Our beloved Celi has been well prepared to meet the Lord
Sr. Celsus Nealon’s Funeral Mass, 25th September, 2024, Ladywell, UK. Homily by +Ignatius A. Kaigama, Archbishop of Abuja
…………
Seeing this impressive gathering which has brought people from England, Ireland, US, and Nigeria, to the funeral Mass of our beloved Sr. Celsus Nealon, known to her family as Alice, but to us who got to know her so closely simply as “Celi,” I can only say with St. Paul in 2 Corinthians 1:3-4: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, a gentle Father and the God of all consolation, who comforts us in all our sorrows….”
May we all be comforted at the physical departure of this dynamic humanitarian personality, Celi, which is a very great loss to the Nealon family, the FMDM family, a loss to Nigeria, a loss to the Irish, a loss to Ladywell, but it is heaven’s gain.
I got the news of Sr. Celsus’ passing just a few minutes before the opening Mass of the Catholic Bishops’ conference in Auchi, Edo State, Nigeria, on 25th August, 2024. Needless to say that she was prayed for at the Mass. The Nigerian in Celi did not allow her to go without a strong link to Nigeria. Imagine that she passed on a day when the Nigerian Bishops from 60 dioceses, numbering over 70 were gathered for their plenary assembly. Her name was included for prayers in the list compiled by the Bishops of the priests, bishops and religious who had died recently. The Nigerian thing in Sr. Celsus will always make her a part of Nigeria.
Our beloved Celi has been well prepared to meet the Lord. May she enjoy a very loving and gracious encounter with you O Lord.
We just concluded an international Eucharistic congress in Quito, Ecuador. The Bible verse that still rings in my ears is John 6 : 50 – “This is the bread which descends from heaven, so that if anyone will eat from it, he may not die.” It is also very heartening when St. Paul says in Romans 14 : 8: “For if we live, we live for the Lord, and if we die, we die for the Lord. Therefore, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord. In Jn 14:2 Jesus assures us that there are many rooms in my father’s house. I believe one of those rooms will be prepared for Celi but preferably with a kitchen, cuttleries and other paraphernalia of cooking. She was such an excellent cook and good organizer of social events.
Besides being an excellent cook and social organizer, she was quite spiritual too. She exhibited a combination of both the active and contemplative life: “My vocation as a Franciscan Missionary, my personal commitment to prayer, spiritual reading, community life, friends, an ability to see the funny side of things and a deep desire to share with others the love and forgiveness of God.”
She also had a great love for the priesthood and felt a special call to care for and pray for priests. She once wrote in her journal, “I know our priests need someone to pray and sacrifice for them and I am willing to do my part to support our priests.” She spoke about the need of a powerhouse of prayer and penance for those who are trying to carry out the work of their apostolate. She felt she needed to go apart sometimes so that she could pray.
The last time I was here talking about our similarly reverred and veteran missionary, Sr. Finbarr, Sr. Celsus was sitting over there and I did not imagine that I would be speaking about her in the past tense today.
Let me speak about her under three aspects: one, when I was in form one in the minor seminary and the FMDM sisters were coming from Yakoko to Jauroyinu on medical outreach and we as curious young students were eager to escape classes especially Latin classes, pretending we had all sorts of sickness. The sisters including Sr. Celsus then 21 years old knew we were escaping from class and for whatever sickness some of us complained about, we got a placebo including a generous rubbing of calamine lotion. The other curiosity we the young students had was the hope that one day we would catch a glimpse of the sister’s hair. They covered their heads so tightly that it looked so mysterious.
Second, as a new priest, posted to Yakoko where I met Sr. Celsus, I enjoyed her very lovely meals and Christmas parties that brought priests and sisters together. During one of the parties she tried teaching me a bit of Irish dance, but thought I was so stiff to learn it. The length of our visits to their Yakoko convent was measured by the way Sr. Philippa, the then local superior sat: if she sat reclined in the chair it meant we could stay longer and if she sat at the edge of the chair it meant, do not dare to delay your visit.
Third, as a Bishop and an Archbishop, the small boy she treated with calamine lotion was now grown. I was humbled by the manner of respect and courtesy she showed towards me. She was available to help in whatever I needed help with. In Jos she would bring her postulants to help clean my house which my domestic staff could not do well. if I had special visitors I would tell her and she would quietly do all the cooking and I would get superlative praises from the visitors but they did not know that Celi was behind it. She and her postulants (the last of who were Clare and Prisca) would just vanish after the excellent cooking. The Muslim Emirs I invited to meal so very much enjoyed her cooking and were often very happy and relaxed.
