backtotheherospast@gmail.com
After his one year spiritual formation in 1996, he was sent to the prestigious Seat of Wisdom Seminary, Owerri (Affiliate of Pontifical Urban University, Rome and Imo State University, Owerri) where he completed his seminary formation in 2006 and was ordained a priest of the Catholic Diocese of Umuahia, in 2007. Hon Dennis A.
In Umuahia diocese, seminarians are mandated to do one year internship after theological studies. Hence, after his theological studies in 2006, Christian was posted to St. Anthony’s Parish, Uzuakoli for his compulsory one year apostolic work. In 2007, barely three months into his assignment, His Lordship, Most Rev. Dr. L. I. Ugorji reposted him to Our Lady of Mercy Hospital, Ihechiowa for a new and challenging experience. He was made the administrator of the old and dilapidated hospital. Young Christian had just one assignment: to make the hospital work again. This was a tedious and challenging task for Christian since he was completely ignorant about the management of a hospital. For him, it was an opportunity to express his hidden managerial talent, which only the bishop in his spiritual eye discovered at that point in time. To the glory of God, Christian revived that hospital and made it functional. Following his heroic achievement at the hospital , the Bishop gave him another challenge of reviving another hospital in 2012. This time around it is Madonna Catholic Hospital, Umuahia.
Before Fr. Christian came to Madonna Catholic Hospital Umuahia, it has only one department-Optometry. Today Fr. Christian has transformed the uncompleted building with only one department into a full fledged hospital with nine other departments. Fr. Christian is indeed a born administrator and a manager of note.
Christian loves education. He could not allow his challenging and time consuming assignment of managing hospitals become a clog in the wheel of his desire for higher educational qualifications. Aside the initial educational qualifications he gathered while in his seminary formation, he enrolled into the Enugu State University of Science and Technology (ESUT) for a bachelor degree in Political Science Education and graduated in 2012. As if that was not enough, he also enrolled into the National Open University of Nigeria for a Master’s Degree in Public Administration; majoring in Personnel Administration (2014). Fr. Christian was not satisfied yet. He enrolled for another Master’s Degree in Philosophy at the Imo State University, Owerri. Having successfully completed his Master’s Degree in Philosophy, Fr Christian enrolled immediately for his Ph.D in Philosophy and successfully completed it in flying colours with a First Class thesis in Hobbes Punishment As Deterrent. Today, Fr. Christian Anokwuru has the following degrees:
In 2013, Fr. Christian got a teaching appointment at the Abia State Polytechnic, Aba, where he teaches Philosophy and Citizenship Education, in the department of School of General Studies. By the grace of God, Fr. Christian has successfully combined teaching and hospital management effectively and efficiently with his priestly assignment.
Back to the Hero’s Past charity organization was founded first of all as an appreciation to God because Rev. Fr. Christian is a product of charity. He was born into the poor home of a Pentecostal Pastor, Evangelist Monday Maurice Anokwuru; a primary school teacher and Beatrice a farmer and petty trader. His poor parents were not only catering for their seven children but equally taking care of their extended family.
Christian would not have proceeded further after his secondary school education as his father was already making plans to engage him to learn a trade since the family was not financially buoyant to cater for his university education. Providence smiled on the young Christian when the Catholic Diocese of Umuahia had a project beside his father’s compound. The project director then, Monsignor I. I. Alaribe, discovered Christian and fell in love with him. The love and charity of Late Monsignor Innocent Alaribe saw Christian converted to Catholicism, finished his Secondary School at the city, and eventually became a Ph.D holder. To God be the glory! Secondly, while Fr. Christian was doing his hospital apostolate in Mercy Hospital, Ihechiowa, he discovered a lot of poor, sick, people who could not pay their hospital bills. And while he visited the villages for sick calls, he discovered a whole lot of people who were lying critically ill in their homes and could not access the hospital because they had no money. Moved with pity, Fr. Christian started bringing them to the hospital and treated them freely. Periodically, he sent food items to these poor friends of his, that he was nicknamed ‘nwoko obioma’ (a man of charity). For the sake of such indigent sick ones, Fr Christian literally translated into a beggar so that these hopeless people could eat and access the hospital. This gave rise to the formation of his charity organization- ‘Back to the Hero’s Past.’ For the sake of such poor people, Fr. Christian could hardly save anything for himself again. Today the goodwill of Fr. Christian has expanded and metamorphosed into a very big family: BACK TO THE HERO’S PAST charity organization.
Why the name Back to the Hero’s Past? Fr Christian believes that at creation we all are heroes. Like sin which robbed man of his pride of place in the garden, Fr. Christian believes that poverty and disease reduce man to another state other than his original state of happiness and peace. Our little charity, goodwill, assistance and love could restore the poor sick ones back to their original happiness. Their triumph over sickness and poverty make them Heros again.
To the glory of God, this organization has carried out medical outreaches and treatment to villages and served more than twenty thousand people since twelve years of its inception. To the glory of God many indigent people have received University education and others are in different universities and higher institutions of learning. Through the organization’s collaboration with National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), Health For All (HFA): (privately owned health insurance scheme of the Catholic diocese of Umuahia, many sick children, pregnant mothers and other sick people have been receiving medical treatment. We are also training many people in different skills, while some have graduated from artisan works and are now established on their own through the help of BATHEP
In his effort to sustain the vision and mission of BATHEP, Fr Anokwuru has engaged himself in the following measures to raise funds for his friends-the sick and needy.
Fr. Anokwuru is never shy to appeal to men and women of goodwill to identify with him in his charity project. Respecting the intention of the donors has always been his goal and this he does with joy. His dream: