Writing on his Lordship, Most Rev. Dr. Michael Ugwuja Eneja is synonymous with compiling a compendium of virtues.

The name Bishop M. U. Eneja is a household name in every Catholic home in Enugu diocese. For us who were teens in the wake of his bishopric, our ardent aspiration was an opportunity to encounter closely, this noble man of our time.

My close experience of him stared in 1996 when I was deployed by my Congregation to work as Receptionist/Confidential Secretary in his office at the Diocesan Catholic Secretariat Enugu. Only then, did I discover why so many people regard him as rare gem.

Michael Eneja is an icon of simplicity, truth personified, and a man of his words. He says what he believes in, and lives by what he says. He may have his short comings as very moral man does, but he is one man I have met, who is practically the same person almost all the time. The Eneja you meet in the office is the same you meet at home, in the church, at social functions and all.

He is a doer of the Word of God and not just a hearer. I was always awe-struck at the extent of his practice of virtues which he strove so hard to inculcate in the li yes of the flock he was pasturing for God.

I can go on and on writing about him, but I choose to pick out few incidents that will bring home my points.

Bishop Eneja’s punctuality is unparallel. Throughout the period I worked with him, this fact remained uncontroversial. I remember traveling with him to Etiti-Ihite in Mbano, Imo State for the funeral ceremony of a parent of a religious working in Enugu diocese. The burial Mass was scheduled for 11AM, but we left Enugu by 5.45AM. on our way, I chipped in that we left quit early, to which he replied: “Early departure to events guarantees punctuality. This takes care of any unforeseen situation that might crop up”.

He is an epitome of humility. He regards himself as nothing. For him everything he is and possesses are gifts from God. He sees others as fellow creatures of God and relates with them as such. I will not forget the shock I had, the day we closed work at the office and upon our approaching his car, he quickly went ahead of me and opened the door for me to enter.

A similar occurrence took place one day I threw pieces of paper into a waste paper basket in his office. A piece fell of the basket, and he quickly rose from is seat, picked it up and put it back inside the basket.

When you talk about organization and orderliness, you talk about M.U. Eneja. He is such an organized person that he almost never missed attending to anything that needed his attention. In the office, he knew the position of every file and went about his work normally in my absence. He is so painstaking in attending to people and matters as if that is all he lives for.

Writing about his caring attitude, charity, generosity, prayer life and life of mortification would require a book of its own.

For all I know, Michael Ugwuja Eneja is a gift of our time. We thank God for him and pray that he continues to bless and strengthen him all the more.