Life of our Founder

Very Rev. Fr. Denis Mary Joseph Ononuju Obiaga C.S.Sp
Fr. Founder

Rev. Fr. Paul Chimezie Esieme, HFFBY
The Vicar General
The Promoter of the life of the Founder & Director of the Youth Apostolate

Fr. Denis’ journey is a life of service and compassion. Father Denis, a priest and founder of the Holy Family Fathers and Brothers of the Youth, the Holy Family Sisters of the Needy and the Holy Family Youth Movement. He dedicated his life serving others. With unwavering faith and compassion, he has inspired countless young people and supported the Needy. His remarkable journey is a testament to the power of selflessness and devotion.

EARLY LIFE AND CALLING:

Father Denis was born on October 15, 1930 in okija Anambra state, Nigeria. He was raised in a devout family instilled with strong Christian values from an early age. His parents; George and Susan encouraged his spiritual growth which became a good foundation for his aspiration to the sacred priesthood.

From his early years, Fr. Denis desired to be a priest. His father George spoke so much about the life of the Holy Ghost Fathers that got him endeared to them, but there was a big challenge. Fr. Denis was born with a minor deformity in his left leg. He was afraid that this deformity will appear as impediment. He sought the help of our Blessed Mother Mary when he visited Bishop Godfrey Okoye demanding for a copy of “Child of Mary”; the prayer book teaches about the devotions and miracles by our Blessed Virgin Mary. whereupon he didn’t have a copy, he was disappointed but the saintly Bishop said to him, “Look my boy Denis, if it is the will of God that you will be a priest, you will surely be one and, if a miracle is needed to make you a priest, God will work it”. Thus the miracle happened when a successful operation was carried out on him at our Lady of Lourdes Hospital Ihiala and the deformity corrected. He attributed his healing to God through the prayers of the Blessed Virgin Mary. His desire to priesthood blossomed and his devotion to the Blessed Mother Mary deepened.

Fr. Denis got into the Juniorate of the Holy Ghost Fathers and Brothers at Ihiala in 1954 and made his first Religious Profession on February 11, 1960. In February 12, 1963, he made his final vows and was ordained to the Catholic Priesthood on Pentecost Sunday June 6 1965.

Fr. Denis was assigned to the mission in Sierra Leone in August 1966 where he worked as a Parish Priest and Manager of schools. There, he founded St. Joseph’s Grammar/ Agricultural school. For a well accomplished mission, Archbishop Brosnahan, C.S.Sp. gave him a “quasi round-the-world trip ticket” which took him to Rome, England, France, Germany, Holland, Spain and Ghana.

THE FOUNDING VISION AND SPIRITUALITY:

At the end of the Nigeria/ Biafra Civil war, Fr. Denis returned to Nigeria on December 18, 1970. After his return, he became a Parish Priest of St. Joseph’s Parish Umuna, later appointed the Rector of St. Mary’s Minor Seminary, Orlu. From the Seminary, he was sent to Ireland by the then Archbishop of Owerri to study Carmelite Spirituality in view of bringing the Carmelite Nuns to Owerri Archdiocese. In October1974, he came back with the Carmelite Nuns and was appointed their chaplain.

In 1976, he became the Parish Priest of St. Paul Catholic Church and served for eleven (11) years. It is on record that he opened the first indigenous Catholic school in Owerri. He built a house and accommodated some young ladies who helped in the education and care-giving apostolate of Fr. Denis. This would later become a convent for the Religious Sisters. Fr. Denis was very compassionate towards people in difficult situations right from his childhood. He has the habit of helping the needy. After the civil war, Fr. Denis engaged in street feeding- sharing cooked food to the hungry in the streets. As a Parish Priest at St. Paul Owerri, he built a canteen where some of the poor people could have at least one good meal daily.

On March 19, 1983, Fr. Denis started a Religious Order- “Holy Family Sisters of the Needy”. The primary aim of this congregation is the personal sanctification of the members through the observance of the evangelical councils, while the secondary aim is the care of the poor and the needy. In a most special way;

  • Care of orphans and children of destitute
  • Care of the poor and destitute
  • Care of the teenage unmarried mothers
  • Care of the poor homeless old men and women

Owing to his zeal to reform boys of delinquent behavior, recalling the stories of some of the teenage mothers, how some of them got pregnant as a result of rape or even from men expected to be responsible fellows in the society. Fr. Denis felt the need to build up young men of decent character through the grace of God.

On February 11, 2003, Fr. Denis founded a male Religious Order whose apostolate would be reforming and rehabilitating boys with character disorder. While the primary aim is personal sanctification through the observance of the evangelical councils, the secondary aim is youth apostolate – a rescue program for the youth.

Fr. Denis stayed with his male congregation since 2002, before it was officially instituted in February, 2003, till his last day on earth on May 26, 2020, just a few days before his 55th anniversary of his priestly ordination.

His Charisma:

Fr. Denis’ charisma, which he imparts onto his two religious congregations, is the personal holiness and works of mercy directed towards the poor, the destitute (the needy) and the youths.

HIS SPIRITUAL/PRAYER LIFE:

Those who have had a close encounter with Fr. Denis will testify that he is a man of prayer, and to pray in season and out of season is his watchword. He believes that there is nothing that gives one security in life other than prayerfulness and having a childlike confidence in God. He so much likes the Holy Eucharist that he cannot pass a day without celebrating the Holy Mass. He is also devoted to the Blessed Virgin Mary. He sees the world boiling like hot water and believes that it is only the Blessed Virgin Mary that can bring it to a cooling point. Besides this, he has as his favourite prayer, the “Pater noster”. This is why he would like his members to always say this prayer devotedly with their arms outstretched. He calls it the compendium of all prayers, because it is the prayer of our Lord Jesus Christ Himself.

Another aspect of his spirituality is his life of selflessness and mortification. He prefers the other more than himself. He will forfeit his own comfort to give joy and solace to the people around him. He is of the opinion that if you selflessly think of other people’s wellbeing, God will definitely take care of yours. Therefore, his aim for mortification is to give comfort to others.

Furthermore, we cannot conclude without mentioning that there are numerous saints noted for the work of charity that influence Fr. Denis

They include:

St. Theresa of the infant Jesus

St. John Bosco

St. John Mary Vianney

St. Vincent de Paul

Pope St. Pius X

St. Martin de Pores

St. Lawrence

These Saints, together with the Blessed Virgin Mary and St. Joseph, are the Patron Saints of his two Foundations: The Holy Family Sisters of the Needy and the Holy Family Fathers and Bothers of the Youth.