We, the members of the Congregation of the Oblates of the Virgin Mary all over the world recalled a year ago how many of you shared our grief when our beloved brother, Rev. Fr Chukwunonso Emmanuel Onyemeh, OMV passed away on that bright Sunday morning, of on the 17^th day of March, 2019. It was a touchy but shocking day for all of us. We grieved and mourned at his departure from us.

The days that we spent after his death were marked with heartbroken and sadness. What gave us the strength to endure was the love and sympathy we received from the general populace both within and outside the country, Nigeria. We acknowledged our dear friends, who joined us in bidding our brother goodbye a year ago, even though it was difficult to face such reality of death.

His moment of struggle against sickness was over, and with it, I thought of the hope that he embodied for our Delegation and Congregation in general. What we did not expect was that in the coming days and years, our feeling of loss would reverberate throughout our hearts. But it is a reality that we must face and have to cope with for years. Surely, we all remember him, his gentle smile, his love, his selfless services to mention but just a few.

It was to share from those feelings that we all remembered him on the 17^th of March, 2020, in different venues both within and outside the country. At our parish community in Teramo, Italy, Fr Nonso was remembered, the Oblates Community in Canada gathered at Charlemagne to remember him, at the Institutes for Formators, Du, Jos, Fr Onyemeh was remembered, the Associates of the Oblates of the Virgin Mary (AOMV) Benin and Warri Zones gathered at St Ambrose Catholic Church, Ekpan, Warri to remember him. Oblates' communities in Ibadan, remembered our brother at St Anthony’s Parish, Asipa, Ibadan. Fr Onyemeh was adequately remembered in his parish in Lagos, where family and friends including the representatives from the Congregation gathered at the Holy Family Catholic Church, FESTAC Town, Lagos, to celebrate a memorial Mass and to immortalise him with the inauguration of an Annual Table Tennis Competition in his parish of Holy Family with the view of spreading it across board. The climax of the one year remembrance was the Mass at Suleja and the candle light procession from the church of Our Mother of the Redeemer, Kwamba to the grave side of Late Fr Nonso Onyemeh, OMV. At the grave side, prayers were offered and individuals present had their candles lit on the grave of our beloved. Yes, we remembered him…..

Fr Nonso might have gone before us but his memory can never be erased from our hearts and minds. However, as we reflect on the outcome of his life, we pray to the Lord to help us to accept the parting of our brother whom He (the Lord) had called to Himself a year ago and to help us to be ready at the time of our own calling. May the soul of Fr Nonso and all the faithful departed continue to rest in peace… AMEN!