The late Bishop Michael Patrick Olatunji Fagun, the Pioneer and Emeritus Bishop, Catholic Diocese of Ekiti, meant different person to different groups of people that had the opportunity to interact with him while he was alive.
He was like the masquerade dancing in the town square. Where every spectator stands decides the side of the masquerade they shall surely see. My first personal encounter with Baba Fagun was in 1994 precisely. I was working on the biography of his friend and ‘twin’ brother, Bishop Julius Babatunde Adelakun of the old Catholic Diocese of Oyo with headquarters at Osogbo then. Later, the headquarters was relocated to Oyo Alaafin following the creation of the Catholic Diocese of Osogbo out of the Old Oyo Diocese. Baba Julius Babatunde Adelakun joined the Saints Triumphant 11 days after the death of his bosom friend, thus ending the era of two legends of the Catholic Church leadership in Nigeria.
I asked Baba Julius Adelakun to suggest someone to write a foreword to the biography: BISHOP J.B. ADELAKUN the Chief SERVANT LEADER. Pronto, he gave me a note to his bosom friend. Off to Ado Ekiti from Ibadan, armed with the letter of introduction and a hard copy of the project, Baba Fagun welcomed me with open arms. He promised to read through the work and we both agreed that I should come back for the foreword in a week’s time then. Baba Fagun , despite his busy schedule, kept to the appointed date and I was delighted at the speed he read the typed script and delivered on his promise. During that trip, Baba Fagun gave me a copy of his own autobiography titled : “T HE STORY OF MY LIFE AN AUTOBIOGRAPHY” BY +M.O.Fagun.
I still cherish and treasure that book till date and became very handy in these reflections by him covering some areas of his Odyssey. My second encounter was between Year 2000 and Year 2005, I was on the staff of the Catholic Secretariat of Nigeria (CSN) Lagos and had the opportunity of attending the plenary meetings of the Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria (CBCN). There, I used to admire at close range the cordial and friendly relationship between the duo. Through my tiny radar then, I was convinced that their friendship was one made from heaven. That was manifested by how they departed this world between an 11-day interval . May the souls of Bishop Michael Patrick Olatunji Fagun and Bishop Julius Babatunde Adelakun continue to rest in peace. Amen.
Below are some of Baba Fagun’s thematic reflections on various topics he addressed decades ago and still relevant in our contemporary age.
SMA Priests influence in the life of Bishop Fagun: Something else captivated me in my youth. That was the influence of the Irish Missionary priests of the Society of African Missions (SMA). In the process of evangelising the people of my area, they built schools to educate the people in the modern system of human development and erected churches to imbue the people with the practice of the faith in Jesus Christ. They visited homes offering social services to the poor and the needy. I fancied their life styles. I loved associating with them. Whenever Rev. Fr. Filton Nelly, SMA, visited our quarter of the town, the old women used to call out to me saying, “Tunji, Oyinbo re ti de o.” ‘ Your white man is here, ‘Tunji.” Culled from THE STORY OF MY LIFE BY +M.O.Fagun, page 16.
Becoming a catechumen: The priest who baptised me was Rev.Fr. William Field, SMA, who later became the second Bishop of Ondo Diocese. Incidentally, he too ordained me a Catholic priest in 1965 and ordained me Bishop in 1971. I was confirmed in the faith by Bishop Thomas Hughes , SMA, a year after my baptism claiming another patron Saint who once lived on this earth in the person of Saint Patrick of Ireland. Sometimes, I include the appellation of Patrick among my list of full names for unmistakable identity. This is how my initials in some of my official documents read Michael Patrick Olatunji Fagun…” Ibid, pages 17 and 18.
The Mission Boy / Collaborative Ministry: I witnessed one episode when Bishop Thomas Hughes was mixing concrete. A bystander took the shovel from him to do the mixture. The Bishop went for another shovel which another bystander took over in turn. The Bishop still went for a third shovel insisting on participating in the manual labour. He once fell through a roof during construction works. For his great involvement in construction works, his Irish brothers had some pleasantly aptitude of Bishop Hughes compared with those of his two brother Bishops then in the then Lagos Ecclesiastical Province, Bishop Patrick Kelly, SMA, and Archbishop Leo Taylor, SMA. The three were cartooned with Bishop Field on the roof of the church; Bishop Kelly inside the Church, he was noted for his great prayer life ; and Archbishop Taylor outside the Church, he being noted for his ecumenical approach to non- Catholics. Ibid, pages 23 and 24.
