti won se fun Olorun.

E gbadura fun won ki won le duro timotimo pelu Iya wa Maria.

E gbadura fun won ki won le ni igboya lati le polongo otito ati ife Olorun.

E gbadura fun won ki ota mase ri won gbese.

E gbadura fun won ki won le bori awon idawon ota, ki won si le ranti ileri Kristi fun won nigba isoro won.

Nipari ohun gbogbo, E gbadura fun won ki won le je eniyan mimo ti yoo ri oju rere Oluwa nigba ti won ba ku.”

 

As you pray, please also support your priests. They have given up everything for service. As priests, we survive only on Charity, everything we have comes from you. Our wellbeing materially is hinged upon you. Yes, God sustains his people, but through YOU.

 

IN CONCLUSION

Being the mouthpiece of our dear Chief shepherd on a day like this, I cannot but end this homily using his own words. In an exclusive interview uploaded on the 21st of September, 2020, in commemoration of our Archbishop’s 70th Birthday, he was asked to advise his listeners and these were his words which are quite relevant to the ordinands, my fellow priests and indeed all of us gathered here. He said:

‘take life easy, be simple, respect people, be humble too, don’t scare people away…don’t flaunt whatever you have so that people may shake when they see you…let people be attracted to you, then you bring them to God’ (end of quote.)

And may the Good Lord bless his Word in our heart through Christ Our Lord. AMEN