At the point she started slowing down in health and going back and forth from England, yet her determination to remain in Nigeria was obvious. She was in love with Nigeria, even when her body could not allow her and she had to reluctantly return to UK. At a point, she could only talk with her eyes. She could not use her mouth. But she still remained the very alert, joyful and sociable Celsus. She offered all her suffering for Nigeria.
Our consolation is that as Rev. 22 says she is seeing the Lord face to face. It will never be night again and she will not need lamplight or sunlight, because the Lord God will be shining on her. No need for tablets or injections physiotherapy, etc. Our prayer is that the Lord will forgive her failings and let her reign with the Lord for ever and ever.
In my last video conversation with her on 20.8.2024 what her mouth could not utter, her wide open eyes. were speaking and I felt they were conveying that having been the rallying point for Christmas parties in Yakoko she was about to enjoy a party in heaven with our BVM, the Angels and the Saints where she can sing, dance and jump all she can without any hindrances.
May I congratulate the FMDM sisters for an excellent atmosphere of care provided for their sick and aged members and the love shown even at the point of death. I watched the video of Sr. Lucy, Sr.Mary Jean, Sr. Nenlidang and others singing uplifting songs and drumming with such loving tenderness as Celi laid there as if she was having a siesta. I acknowledge the doctors and nurses, and all who cared for her especially in her last difficult years.
To her family, especially her siblings present here, your family did the church a lot of good by allowing and supporting Sr. Celsus to be a great missionary in Nigeria, rendering a variety of remarkable services such as women’s domestic training, clinical and midwifery services, initial formation work, (her first postulants were Rogita Bonaventure and Christiana Thomas), responsibility for the temporary professed sisters, vocation promotion, prison chaplaincy, the remand home, and the Federal University of Technology Yola.
Dear present generation of FMDM, you are the hope and promise of FMDM charisms. Continue to have a visible, identifiable presence in an apostolate such as the Franciscan Centre of Spirituality. The number of African sisters is growing; the needs in Africa are ever increasing. Your distinctive presence must increase in the medical, educational and social services.
We pray that you will sustain the dream, vision and tempo of enthusiasm the first FMDM missionaries in Nigeria such as Mother Bernard, Sr. Phillipa, and Sr. Paul had when they arrived Yola on 8th July 1950.
Thank you all who served short time or long time especially in Nigeria. God bless and reward you. Your labour of love has borne multiple fruits. Among the veteran FMDM missionaries include:
Katie Naylor (Nursing in Yakoko, OLA hospital Jos and Health Coordinator, Jos)
Josie Lanigan (Taught in St Augustine’s Major Seminary, started a community school in Yakoko, initial formation work)
Dot Johnson (Health Coordinator Yola Diocese and then Jos Diocese, was the Coordinator of the Damietta Peace Initiative for a few years)
Mary Jean Rogers (Nursing in Yakoko, helped a lot of disabled children, Remand Home, Regional Leader)
Barbara Kole (worked with Finbarr in the Polio School and did a lot to support the young disabled people)
Caroline Granil, went out to relieve in Yakoko for a few months
Frances Hall, went out to relieve in Yakoko for a few months
Eileen Abbott – not sure where she worked (might have been in the school in Sugu) – I will check that out.
Janet Fearns – Yakoko for a while – not sure how long.
Sr. Helena McEvilly (Yakoko and Jos)
Among the FMDM sisters joining this Mass by internet link from Ireland and across the Congregation who were also in Nigeria are: Norah Rohan, Coleman O Sullivan, Kathleen Lynch, Eliza Hopkins, Cuthbert Mulligan, Connie Hoe, Ter Lei Chan, Merci Lai, Bibiana Joseph, Angeline Lim, Eucharia Tan, Marie Bourke.
Thank you all for your selfless and whole-hearted service to Nigeria.
On Sunday 25th August 2024, the once young lady, elegant and full of energy, blessed with a social disposition that makes her unforgettable after you meet her, passed on peacefully. Celi, may the Lord grant you eternal rest and happiness. May Jesus reward you immeasurably and all the FMDM sisters here on earth and in heaven for all your labour of love.
