Papers by Michael R I C H M O N D Duru
Illustrissimus Inter Pontifices – A Tribute to Pope St. Gregory the Great, 2023
A brief tribute to Pope St. Gregory the Great
St. Philip Neri , 2023
Neri 1 was born in 1515 in Florence, 2 Clement VIII was born in 1536 3 in Fano, near Florence; bo... more Neri 1 was born in 1515 in Florence, 2 Clement VIII was born in 1536 3 in Fano, near Florence; both in present-day Toscana, Italy. Philip Neri died in 1595, three years into the pontificate of Clement VIII; while Clement VIII himself died in 1605, ten years afterwards. Both St. Philip Neri and Clement VIII were born and died only a decade apart from each other. Yet, St. Philip Neri is much more than just a contemporary of Clement VIII. On the contrary, just as is the case with many other eminent churchmen and statesmen of his time, St. Philip Neri-acclaimed as the second apostle of Rome 4 , second only to St. Peter-exercised considerable influence on the person and pontificate of Clement VIII. Clement VIII's widely acclaimed and elaborately praised piety and austerity are believed to be linked to his long association with co-Florentine, St. Philip Neri 5. From Florence and from Fano, the Spirit of Jesus and the work of the church brought them to Rome, where their path crossed each other. Though he was no more than a simple priest and an itinerant preacher, the influence of St. Neri on the high pontiff Clement VIII is widely acknowledged. James Loughlin aptly
The Eternity of Rome: Studies on the Subsistence of Ancient and Imperial Rome, 2023
Studies on sundry subjects of ancient, medieval and contemporary Rome.
Freedom Comes By Struggle, 2022
Here, as a former seminarian, I would use the unconscionable murder in bandit captivity, of my na... more Here, as a former seminarian, I would use the unconscionable murder in bandit captivity, of my namesake (Michael) and tribesman, 18-year-old seminarian Michael Ikechukwu Nnadi, as preamble and parameter for my thoughts on the plight of Nigeria’s young people; and to represent the jagged route, the uneven trajectory of persistent and convoluted misfortunes that have been the fate of Nigeria, almost since its very beginning as a made-in-Britain political entity; as it were, which is motivative of repudiating the impostor-nation that Nigeria has become and of reconstituting a true nation.
Freedom Comes By Struggle , 2022
A patriotic criticism of the SAI BABA type of politics that prevails in northern Nigeria, the pow... more A patriotic criticism of the SAI BABA type of politics that prevails in northern Nigeria, the power-holding region of Nigeria; where yet, abject poverty, generational illiteracy, social decadence, armed banditry, widespread terrorism, religious fanaticism, ethnic bigotry aand almost everything undesireablein a basic human society, exist side-by-side with th epossession of apex polititcal power in Nigeria; and having been so for over four decades. This critique, however, is anchored on the shame-laden statement of Atiku Abubakar, a northern Nigerian politician, rejoicing over the fact that, to his political advantage, 90% of his northern kinsmen whom he hopes would vote him into power in 2023, are not on the social media. It is glad about this situation, because his kinsmen and would be voters are not able to hear about the incisive criticisms of well exposed people, of Atiku Abubakar, and that they would not hear the opinion of other Nigerian about who should be voted to be the leader of 200 million Nigerians. Atiku Abubakar and his likes are culprits in the economic and literary impoverishment of Northern Nigeria.
Academia.edu, 2022
A short tale on the friendship o f St. Philip Neri with the Holy Spirit.
Lucius Iwejuru Ugorji , 2022
Highlights on the Amazing Story of the Second Bishop of Umuahia, Second Apostolic Administrator o... more Highlights on the Amazing Story of the Second Bishop of Umuahia, Second Apostolic Administrator of Ahiara, Second Archbishop of Owerri, and Metropolitan of the Ecclesiastical Province of Owerri
The Virgin of Fatima, the Nation of Russia and the Peace of the World , 2022
The Russia perplextity of the world today, has brought back to light the 1929 request of the Virg... more The Russia perplextity of the world today, has brought back to light the 1929 request of the Virgin Mary of Fatima to consecrate Russia to her Immaculate Heart, to help her obtain its conversion and so maintain world peae. This paper takes a look at the issues around this crucial religious issue.
THE WOMAN OF GOD, 2021
On the mystery designed by God, called the Immaculate Conception and its spiritual significance f... more On the mystery designed by God, called the Immaculate Conception and its spiritual significance for the human being, burdened with proclivity to sin and its vicissitudes
THE WOMAN OF GOD , 2021
On one of God's myasteries, called the Immaculate Conception; by which design he broke the shackl... more On one of God's myasteries, called the Immaculate Conception; by which design he broke the shackle of the cycle of sin and bondage to the debt of fallenness and inert corruption.
Fteedom Comes by Struggle , 2019
A word to Nigerians for the year 2019; warning on the 2019 general elections.
Drafts by Michael R I C H M O N D Duru
Freedom Comes by Struggle, Series, no. 5. , 2022
, is the 80 th birthday of Nigeria's incumbent president, Muhammadu Buhari. By some sort of provi... more , is the 80 th birthday of Nigeria's incumbent president, Muhammadu Buhari. By some sort of providence or coincidence, in the past few days, following the daily unfolding of events leading up to the 2023 general elections, I have been thinking about the regime and political career of President Buhari; particularly, about the bequest he would leave behind as he obligatorily and finally exits presidential office in the next five months, on the 29 th of May 2023. Going by the current trajectory of events, there seem to be a new season of life for Nigeria on the horizon; seeing the upsurging political awareness, building up to the 2023 general elections; which, fortunately and thankfully, cuts across all age brackets. This thought-of what legacy, the 'old stock' of politicians, represented by President Buhari, would be leaving behind for young Nigerians, who now seem to be taking the destiny of their country in their hands-has persistently stuck in my mind for quite a time. Relishing the novelty of unprecedented interest that young people have taken in the politics and governance of their country, one cannot but ask: what has Nigeria's political leadership put in stock for these young people in the past 62 years of self-governance? What legacy is 80-year-old President Buhari leaving behind after 60 years political career?
