Rev. Fr. Obioma Anyanwu     CSSP
It is with a heavy heart that I announce the sudden passing away of one of our dear priests here in Canada, Fr. Obioma Anyanwu, Cssp. Late Father Anyanwu died yesterday morning in his country home in Mbaise, Imo State. He had only just travelled to Nigeria last week to spend his annual vacation with his family back home, when death suddenly came knocking.  An ordained religious of the order of Holy Ghost fathers, Father Anyanwu was of the Diocese of St. Catherines, Ontario. He had also served in Gatineau as the pastor of Our Lady of Assumption parish Hull, before moving to St. Catherines.  Please, I enjoin all members of our worshipping and greater Igbo community to remember late Father Anyanwu in your prayers for the repose of his soul in the bosom of our Lord.
May his soul and the souls of all our dearly departed rest in peace. Amen.
Further details regarding his funeral services shall be communicated to you all.
Yours truly
Ike Nnebe
Coordinator Igbo Catholic Community, Ottawa
Father Obioma Anyanwu, was born into a family of eight to the late Philip and Anna Anyanwu. He was raised, studied and was ordained a Holy Ghost Father (Spiritans) in Nigeria, West Africa, on August 10, 1996. He served as Pastor of St. Patrick Parish, Awo-Omamma, Imo State, Nigeria from August 1997 till 1999 when he moved to Canada in September of that year for missionary work. He lived in Gatineau, Quebec from 1999 to December 2004 where he served as the Pastors of triune parishes of Our Lady of the Annunciation, Hull; St. Elizabeth, Cantley and St. Stephen, Chelsea.
In January 2005 he moved to the Niagara region, and joined the diocese of St. Catharines, through the auspice of the then Bishop James Wingle. He helped a couple of months in the parishes of St. Thomas More, Niagara Falls; and St. Vincent the Paul, Niagara on the Lake before being appointed assistant pastor at Our Lady of the Scapular Parish, Niagara Falls from August 2005 to August 2006, and St. Denis Parish in St. Catharines from Sept 2007 till July 2008 with an intermittent one year recall to his home in Nigeria between those two assignments. He served as the Pastor of St. Martin of Tours Parish in Smithville, Ontario till August 2015 when he was appointed by our present Bishop, Most Rev. Gerard P. Bergie, to St. Patrick Parish, Port Colborne.
Fr. Obioma likes and plays tennis, ping pong, and soccer. Chelsea Football Club in England is his favorite soccer team, just as Ottawa Senators and Toronto Raptors are his favourite hockey and basketball teams respectively. He loves spiritual reading and devotion. Steak is his favourite dish.