CATHOLIC DIOCESE OF AGULERI
a brief history of blessed iwene tansi
family background
The beginning of the twentieth century witnessed a big wind of economic and religious change which blew across West Africa. This wind was fanned by the colonial masters who were resolute in establishing their conquest through economic ties with their colonies and the French and Irish missionaries, who in love with Jesus Christ worked hard to win souls for Him.
In 1903, the wind blew through lgboezunu village,Aguleri town about 40 kilometres north of Onitsha in Anambra State Nigeria and hit one family both ways. OdatuTabansi was the father of the family and his wife was Ejikwevi Muoba. While Ejikwevi was expecting her fourth child, the Royal Niger Company took Tabansi and some other Aguleri men and imprisoned them at Asaba for allegedly tampering with a drum of palm oil meant for export. The innocent Tabansi was angry at the white man’s humiliation, so he named his fourth child Iwe-egbune (meaning may anger not kill me) which was shortened to Iwene. Tabansi and his wife were peasant farmers and practiced the indigenous religion of their land like most members of the community. They had three other sons, Ivekwu, Vincent and Stephen and later a girl named Obiamma.
EDUCATION/CAREER
As providence would have it, Iwene was the only child to receive a formal education. His father, Tabansi died while he was a boy and the mother entrusted him to her nephew Robert Orekyie a school teacher in Saint Joseph School, Aguleri.
Iwene lived with his cousin Robert Orakyie at the Christian village Aguleri and was baptized Michael at the age of 9 years by Fr. Rubino on 7th January, 1912. Robert was not an easy man to live with. Flashing his eyes he would demand instant obedience by shouting at Iwene who obeyed him and grew up to be an exemplary Christian. He attended daily mass and while his mates played during the moon lit nights, he would spend long hours in the Church, not minding the disturbance of his fellow boys who desired to play with him. He also did quite well at his studies.
Michael won the admiration of the white missionary priests and was made pupil teacher after his graduation. He rose to the rank of a headmaster in his alma-mater Saint Joseph school, Aguleri. He worked hard and made sure his pupils understood what he was teaching Michael excelled at sports, especially soccer and loved and taught music to his pupils. He was humble, peace loving and humorous.
In 1922 his mother died in a painful way, she was accused of being responsible for the death of children in the village .by the medicine man, she was forced to drink a poisonous concotion before the people to prove her innocence and she died from the poison. Iwene mourned her death and bore the grief. He then converted his siblings who became fervent Christians.
VOCATION AND SEMINARY
Even though Michael was a successful Headmaster, his longing was to be a priest. When he informed his family about his vocation he was opposed because they wanted him to be a rich and influential man with a wife and children. Michael was firm in his decision to be a priest and he entered the seminary at Igbariam in 1925.
PRIESTHOOD
On 19 December, 1937 Michael was ordained a diocesan priest by Bishop Charles Heerey (later Archbishop). He worked as curate to Fr. John Cross Anyogu (later Bishop of Enugu Diocese) at Nnewi. In 1940, he was asked by Archbishop Charles Heerey to open a new parish at Dunukofia, a parish of nineteen towns. In 1945, he was transferred to Akpu to open another new parish at Ufesi-Odo. Later, in 1949 he was posted to Aguleri, his hometown where he worked relentlessly as parish priest up to 1950.
During his 13 years as Parish Priest, Fr. Michael Tansi converted many souls and practiced what he preached. He cared for the needy and the sick, made many sick calls and took care of the lepers and the elderly. He built schools with boarding houses for senior boys and established training school for girls preparing for marriage. Fr. Michael Tansi covered distant and vast areas of his parish on foot and pushed bicycle and promoted devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus with its first Friday devotion. For easy evangelization, he started the Mary League for young unmarried girls and the Saint Anne Society for married women. He was known for his kindness and thoughtfulness to others, for his spirit of self denial and life of simplicity and penance; he lived an ascetic life, ate and slept sparingly and loved cleanliness. He celebrated his masses with great devotion and love for our Lord Jesus Christ in the Blessed Sacrament and he was a truly courageous preacher of the gospel. His love for the Blessed Virgin Mary was very unique, he prayed the Rosary often and encouraged his parishioners and spiritual children to honor our Lady as the Mother of God. Fr. Michael Tansi was also blessed with the gift of prophecy and people regarded him as a living saint.
His first parish at Dunukofia has the highest number of priest in Nigeria including a Cardinal, Bishops, as well as Reverend Brothers, Reverend Sisters, monks and nuns. His vocation was truly from God.
MONASTIC LIFE
In 1950, Fr. Michael Tansi went on a pilgrimage to Rome and from there to Mount Saint Bernard Abbey with Archbishop Charles Heerey, who gave him permission to become a monk. He made his simple vows on 8th December, 1953 and took the name Mary Cyprian. Then on 8th December, 1956, he made his solemn profession. He lived as a monk for 14 years. Fr. Cyprian Tansi endured the hard cold climate of Charwood forest. Coalville, Leicester, England. To his fellow monks he was a good monk and while in the monastery he lived a life of prayer, simplicity and penance. Many Nigerians visited him in the monastery seeking advice and guidance in retreats and private talks. He longed to come back to Nigeria and start a monastery but God had other plans for him. While he was getting ready to go with other monks as a novice master in their new foundation at Bamenda, Cameroon, he fell ill and was taken to Leicester Royal Infirmary where he died of aortic aneurism on 20″ January, 1964. Fr. Cyprian Tansi was buried at the monastery cemetery on 22th January, 1964 with many Nigerians in attendance, including his spiritual son, Francis Cardinal Arinze, who was studying as a priest in England at that time.
EXHUMATION AND RE-INTERMENT
In 1984 the Archbishop of Onitsha, Dr. Stephen N. Ezeanya, after feeling the pulse of the people where Fr. Tansi worked, requested for his remains to be brought home to Nigeria from England. The remains was exhumed and reinterred in the priest’s cemetery at Holy Trinity Cathedral Onitsha on 17TH October, 1984. On that same day, he worked his first miracle, a young teenage girl, Philomena Emeka was healed of malignant cancer in the peritoneum immediately she touched the coffin containing Fr. Cyprian Tansi’s remains at Holy Trinity Cathedral Onitsha.
BEATIFICATION AND ITS AFTER EFFECTS
On 22 March, 1998, Fr. Cyprian Michael IweneTansi was beatified by Pope John Paul II (now saint) at Oba, Anambra State, Nigeria before over one million people. Since then, many prayers are going up to heaven besieging God for his canonization, which we look forward to in God’s own time.
In the year 2015, the Nigerian priests made him their patron and many schools, churches and institutions are now named after him. After the beatification of Blessed Cyprian Iwene Tansi, the number of monasteries in Nigeria rose from about ten to twenty-three. Furthermore, many books have been written about him. His fame cuts across Nigeria to other African countries, Europe and America. A small shrine has been set up at Mount Saint Bernard Abbey, Leicester, England and people come from all parts to venerate this inspiring example of Christian holiness. His Relics is placed at the side altar of the Basilica of the Holy Trinity Onitsha and many people visit there to pray.
There are now Rev. Sisters of Blessed Iwene Tansi, the Fr. Tansi Solidarity and the Fr. Tansi Lay Cistercian. Above all many people are aspiring to live a holy life like Blessed Cyprain lwene Tansi, To God be the glory!