EKWEREM N'OTU CHINEKE (missa ọhụrụ)

"Ekwerem N'Otu Chineke" is a vibrant Igbo setting of the Nicene Creed, composed by Br. Fidelis Odiegwu as part of a "missa ọhụrụ" (new mass). The Creed is the great profession of faith sung by the congregation and choir after the homily on Sundays and major feast days. This arrangement captures the solemnity and conviction required for such a central liturgical text, declaring a shared belief in one God, the Father Almighty.

The score is marked *Allegretto*, giving the piece a steady, forward-moving energy that carries the singers through the extensive text. Odiegwu structures the music to clearly articulate each mystery of faith, from the creation of heaven and earth to the incarnation, resurrection, and the final anticipation of the life of the world to come.

For a choir, singing the Creed in the vernacular brings a deep sense of ownership to the words. The familiar Igbo phrases—"Chukwu si na Chukwu" (God from God) and "Ọ bụrụ mmadụ" (He became man)—are set to melodies that feel natural and declarative. It is a piece that unites the choir loft and the pews in a powerful, shared affirmation of what the Church believes.