Father Chidi Chileke called to eternal rest

A beloved African priest who ministered in the diocese for a dozen years, Father Chidi Chileke passed away on April 21 in his native Nigeria. He was 54 years old. Fr. Chidi came to the diocese in 2013 and began his ministry here as a parochial vicar at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton parish in Ontario. In 2021, he began his ministry as parochial vicar at Sacred Hearth Church in Rancho Cucamonga, which he carried out faithfully for two years before returning to St. Elizabeth Ann Seton. He was ordained a priest of the Diocese of Ahiara in Nigeria at Mater Ecclesiae Cathedral on August 7, 1999. Before coming to the United States, Fr. Chidi had served as pastor of St. Matthew Parish in Birch Grove, Grenada for eight years. A local Memorial Mass for Fr. Chidi was celebrated on April 29 at Sacred Heart Church in Rancho Cucamonga. ‘Eternal rest grant unto him O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon him.’