The Glorious passage of Dame Cathy Odueze.
2 min read
Dame Odoziaku Lolo Ezinne Mrs Cathy Akaraka Mama Njaba Mama Orlu Odueze meant a lot to many people depending on the capacity they met her on. To some, she was a giver. To others, she was a social and church worker. To many others, a teacher, administrator, top community leader, woman activist and many more. No matter how you see the late Mrs Cathy Odueze, she was a woman whose personality was impossible to ignore. Her personality cuts across many spheres of life both in and outside Nigeria. This was evident on January 12, 2022 when many people from several spheres of life came to bade her farewell after a glorious and eventful life that lasted for 81 years.
The eventful burial program of the amazing Amazon started on the night of Tuesday 11 January 2022, when a Christian wake keep was held in her honour in the famous Odueze family compound Isiozi Akah Njaba LGA Imo State. At that night, a documentary of her life was shown to the people who had gathered to honour her. Many groups both cultural and otherwise were ready and present to entertain the people on the night of praise.
Fast forward to the next day, Wednesday 12 January 2022, many organizations including church groups, had gone to the mortuary to bring back the remains of Mrs Odueze. In a little while, they arrived in a very long motorcade to the family compound where she lay in state. The master of ceremonies anchoring the event announced the order of paying the last respect to her and it was followed accordingly by family members, knights and many others. After this, the next port of call was at St Joseph’s Catholic Church Isiozi where His Lordship Bishop Augustine Ukwuoma led a team of 25 reverend fathers to celebrate the requiem Mass for the repose of the soul of the departed.
The team of priests included Fr Emmanuel Eburuaja, Father Anselem Ohanekwu, Monsignor Vincent Mba, Fr Peter Iwuala and Ref Prof SC Eboh. It was Prof Eboh that preached during the Mass. He went further to describe the late Mrs Odueze as a “goal digger” who eventually scored many goals and impacted positively on the people and the diocese in particular. He encouraged the people to continue scoring goals from where she stopped and never to let her legacy die.
Shortly after the gospel, the requiem Mass continued until it came to an end and the whole congregation went back to the Odueze family where the body of the mother of mothers and the leader of leaders was interred amidst tears from family, friends and colleagues.
