The Eucharist as Orikonso : A Study in Eucharistic Ecclesiology from an Igbo Perspective

Sammanfattning: Since the coming of the Spiritan missionaries to Onitsha in December 1885, the Catholic Church in Igboland has grown and expanded. All the parishes in the 14 dioceses are alive and growing. There has been steady growth in vocations to the priesthood and the religious life. Scores of priests are ordained and greater numbers of male and female religious make their vows yearly, and these include monks and nuns. The number of priests and religious of Igbo origin who are serving as missionaries in many parts of the world is on the increase. But this vibrant Local Church is facing a big challenge. There are serious cases of double allegiance - of members who are not fully committed to the Christian faith and practice but who, in times of crisis, resort to the practices in the pre-Christian Igbo Indigenous Religion, better known as Omenala Ndigbo. I see this as an important challnge that faces the Church in Igboland. This problem can be seen from many perspectives. As an Igbo man, a Catholic, a priest and a student of theology, I chose to study the problem from its anthropological and historical perspective in service of a theological analysis and understanding for pastoral application. I undertook a detailed research in Igboland and the result serves as the intrumentum laboris for this work. Ndigbo (Igbo people) understand themselves as a covenant people. This explains why the community is of utmost importance. Any act of sin is taken very seriously since it is believed to destroy the covenant community called Umunna. And whenever there is a sin - a break in the covenant bond - an atonement sacrifice is offered. And this believed to re-enact the community. Chief among the sacrifices is the Oriko. In this work, which uses the hermeneutical and analytical method, known as inculturation, the Eucharist is studied from the Igbo perspective - with a view to take the place of the Oriko and become Orikonso - since the Eucharist "makes the Church" and is the "source and summit" of the life of the Church.