By Chuka Nnabuife
Some people are special. Some are exceptional. And then there are those whose lives quietly teach you what it means to be human.
Sr Maria Chiamaka Uzukwu belongs to that rare company.
The daughter of Raphael Ngaobidi and Theresa Nwakuche Uzukwu of Umuosobe, Uzoakwa, Ihiala, Anambra State, Sr Chiamaka combines remarkable intellect with extraordinary humility, warmth and an almost irresistible friendliness. Even in her advanced years, she remains strikingly graceful and full of life.
She is brilliant. Affable. Playful. Dutiful. A natural conversationalist. Give her a roomful of strangers and, before long, she will be engaging someone in a meaningful conversation. Put children around her and watch what happens: they instinctively gravitate towards her. She has that rare gift of making people feel at home.
And this is not merely an impression from afar. Sr Chiamaka is my cousin — and one of my besties.
We belong to a large family of the late Pa Timothy Ubaakaonwu Nnabuife the respected founding father of Christianity in Ubuluisiuzo, Ihiala, in which she has become one of the female elders. Yet, somehow, she remains one of us, ‘young ones’ in the most delightfully uncomplicated way.
In our family gatherings, she is never an observer. When it is time to recite the Holy Rosary, she is there. When hymns and family anthems are being sung, she is there. When it is time to eat, she is right in the thick of the action.
And ours is not the sort of family where meals are approached ceremonially. We dip our hands into the same tray, reach for the hottest and freshest portions and compete, quite cheerfully, for the best bits. Anyone watching us would probably wonder whether we had ever eaten before.
That is the fun of being a member of our large family.
And Sr Chiamaka loves it.
Her being a septuagenarian — or a nun — does not change that. Once she is among us, the religious habit, veil and other symbols of her vocation become almost incidental. We become siblings again: laughing, teasing, praying, eating, recalling old stories and sharing family nostalgia, sometimes from morning till night.
Her natural warmth has also extended beyond our immediate family. Over the decades, several of her fellow Daughters of Divine Love have become familiar faces at our family gatherings. They have celebrated our joys with us, prayed with us and, in many ways, become part of the extended family.
That is the kind of person Sr Chiamaka is a teacher, organiser and bridge-builder
Long before she became an accomplished religious sister and educationist, she displayed the instincts of a teacher and organiser. She has a remarkable ability to bring people together, persuade them towards a common purpose and make them believe that something worthwhile can be achieved.
Her journey has taken her through studies in Nigeria and Europe and into decades of service in education and pastoral ministry.
At Bishop Okoye Memorial Nursery/Primary School, Abakpa-Nike, Enugu, where she served as headmistress in the 1980s, and later at Holy Family Nursery/Primary School, Kuje, Abuja, where she was headteacher in the late 2000s, her leadership left its mark.
Her later stewardship in the Catholic Diocese of Umuahia, Abia State, similarly reflected the qualities that have distinguished her ministry: leadership, organisation, commitment to basic education, community engagement and an abiding love for children.
Wherever she served, she had a gift for opening doors between schools and their communities. Parents — including non-Catholics — readily became partners in the educational vision of the schools she led.
And the children?
They always flocked to her like bees to honey.
There is something almost magical about the ease with which children respond to her. She does not merely teach them; she connects with them. She mentors them. She inspires them. She makes them believe that they matter.
That gift has left a generational imprint.
In our extended family alone, at least three girls now bear the name Chiamaka in her honour. One of her younger sisters, Ekene was herself inspired to enter the Daughters of Divine Love Congregation. She is now a nun.
Fifty years — and still available
Now, after five decades of religious vocation and service, Sr Chiamaka’s story is not simply about longevity.
It is about fruitfulness.
It is about what happens when a person places her gifts, intellect, energy and relationships at the service of God and humanity — and keeps giving.
Her life brings to mind Anna the prophetess, who, despite the passing of many years, remained faithful in the Temple, worshipping, praying and waiting upon God (Luke 2:36–38).
Years passed. Her faith did not fade.
Her usefulness did not end.
Her heart remained available.
That is the prayer we offer for Sr Chiamaka as she marks this golden jubilee of her religious vocation on Saturday, September 19
The Psalmist provides the perfect prayer:
“They will still bear fruit in old age, they will stay fresh and green.” — Psalm 92:14
May that promise accompany her.
Lord her God,
She thanks You for the privilege of having served You faithfully with the gifts, talents and abilities You placed in her.
If You still have work for her to do, keep her available, fruitful and faithful. Let her never grow weary in Your vineyard.
Open the right doors before her. Reveal whatever assignment You still have for her. Let the experience of her years continue to bless others.
May the gifts You gave her never lie dormant, and may her life continue to point people towards You.
Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Fifty years in the vineyard.
Fifty years of service.
Fifty years of giving.
And perhaps the most beautiful prayer of all is simply this:
“Lord, if You still have work for her, keep her available.”
Happy Golden Jubilee, Sr Chiamaka Uzukwu.
May you continue to bear fruit — fresh, green and abundant.
- Nnabuife, FNGE, FSNA writes via chukafornaija@gmail.com, 08026472357
