We saw Aaron Ekwu for the first time at a church celebration in the Waldviertel, in my wife’s home community, in Thaya near Waidhofen ander Thaya. I don’t remember the exact date. At that time we saw a young student who radiated a lot of cheerfulness, but we had no idea that our encounter would one day become quite significant.
In 1965, Aaron Ekwu was ordained a priest by Cardinal König and earned his doctorate at the University of Vienna. From the Diocese of Vienna, Dr. Ekwu was appointed chaplain in the Tenth District of Vienna, namely: in the Keppler Church. In this new capacity of his, we should get to know Aaron Ekwu better. From 1967 to 1970, I was in charge of media management at Neue-Österreich-Bildpost.
But by the end of 1969, two essential facts were already becoming apparent. Although I was no longer employed by Bildpost in 1970, the editors of the newspaper asked me to take care of donations for war-affected Biafra, which I promised to do. Towards the end of 1969, there was still almost 13,000 shillings in the account, but we no longer had the opportunity to transfer donations to Biafra for the starving people.
When we no longer knew how to send the remaining money from the donations to those affected in Biafra, I was given the tip to call a phone number in Vienna. A sonorous, calm voice spoke up on the other end of the line. The man asked what he could do for me. I told him my request and he was enthusiastic. So, we made an appointment the next day.
It was Aaron, and we immediately became close on a personal level. While Aaron was talking about his homeland and all the problems, an idea came to me, namely: to build a model farm in his homeland that would offer the following advantages: Firstly, people would get work immediately, learn modern farming methods and would also have something to eat in a short time.
Then Aaron jumped up, his eyes lit up and said: “Yes, that’s exactly what we need!” We both decided to immediately work out appropriate plans and we founded the association “Hifa” (Help for Everyone).
In January 1970, the war in Biafra, now southeastern Nigeria, ended, and Aaron was ordered home by his bishop because all white missionaries had to leave the country. In addition to his priestly work, Aaron Ekwu worked very hard to implement the Hifa ideas for his home community.
When we arrived in Owerre-Ezukala, Aaron’s hometown, in April, he had already started building a chicken house for 8,000 chickens. A pigsty was also planned, as well as a model garden around the farm with a wide variety of local fruits. Also planned was the construction of a road that would connect the farm with the main road that runs nearby. This was already completed in 1974 when I visited for the second time.
Word of Aaron’s work soon spread throughout the country, and it didn’t take long for Aaron’s students to contact us, and more projects were gradually added. Within a few years there were “Hifa” social projects in almost the entire former Biafran territory: individual aid for farmers, carpentry businesses, fish farms, small individual businesses for garri processing, metal processing businesses, village wells as well as school scholarships for destitute children and small microcredits for single women to be able to operate shops.
Who was Aaron Ekwu? What was he like as a priest? In order to be able to answer this question, I would like to draw on an experience that the priestly personality Aaron Ekwus shows. During a stay in Awka, the episcopal town in Anambra State, I saw that the tires on his car were completely worn out and I also brought this to Aaron’s attention because I already considered the tires to be life-threatening. He smiled a little embarrassed and then said I was right.
But children – he had many destitute children in his parsonage, whom he had to provide with food and clothing – were more important than car tyres. But he will get new tyres as soon as possible.
But when I was back in Amawbia the following year, the cord fabric was already showing through the tyres. I gathered up all my cash reserves and took him to the tyres shop where I arranged for him to get new tyres.
There are many more such examples to tell. He was always concerned about others so that they didn’t lack anything; he himself had no wishes. However, if he received something that he could put to good use, he was happy about every gift, regardless of the monetary value.
He was also exemplary as a priest. He was always there for his community. The believers knew this too and valued him very highly as a priest. His superiors also always spoke of him with great respect. Above all, he had a great sense of humour that never seemed out of place and was never at the expense of other people. Anyone who dealt with Aaron Ekwu was deeply impressed by him.
Especially as a celebrant priest: you always had the impression that Jesus himself was standing at the front of the altar, he was so solemn, so concentrated. He literally drew the entire congregation behind him to the good Lord, and the congregation loved this type of celebration.
On one Maundy Thursday – his last – something very strange happened. During Holy Week, Aaron was always at St. Martin Hospital in Enugu and heard confessions. A certain woman Paula, known as a seer, suddenly said to Aaron in the middle of a completely different conversation “The Lord wants you!” Aaron did not attach any particular importance to this statement at the moment, he was thinking more of a later time. The following day, he drove towards Owerre-Ezukala as he wanted to celebrate Easter Celebrations in his hometown. A nun accompanied him.
And that’s when it happened: outside Enugu near Ninth Mile, the car left the road, went into the ditch and overturned. Nothing in the slightest happened to the monastery sister who was travelling with him; Aaron was bleeding from his head and was unable to continue driving.
He was taken to St. Martin Hospital, where he had just come from. There, on April 2, 1989, the great black priest died. I flew to the funeral, which lasted almost two days. From every place, people took part in such a special way that I have never experienced in Europe, even at large funerals.
Rev. Fr. Aaron Ekwu is not only a great son of the Church of Nigeria but also of Austria. Many who knew him are still alive and know of his irresistible appeal. We often lay on a mat in front of his house in Owerre-Ezukala when we couldn’t sleep because of the heat and had deep conversations. Sometimes, I also brought up events that did not look very noble in the History of the Church.
Aaron then just made a sad face but didn’t engage in a discussion. I found that incredibly honest. Of course, Aaron Ekwu also had small mistakes – like every honest saint – but like no other, he could ask for forgiveness with an irresistible smile! That, in my humble opinion, is the greatness of a saint – and that is why Aaron Ekwu should be beatified. The peoples of Nigeria and Austria need priests like Aaron Ekwu.
Adolf Paster and Fr Aaron Ekwu founded Hifa officially in 1971, though their collaborative works of helping the poor began in 1968/69. The background to Hifa was the raising of funds to assist the starving people of Biafra during the civil war (1967-1970).
Later, other branches of Hifa as a development cooperation and aid project organization came to be in this sequence: Hifa Nigeria (1973), Hifa Hungaria (1995), Hifa Romania (2000) and Hifa Germany (2011). Adolf Paster before his death two years ago (2022), served as the honorary president and founder of Hifa from 1971 to 2013. When the initial process for the beatification of Fr Aaron Ekwu began in Awka Diocese- Nigeria and Arch Diocese of Vienna- Austria in the year 2000, Adolf had the above testimony and memory to share. Thank you Fr Aaron, thank you Adolf. Your good works are not in vain.
Culled from www.hifa.at, and edited by Theodore Ekwem
