By Theodore Ekwem
(From the book: Faszinierende Gestalten der Kirche Osterreichs – Jan Mikrut, Vol 1, p.86-89)
After Aaron Ekwu had finished the boys’ seminary, he entered the seminary in Enugu. However, there were more candidates for the priesthood than the seminary could accept. Not all of them realized their desire to become priests in Nigeria.
This fact became known in Austria through the mediation of an Easter missionary doctor, Dr Hans Neudecker. Mrs Gabriele Ilming, a mother of five and driving school owner from Vienna, who was in contact with Dr Neudecker, decided to take the initiative and organize a group of people who could help the church in Nigeria. In 1960, Dr Othmar Rauscher, a Cistercian and former abbot of Schlierbach Abbey, was in Nigeria and got to know the situation personally. He also managed to speak to the bishop and introduce him to invite seminarians from Nigeria to Vienna so they could complete their studies there.
The group of people around Mrs Gabriele Ilming had decided to bring a seminarian to Vienna and support him materially. However, the bishop thought that two seminarians should come because otherwise, one alone would suffer too much from homesickness and would find it difficult to cope in the foreign environment.
In April 1961, their bishop selected two Nigerian seminarians, Aaron Ekwu and Hypolite Adigwe, and all the necessary documents were prepared. An association of 200 for 2 was founded to secure funding for the two students. 200 people were to pay $l0 per month, and the necessary expenses could then be paid from this capital. This association was then to become a foundation for further missionary projects.
On 19 August 1961, three young Nigerians came to Europe to study; one was destined for Innsbruck and two for Vienna. Aaron and Hypolite spent the first few days visiting their new city. The following weeks were dedicated to intensive language study.
The social situation in the 1960s was not yet so characterized by the coexistence of different peoples and religious communities, and black Africans were still a rarity on the streets of Vienna. It was difficult for black Africans to enter Austrian families, although most of them studied here and spoke the country’s language more or less well. In this reality, these two young men from Nigeria came to study here.
Once the teething troubles were halfway over, they were able to enrol at the University of Vienna. Having already studied philosophy in their home country, they were immediately enrolled in the 3rd year. They were also warmly welcomed at the seminary.
Pastor GR Dr Franz Reiter, who studied with Aaron Ekwu in the same year at the Vienna Seminary, remembers their time together in 1961-1965 as follows: ‘A real African with us! What really caught my attention was his initiative during the Nigerian Biafra War, when he appealed for support and solidarity for his suffering homeland, his warm-hearted love and radiating cheerfulness, and his childlike, uncomplicated nature. He had direct contact with people’s hearts and was able to create a community immediately.
Episcopal Vicar Msgr Anton Berger, who was also at the seminary with him and Hypolite, recalls this period in a newspaper article in the decisive phase before the ordination: “Aaron and Hypolite – the unlikely couple from Africa – sponsored by the owner of a Viennese driving school, connected with several Viennese parishes.
They brought an evident touch of the world church to our seminary. A different culture and a different realisation of the church challenged the Viennese Gemutlichkeit. Both were black. But I soon learnt the differences: Hypolite, the tender and very reserved one; Aaron, the one who could win hearts with his straightforward and cordial manner. How infectious and liberating his laughter was!
Culled and edited by Theodore Ekwem