Funeral Scheduled for June 9, 2026
The Catholic Diocese of Ahiara mourns the passing of Rev. Fr. Martinianus Chileke, who died at the age of 54. Born on April 15, 1972, and ordained to the sacred priesthood on August 7, 1999, Fr Chileke, affectionately called Fr Chidi, lived a priestly life that bore the marks of missionary generosity and pastoral commitment.
His ministry took him across diverse pastoral fields, from Nigeria to Grenada and further to California in the United States, where he served with quiet dedication and pastoral agility.
Across these assignments, he was widely recognized for a priestly character shaped by piety, humility, simplicity, and a striking interior joy that rendered his presence both consoling and memorable. His life, marked by perseverance and cheerful fidelity, became for many a lived homily, expressed less in words than in the steadiness of his witness.
Until his passing on Tuesday, April 21, 2026, Fr. Chileke remained deeply committed to his priestly vocation, sustaining a spirit of generosity that reached all around him. In life, he was ever approachable; in ministry, steadfast; and in disposition, marked by a childlike surrender to the will of God.
Funeral arrangements have been announced, with Vigil Mass scheduled for Monday, June 8, 2026, at St. Patrick’s Catholic Church, Ekwerazu, at 4:00 PM; and his burial slated for Tuesday, June 9, 2026, at the Maria Mater Ecclesiae Cathedral, Ahiara, at 11:00 AM, even as the Diocese prepares, in prayer and in hope, to commend him to God, whose service he embraced without reserve.
May the Ever-Loving God grant sweet repose to his priestly soul. Amen.
