Cyprian Tansi

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Cyprian Tansi

Cyprian Michael Iwene Tansi (born September 1903 in Aguleri, Nigeria , † January 26, 1964 in Leicester ) was a Roman Catholic priest from the Igbo tribe and later a member of the Trappist order . He was beatified by Pope John Paul II in Onitsha on March 22, 1998 .

Iwene Tansi was born not far from Onitsha and was baptized at the age of 9. His parents were not Christians, so he was shocked when he destroyed the statue given to every boy in his tribe after they were baptized. He lost his father as a small child, and his mother committed suicide in 1922 when the village medicine man held her responsible for child mortality.

Tansi first became a teacher and catechist. At the age of 22 he decided to become a priest. After his ordination on December 19, 1937 in the Cathedral of Onitsha by Charles Heerey, he worked for 13 years as an avid pastor in the eastern part of Nigeria. As a pastor he had the charisma to inspire young men for the priestly profession. He took students into his parsonage and prepared them for entry into the seminary .

He was particularly committed to the youth and families. The catechesis of the newlyweds was important to him, as was the position of women in the family. Even as a diocesan priest , he became aware of the book Christ our Ideal by the Benedictine abbot Columba Marmion . The monastic life was by then in Nigeria, little is known; Tansi decided to bring this way of life to his homeland. Together with his chaplain Clément Ulogu, he decided to enter a monastery. In June 1950 he traveled to Mount St. Bernard, England, with the permission of his bishop. There he was accepted - initially as an oblate - and was given the religious name Cyprian. Clément Ulogu followed him in 1951. On December 8, 1953, both made simple and solemn profession on December 8, 1956 .

The English monastery planned to found a mission in Cameroon , where Fr. Cyprian would serve as novice master . However, he fell ill in January 1964 and died shortly afterwards in England. In 1986 his bones were exhumed and transferred to Nigeria, where they were buried in the priestly cemetery of Onitsha Cathedral. The grave was visited frequently; miracles of healing through his intercession have been reported.

Cyprian Michael Tansi was the role model and teacher of several important churchmen, including the later Cardinal Francis Arinze , whom he had baptized as a young priest.

In the sermon on the occasion of the beatification, Pope John Paul II pointed out that Tansi is an example of the fruits of the Christian faith in the Nigerian people, which have increased more and more since the proselytization of the country.

The feast day of Blessed Cyprian Tansi in the liturgy is January 20th.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Elizabeth Isichei, Entirely for God: the Life of Cyprian Michael Iwene Tansi , Cistercian Publications 43, Kalamazoo 4th Edition 2005, p. 37.
  2. ^ God's Invisible Hand: The Life and Work of Francis Cardinal Arinze , an Interview with Gerard O'Connell, San Francisco 2006, ISBN 978-1-58617-135-3 , p. 111
  3. ↑ Homily at the Mass for the Beatification of Father Cyprian Tansi , Pope John Paul II

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Tansi, Cyprian
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Tansi, Cyprian Michael; Tansi, Iwene (maiden name); Iwemmaduegbunam
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Roman Catholic religious priest and blessed
DATE OF BIRTH September 1903
PLACE OF BIRTH Aguleri, Nigeria
DATE OF DEATH January 26, 1964
Place of death Leicester