Academia.edu, 2020
I imagine being asked by a protestant friend, why, as a person, I believe in the Blessed Virgin M... more I imagine being asked by a protestant friend, why, as a person, I believe in the Blessed Virgin Mary. This brief paper presents a common-sense response.
Talks by Michael R I C H M O N D Duru
The Lord's Promise of Power , 2021
While it is only fair that we should acknowledge the works that have been done by individuals and... more While it is only fair that we should acknowledge the works that have been done by individuals and institutions to give voice and visibility to the person and mission of the Holy Spirit, there remains a candid and lingering impression that the 'ministry' particular to the Holy Spirit, as intended by the Godhead for the benefit of those saved by the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus, is largely unnoted, unapprehended, unexplored, untapped and unsung, among the same masses of us, the ordinary people who avow the name of Christ and live by the standards of his Gospel. In truth, I consider this situation an exigency, on account of the elements of urgency and necessity, which, I believe, it carries; and I am inclined to the belief that no effort should be spared in drawing attention to this exigency-to the necessity and urgency of a reawakening on the crucial 'ministry' and function exercised by the Holy Spirit, for us, as granted to us by the wisdom and benignity of divine providence. For this reason, I take delight both in offering my own thoughts on this subject and in recommending this book which seeks to contribute to the crucial task of undoing the cloud of 'unknowing' that has characterized the person and ministry of the Holy Spirit.
Books by Michael R I C H M O N D Duru
From Jubilee to Jesus , 2023
A Baroque Jubilee 1-Art in the Jubilee of 1600 1. Contemporaneity and Complementarity of the Trid... more A Baroque Jubilee 1-Art in the Jubilee of 1600 1. Contemporaneity and Complementarity of the Tridentine Reformation and the Realism of Baroque Art Among other postulations on it origin and etymology 2 , the word 'baroque' possibly has its origin in the Latin word 'baroco' 3 , which is a term used in Aristotelian syllogism to depict the alternating motion of deductive reasoning. In art, it came to connote a method of systematic irregularity or complexity-which was a form of 'rebellion' or departure from the static symmetry prescribed by Renaissance classicism, and which injected intensity and vigour or active motion into art, especially visual art. A baroque artwork is thus like an 'irregular pearl'. The baroque age is an epoch in art history, believed to have begun around the last decade of the 16 th century-which itself was a century of many revolts. This is to say that the baroque style began to take form in the decade that ended with the centennial year and jubilee of 1600. At its furthest stretch, the baroque culture began to manifest in the second half of the 16 th century, that is, around 1550 4 ; which is also in the vicinity of the time of the Council of Trent (1545-1563), the principal craftsman and animator of the Catholic Counter Reformation. Certainly then, baroque art was a contemporary of Tridentine Counter Reformation, so much so that they flourished along each other. Baroque art and the Tridentine reforms were contemporaneous in time and space, since both were born in Italy in the late 16th century; but they also shared complementarity, since they aided and promoted each other. By the jubilee of 1600, that is, by the hundredth year of the 16 th century, the baroque age has already taken off, just as did the Catholic Reformation. This contemporaneity and complementarity, partly explains why the specific religious arts and architectures commissioned for the jubilee of 1600, were predominantly baroque in strain and mentality. The Jubilee of 1600 has been described as the 'mother of jubilees' and this can be for several reasons! The unique role that art and architectural monuments played in the jubilee is one such reason. There is already a consensus that visual art had a key role in the Catholic Reformation and in the 1600 jubilee. One author, writing about prominence of art in the jubilees of the seventeenth century, puts it this way: "In the whole of the jubilees of 1600 the decorative element prevailed, so sumptuous and rich in choreographic exteriority, typical of the baroque era, so much so that some scholars indicate them as the 'baroque jubilees'" 5. Writing specifically about the jubilee of 1600 and the role art played in it, Vittorino Grossi noted that it was on the occasion of this jubilee, that "Rome became the religious
Freedon Comes By Struggle , 2022
- A personal submission to the UN, AU, EU, US, UK, the Commonwealth and the Holy See on what the ... more - A personal submission to the UN, AU, EU, US, UK, the Commonwealth and the Holy See on what the worldwide phenomenon called Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and its charismatic leader, Nnamdi Kanu, have come to signify in today’s Nigeria; on the backdrop of his criminal abduction in Kenya and illegal repatriation, incarceration and prosecution in Nigeria.
Freedom Comes By Struggle
As a former seminarian, I would use the unconscionable murder in bandit captivity, of my namesake... more As a former seminarian, I would use the unconscionable murder in bandit captivity, of my namesake (Michael) and tribesman, 18-year-old seminarian Michael Ikechukwu Nnadi, as preamble and parameter for my thoughts on the plight of Nigeria’s young people; and to represent the jagged route, the uneven trajectory of persistent and convoluted misfortunes that have been the fate of Nigeria, almost since its very beginning as a made-in-Britain political entity; as it were, which is motivative of repudiating the impostor-nation that Nigeria has become and of reconstituting a true nation.
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Papers by Michael R I C H M O N D Duru
Drafts by Michael R I C H M O N D Duru
Talks by Michael R I C H M O N D Duru
Books by Michael R I C H M O N D Duru