Father's Silver Jubilee Picture
The Divine Face Board - Arlington, TX
My name is Rev. Fr. (Dr.) Gerard Mary Akannamdi Anyanwu. The name "Akannamdi" was given to me at birth, meaning, "My (heavenly) Father's hand did it". My parents must have seen my birth as the work of God! I was born in Umumbiri Ekwerazu, Mbaise in Imo State, Nigeria. Something interesting about my birth date is that I was born on the day my mother's patron saint, St Cecilia, is remembered, namely, November 22. I have 7siblings. Two of them live here in Texas with their families. The others are in Nigeria. My immediate younger sister is a Rev. Sister of the Daughters of Divine Love Congregation. I cannot say what else inspired me to become a priest except that all I know is that from my earliest days till now I have always wanted to be a priest and nothing else. So I believe I was born to be one. I am a diocesan priest, of Ahiara diocese, Owerri Ecclesiastical Province in Nigeria. I was ordained on April 21, 1974, so that makes it 35 going to 36 years, this year, 2009.
My mother introduced me to devotion to the Blessed Mother very early in life - when I was in the Elementary school. In 1968, She(the Blessed Mother) made a decisive intervention in my life that made me take the name Mary as my middle name. I did some studies in Rome for 5 years and six months (1978-1984), during which time I did a course in Psychology here in the US, and graduated with a doctorate degree in Classical and Christian Literatures.
I have been working on an assignment from God to put in place a religious community to make reparation, and take good care of the poorest and the most in need among the deprived people of Nigeria since 1992. The name of the community is "The Community of Divine Face Stewards". Part of the work the community is doing is educating the children of these poorest and needy people in the school we established called "Our Mother of Special Graces School." It goes from Kindergarten through High school. The children of the very poor and needy do not pay. Our community sponsors the others with partial scholarship just so that as many of the disadvantaged as possible get the opportunity to break the chain of poverty. Our high school students live in the school during the school year. This is very expensive, but it is the best option for our objective. Presently the school in on holidays until the new academic year starts in September. At the end of the last academic year, we had 210 in the school. 115 of them were in the high school. That number will be increased by the new students coming in by September. I was assigned to live and work at the school and with the Community of Divine Face Stewards as my full time apostolate since 2005.
LAUDETUR JESUS CHRISTUS!
My mother introduced me to devotion to the Blessed Mother very early in life - when I was in the Elementary school. In 1968, She(the Blessed Mother) made a decisive intervention in my life that made me take the name Mary as my middle name. I did some studies in Rome for 5 years and six months (1978-1984), during which time I did a course in Psychology here in the US, and graduated with a doctorate degree in Classical and Christian Literatures.
I have been working on an assignment from God to put in place a religious community to make reparation, and take good care of the poorest and the most in need among the deprived people of Nigeria since 1992. The name of the community is "The Community of Divine Face Stewards". Part of the work the community is doing is educating the children of these poorest and needy people in the school we established called "Our Mother of Special Graces School." It goes from Kindergarten through High school. The children of the very poor and needy do not pay. Our community sponsors the others with partial scholarship just so that as many of the disadvantaged as possible get the opportunity to break the chain of poverty. Our high school students live in the school during the school year. This is very expensive, but it is the best option for our objective. Presently the school in on holidays until the new academic year starts in September. At the end of the last academic year, we had 210 in the school. 115 of them were in the high school. That number will be increased by the new students coming in by September. I was assigned to live and work at the school and with the Community of Divine Face Stewards as my full time apostolate since 2005.
LAUDETUR JESUS CHRISTUS!