At St. Theresa’s Minor Seminary: I arrived in the Seminary with my wooden box on my head. I brought very few luggages for I left home in a haste like the Israelites of the old in their haste to leave Egypt for the promised land . While it took the Israelites 40 trying years to arrive the promised land, it took me 14 years from the day of my departure from home in Akure in the January of 1952 to the day of my ordination to the Priesthood in the July of 1965. Like the Israelites, I experienced some vicissitudes with disappointments and successes. Ibid, page 27.
There were 25 students in the class I began with in the Minor Seminary in 1952. In the 14th year of my Odyssey, only five of us were approved for ordination to the Priesthood. They are: Monsignor Michael Omisesan of Lagos Archdiocese, Monsignor Joseph Adeniji Taiwo of Oyo Diocese, Archbishop Gabriel Gonsum Ganaka of Jos Archdiocese, Bishop Julius Babatunde Adelakun of Oyo Diocese,and my humble self.
I had a few close associates in the Minor Seminary. Justice Anthony Ekundayo from Eruku, then of Usi Parish in the then Ondo Diocese, was the first to approach me saying that Rev. Fr. Bernard Dolan told him to take care of me…We have remained good friends ever since. Monsignor Joseph Adeniji Taiwo , Bishop Julius Babatunde Adelakun and I were trio friends. Both of them hail from Oyo with their gentle, sympathetic and courteous character typical of their race….ibid page 29.
Years at Saints Peter and Paul Major Seminary: The Society of African Missions (SMA) had the assignment of evangelising the north and south-west of Nigeria. They instituted a Major Seminary in Benin City for the training of indigenous and diocesan priests there. It went by the name of St. Paul. For some strategic reasons, the seminary was translated to Ibadan in September 1957 with the name Saints Peter and Paul. There I resumed my formative studies that year. There was no remarkable difference between the pattern of life I was used to in the Minor Seminary and the one I was introduced to in the Major Seminary.
“…..With the above crowded programmes, students found time to organize themselves into some extra-curricular activities…..
An internal journal entitled ‘Bodija’ was inaugurated by a group of would-be journalists led by R. O. Pariola, now priest in Ekiti Diocese, the journal later developed into the school magazine called THE VOICE….The Music School led by Alexius Makozi, now Bishop of Port Harcourt for the study of classical music; and Teach Yourself Italian School pursued by Francis Folorunso Alonge, now Bishop of Ondo Diocese.
It was at the same time I developed interest in the French language which was being introduced into some schools in Nigeria then. I founded a school with high sounding name of “l’Academie Francaise” for the study of French. There, I learnt by teaching others. Among my students in this School were: Archbishop Anthony Olubunmi Okogie and Archbishop John Olorunfemi Onaiyekan whom I found exceedingly brilliant. With the knowledge I gained in this study group, I was able to gain direct entry admission to study French language and Literature in the University of Ibadan….ibid, pages 31 and 32.
Prophecy for appointment as Bishop: I graduated second class lower division in Arts from the University of Ibadan in June 1969. My Bishop, Rt. Rev. William Field, SMA, arranged my posting to St. Joseph’s Grammar School, Ondo, immediately after my graduation from the University. There, I was engaged in the teaching of French and Religious Knowledge…Among the staff of the school at that time were: Chief Julius Fasubaa , Chief (Sir) Ogundele and Chief Dapo Aliba. These and a host of others made me feel very much at home. It was with the urge of a few of them that earned me a second degree in the University of Toronto, Canada. They were a new breed of Catholic laity, very revolutionary in their bid for indigenisation of the Church. They went as far as suggesting local candidates to the bishopric. I got embarrassed when they suggested my name and amused at the same time.
I have never been ambitious in my life, In fact, I shy off the company of people in high places. I do not know whether that is a virtue or a vice. I therefore laughed at the train of amusement by saying: “if you want an elderly hand for bishopric, choose Fr. Oguntuyi or Fr. Omole; if it is a question of a dynamic indigenous Bishop, choose Fr. Adegoke; if you desire a holy man, choose Fr. Alonge , but if you want a simple, honest man, choose Fr. Fagun. ” It was a prophecy in the reverse of the order above with the last two named becoming Bishops by God’s design, not for any merit of ours….Ibid pages 55 and 56.
Bishop Fagun: Just as I was settling down for the orientation of my pastoral work in Ikere Ekiti, the Apostolic Nuncio to Central and West Africa, Archbishop Amelio Poggi, invited me for a chat. He asked my opinion on my being appointed a Bishop. I shuddered at the idea….I had just been charged with running a parish for the first time ever. In fact, I never walked in the corridors of power. I had no previous experience of governance I therefore asked the Nuncio to give me some time to pray over it.
My friend, Rev. Fr. G.G. Ganaka now Archbishop of Jos, persuaded me to accept the offer. A group of friends from Akure, led by the late Olaiya Fagbamigbe, opened a conversation on the current appointment of indigenous Bishops taking place in some diocese in Nigeria.
“…Mr Fagbamigbe rejoined that I was behaving like a soldier who would remain in the army when there was no war but not be prepared to lead a detachment to the battle front. I felt challenged by this analogy. After praying and much reflections, I replied the Nuncio in the affirmative and I was announced Auxiliary Bishop of Ondo Diocese with the title of Titular Bishop of Casanigra on 28 June, 1971, an extinct ancient diocese of North Africa. ‘’ibid, page 61.
The Shepherd: With my installation as the Ordinary of the new Diocese of Ekiti over, another chapter of my life began…..I had many nuts to crack within the new Diocese. I was the youngest priest in the Diocese. Not only was I inexperienced in the art of governance, having no previous lessons on how to be a Bishop, I had no human and material resources to fall back either. There were only 7 expatriate missionary priests at my service, all of them of the Society of African Missions (SMA) Irish Province, and two indigenous priests, in the persons of Monsignor Anthony Ogunleye Oguntuyi and Rev. Fr. R.O. Pariola. There were nine parishes at the inception of the diocese. There were four convents of the Sisters of St. Louis , Irish Province, before the creation of the Diocese which dwindled into two communities on my assumption of office. Ibid, page 66.
The builder “…With our meagre resources, combined with our working style, nine parishes at the inception of the diocese in 1972 have risen to 33 parishes and rectories in the same proportion. There were 30 churches then , but we can now boast of 100 churches with a modern Chapel under construction at the Federal Polytechnic, Ado Ekiti…We instituted a training school for Catechists with the Centre in Usi -Ekiti, a befitting building is urgently under construction for classrooms and a hostel for the students….’’ ibid, page 71.
Lover/Promoter of auto/biographies: Bishop Michael Olatunji Fagun in his introduction to his autobiography wrote: “Biographies tell how the eyes of the writer sees the person described in life pattern, in his or her behaviour, action, achievement or inadequacies. “Autobiographies on the other hand, are written by the actors themselves on their endowment and performances on the stage of life.
“….in any case, I would prefer a biography of myself, as a second person sees me, rather than an autobiography, as I see myself through life. As we say, the eye does not see itself but through a mirror.’’ Ibid page iii
Also in a foreword to the biography: “BISHOP J.B.ADELAKUN the Chief SERVANT LEADER” by Peter Ajayi Dada, Bishop Fagun wrote, “Biographies help us to know others, places, and cultures and what some stuff some individuals are made. Yet, the ultimate objective of biographies is to show certain worthy and enviable dimension life realised in a hero for others to emulate and achieve in spite of whatever mounting difficulties encountered. Hence, biographies are meant to teach and to to encourage others in the race of life, to make people aim at valuable goals through their own personal endowments for their own good and the betterment of their environs and for the good of mankind. …Ibid, Page IX, BISHOP J.B. ADELAKUN the Chief SERVANTLEADER, October 10, 1994.
Sourcing funding locally: “These foreign sources of help, instead of stimulating beneficiaries to self-help, ironically rendered them more dependent than ever. The pioneer missionaries did not help matters under this heading either. They did not prepare a solid ground towards financial self-reliance. They did almost everything for the people with resources from their home country without insisting on self- development. Consequently, my people developed a bad culture of relying on aid from foreign missions for the needs of their local churches.
While the missionaries would get sympathetic hearing from their kit and kin in Europe and America, it was not all that easy for the honest and dignified indigenous clergy to catch the ears of the funding foreigners for the development of the local church…. THE STORY of MY LIFE AN AUTOBIOGRAPHY BY M.O. Fagun, pages 67 and 68.
Training indigenous Priests: “With the founders of the Church in Ekiti retired from the field, I tried securing the services of other missionaries. I contacted the Dominican Order, the Augustinians, the C.I.C.M., all to no avail. All my efforts bore no fruit in the attempt to secure missionary personnel for Ekiti. It took me some study to know why Ekiti is no longer attractive to foreign missions.The cause is incidental and it is worth mentioning. In the first place, the geographical location of this Diocese is unattractive to foreigners considering proximity and accessibility to the airport for travelling and communication purposes.
