Cyprian Michael Iwene Tansi

Cyprian Michael Tansi Iwene (* September 1903 in Aguleri, Nigeria, † January 26, 1964 in Leicester ) was a Roman Catholic priest from the Igbo tribe and later became a member of the Trappist. On March 22, 1998 he was beatified by Pope John Paul II in Onitsha.

Iwene Tansi was born not far from Onitsha and baptized at age 9. His parents were not Christians and therefore shocked when he destroyed the statue, which was given to each boy in his tribe after baptism. The father he lost as a young child, the mother committed suicide in 1922 when she was taken by a medicine man of the village of infant mortality in charge.

Tansi became a teacher and catechist. As a 22 -year-old, he decided to become a priest. After his ordination on 19 December 1937 in the cathedral of Onitsha by Charles Heerey, he worked 13 years as a zealous pastor in the eastern part of Nigeria. As a pastor he had the charisma to inspire young men for the priesthood. He took students into his rectory and prepared them for entrance to the seminary.

He advocated particularly for youth and families. Catechesis of the newlyweds was important to him and also the position of women in the family. Even as a diocesan priest, he became aware of the book Christ our ideal of the Benedictine abbot Columba Marmion. The monastic life was little known until then in Nigeria; Tansi decided to bring this way of life in his homeland. He summed together with his chaplain Clément Ulogu the decision to enter a convent. In June 1950, he traveled with the permission of his bishop to Mount St. Bernard in England. There he was - first as a wafer - recorded and received the religious name Cyprian. Clément Ulogu followed him in 1951. On December 8, 1953 both laid the Simple and on 8 December 1956, the solemn profession from.

The English monastery was planning a mission founded in Cameroon, where Fr Cyprian should serve as master of novices. However, he fell ill in January 1964 and died shortly afterwards in England. In 1986, his remains were exhumed and transferred to Nigeria, where they were interred in the cemetery priest of the Cathedral of Onitsha. The grave was visited frequently; it has been reported healing miracles through his intercession.

Cyprian Michael Tansi was a role model and teacher of several important churchmen, and that included the later Cardinal Francis Arinze, whom he had baptized as a young priest.

In his homily at the beatification of Pope John Paul II pointed out that Tansi an example of the fruits of the Christian faith in the Nigerian people is that have grown more and more since the proselytizing of the country.

The Memorial of Blessed Cyprian Tansi in the liturgy is on January 20.