In the second place, the political setting of Ekiti Diocese had no national or regional or state administrative centre then. In short, it had no seat for national or state administration. The third reason was that it had no commercial advantage having no sea ports or airport of industry of note, or natural resources of sizeable commercial flow. Consequently, the area did not attract foreign investments including the attention of foreign missionaries. Yet I did not accept defeat. I reflected along the philosophy of my people : Owo eni la fi ntu t’ara eni i se-no nation would develop another, you just have to do it yourself.’’ (Ibid , pages 73 and 74.
Father Founder: I had never before then thought of such a line of apostolate as founding a religious institute no more than I ever thought I could ever become a Bishop. I was in Rome at this particular juncture of my missionary endeavour. I stood before St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome, praying that the Lord Jesus would teach, inspire and direct me with the gift of the Holy Spirit as he did promise us his followers. After this, I later turned to three of the Sisters disillusioned with the Missionari dela Fede, asking them what they thought of founding an indigenous Congregation suited to our state and stage of evangelisation in our local churches back at home . Their reaction was positive. Vox Populi, vox Dei-God speaks through his people ….This was how the Congregation of the Sisters of St Michael the Archangel was conceived and later born to see the light of the day where it continued to wax strong in grace before God and the people of good will. Ibid, page 78.
Establishment of SSMA Congregation: “The idea of the Sisters of St. Michael the Archangel was conceived and born in1986…Because of its spirit and character which is evangelization through inculturation, I looked round for a midwife and a nanny who was close enough to the culture of our people that can bring it to the light of the day and nurse it to maturity. I saw the Congregation of the Eucharistic Heart of Jesus (EHJ) an indigenous institute founded by Archbishop Leo Taylor of Lagos Archdiocese, closest to that ideal…..’’Ibid, pages 79 and 80.
My lifestyle of Celibacy: “Let me comment briefly on my uncommon lifestyle of celibacy. When I had my vocation to the priesthood as a young boy, the celibate condition attached to it appeared to me then as a challenge to forgo sexual pleasure and the fatherhood of a family so much cherished in our culture. At that stage, the demand to me was nothing more than abstinence from any other human value. I chose celibate life to achieve my end, the sacred priesthood. Later on in life, when the sexual urges and the need for affection of the opposite sex came into the surface with the loneliness without a female partner, it was not smooth sailing. I even once prayed childishly that God should remove this urge from my body. That of course would deprive me of the merits in overcoming the temptations in this regard. Yet, I accepted the challenge and the grace of Our Lord Jesus Christ was more than enough for me to cope. I drew support from my disciplined upbringing, religious formation, the hope I had in this vocation , my communion with God in prayer and the unfailing grace of God who has called me and promised me an unflinching support. And so considering my life history, my moral background, the society and the time in which I developed, my friends and the religious formation I received, my hope for an eternal reward, celibacy became comfortable as much as humanly possible, with the grace of God supporting and supplying strength at critical times. And as such, rather than being troublesome, celibacy has been a source of excitement with zest to life and action for me. It has given me much satisfaction. Yet I still count on my Lord Jesus Christ, the bounteous rewarder , who will reward me infinitely more than I have sacrificed.’’ Ibid: pages 86 and 87.
As a writer and Publisher: All along my missionary endeavours, I did not ignore the apostolate of the pen. I developed this orientation from my seminary days where I started with “Iwe Itan Awon Eniyan Mimo’’ and the translation of the Psalms in 1964 into the language of the people of Yoruba. Both works were published.The Psalms contained 234 pages with 1,000 copies published in 1971.
Next was the work of translating of the Sunday Missal into Yoruba, published the same year containing 692 pages and 5,000 copies with its reading used at every Sunday liturgy and worship with the title “Misa Ojooojo Ose ‘’. It has been republished five (5) times over and popularly used all over the Yoruba speaking areas of the world covering all southwestern Nigeria and extending to the same race living in the Republic de Benin. I also embarked on the translation of the Daily Missal, ‘Misa Ojoojumo’, into Yoruba in 1975 with the same effect as the previous publications. It was published in 1976 having 741 pages.
My last publication before the writing of this autobiography was the translation of the Jerusalem Bible into Yoruba. It was a gigantic work I did not dream of accomplishing. But due to pressures from the people of God for the Catholic Version of the Bible in Yoruba, and with faith in God, I embarked on the project in 1983 and completed it in 1990 and it was published in 1993,containing 1,758 pages, the deutero –canonical books of the bible inclusive. My main source of translation was the first French edition of the Jerusalem Bible , from l’Ecole Bibliques de Jerusalem, les editions du CERF.,Paris, 1961, on which pattern I based my own work with free references to other translations including the Hebrew version of the Masoret text of the bible. The work was highly hailed, very much commended and well received.
“…But there was something unpleasant rather very painful in the execution of the works most especially the translation of the bible: that was the problem of getting them published. Not only were the local printing presses not willing to take on such a big job but they were ill-equipped for the printing of the bible on the refined Bible paper provided. I had to go through almost every step from writing the scripts to publication, typing the scripts myself, proof reading the type-setting and supervising the printing in the press. In the case of the work on the Bible, I personally wrote the scripts, then did the typing myself with Yoruba orthography. I then employed a typist who retyped my corrected copy. This took the typist a complete calendar year. Womilore Press in Ibadan, run by Chief Funmilayo of Igbole Ekiti,was employed to do the type-setting with Yoruba orthography. There, I went every two weeks to proof read the text for a period of two years. I counted on the Catholic press in Ibadan, Claverianum, to do the printing only to see that the press turned down the proposal after a year delay due to its unserviceable equipment for the job. An Ilesa printing press helped in printing the Old Testament. The New Testament in colour had to be done in our local press in Ado-Ekiti, the Hope Paper Mills , run by the Diocese…’’ Ibid, pages 82 and 83.
Excerpts from sermons and homilies by Bishop Fagun as contained in the book: TIT BITS FROM THE WORKS OF BISHOP M.O. FAGUN;
Advice to Squadron Leader David Ita Ikpeme, the Pioneer Military Governor of old Ondo State on April 11,1976 following its creation at the Sacred Heart Cathedral , Akure.
“In simple term, we are warned to lay a good foundation for our new state, create job opportunities for those without any employment. Do not hoard goods especially food materials. Government officials should not take bribes but should work conscientiously and with dedication, no wrangling over chieftaincy titles. Since ours is a military regime, it becomes more incumbent on soldiers not to bully anyone but rather to guard and protect and serve the public and intent on the restoration of the rule of law. There should be no false denunciations; no rumour mongering and oaths of office should be taken seriously. And above all, there should be no misappropriation of public funds or misuse of public property…
Memorandum to the Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria on Finance/ Accounting & Distribution of Church Resources delivered in 1975……So far, the Church in Nigeria has depended mainly on the good will of the priests in charge of finances to behave according to the discipline of priestly poverty. This is not enough and falls too short of our present standard of development. I am not aware of any of our churches in the civilized world still at that level of financial management.
To the best of my knowledge, there are two dioceses which have made some efforts in a new direction.The Diocese of Oyo has adopted a centralization of all local revenues for maintenance of priests of the diocese. The Diocese of Ekiti has adopted a budgetary system for its priests but still depends heavily on the good will of the priests in charge of funds not to exceed their due. Both systems referred to above still need to be improved upon.
Address to National Catholic Students of Higher Learning on The youth and Moral Regeneration delivered at the University of Ife on 18th December, 1974. We however should be mindful today that our society and nation is being undermined from within by moral decadence or rather by moral apathy which leads to amorality at the end.
If there is anything that is becoming clear in our national moral life which is full of juvenile delinquency, crime, racketeering, political scandals, it is that we need a great development of moral character both in the individual and the nation. Christ our Lord will want you, youths, to displace and confound the leaders who say that good or evil is a point of view and that make no difference in which you believe. I want you to note that it is your role to make the society believe that moral good and moral evil are not just points of views. That evil should be identified and fought and goodness is an objective value to attain, if necessary to discipline ourselves and even die for it.
A man of inculturation speaking on marriage rites “…I personally in my own right as the Ordinary of the Diocese have tried some experimentation in the matter. I arranged that at the so-called engagement ceremonies treated above, where Catholic parties or a Catholic party is involved, a priest should assist at the ceremonies thereby witnessing to the marriage in the name of the Church and saying relevant prayers for the couple on the occasion which he was very much appreciated by the people.” Culled from Inculturation of Marriage among the Yorubas”, in an interview granted The INSIGHT, VOL.16, NO.1, 1999 on the topic Christian and Traditional Marriage: Any Meeting Point?