By Prisca Sam-Duru

The Catholic Archdiocese of Lagos on Monday, February 16, 2026, held the first part of the final rites to celebrate the impactful life and enduring legacy of late Very Rev. Msgr. Philip Adesina Hoteyin who died on Thursday, January 29, 2026, at the age of 81.

The body of the late Msgr. Hoteyin was brought into the premises of the Lagos Archdiocesan Marian Shrine Maryland, Lagos, at about 11:40 am, where a mammoth crowd comprising the clergymen, members of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Catholic Men and Catholic Women Organisations, members of the St. Agnes Catholic Church, Maryland, friends, families, and more waited to receive him.
The procession into the Marian Shrine was followed by a Requiem Mass by 12 pm, and much later same day at 6 pm and 9 pm. He was buried the following day at the Holy Cross Cathedral, Lagos.

Born on September 8, 1944, into a family of faith, Catholic traditions, and nurtured by a deep Marian spirituality, Msgr. Hoteyin was ordained to the Sacred Priesthood on December 15, 1974. He served the Archdiocese of Lagos for over five decades with uncommon dedication, humility, and zeal while offering himself completely in pastoral ministry, teaching, administration, and spiritual guidance.

All through the final rites, Msgr Hoteyin was described as a man gifted with an exceptional charisma for preaching and widely regarded as a fearless and itinerant preacher of the word of God. He was said to be a devoted priest and an ardent lover of the blessed virgin Mary and a faithful servant of God’s people.

“His homilies were not only instructive but transformative, stirring reflection, conversation, and renewed faith among the faithful.”

We will sorely miss his wise counsel, wonderful jokes – Rev. Mayaki

Taking the Gospel reading from John 11:21-27, the Chaplain of the Association of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Rev. Fr. Melvis Mayaki said “God called Msgr Hoteyin after a life of great service to God and humanity.

“He was an exemplary servant who poured out his life in service and love of God. In his 5 decades as a priest, we fondly remember him in his capacity as the chaplain of this Diocesan Marian Shrine. A position he carried out dutifully to all who came to this shrine for spiritual nourishment. We fondly remember Msgr. as the spiritual director of the Association of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary, at the national council, Lagos Provincial council, and the Lagos Archdiocesan council; a three in one position he held for about 30 years with total commitment and sacrifice for the propagation of the social reign of the most sacred Heart of Jesus. “The very fact that he was able to be chaplain of these three cadres of the association, showed how much zeal he had and how much he was able to gather the devotees of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. He was a strong devotee of the Blessed Mother Mary because he was the chaplain of this Marian shrine.”

Fr. Mayaki, who took over from the late Msgr, said further, “We will sorely miss his wise counsel, his wonderful jokes, his caring personality, especially his moving soul-stirring homilies. He was willing to make sacrifices for peace and for the spreading of the gospel.

Msgr was a unique, simple, humble, tireless, deeply spiritual lover of the Eucharist of our blessed mother. He was a confessor, a counsellor par excellence. The more the devil laboured to destroy souls, the more he was inflamed with the desire to save them through the heart of Jesus.

He will be missed for his powerful and inspirational homilies. He had a natural and exceptional charism for breaking down the word of God.”

“Msgr. had the charisma of touching hard souls and hard hearts. He was blessed like that, and he was a man of service who was always reaching out to others. He was a true father.

We are going to really miss him but we pray for him and very importantly, we pray that we’ll be able to carry on the legacy and the foundation of the virtues that he has laid for us.

So, at this event, we just pray and ask the Lord to grant him eternal rest in his heavenly Kingdom through Christ our Lord. Amen,” Fr Mayaki added.

Msgr. Hoteyin was a wonderful soul- Rev. Fadairo

The Episcopal Vicar of Ikeja region of the Archdiocese of Lagos, Rev. Fr. Anthony Taiye Fadairo, who, having been with Hoteyin “for 12 solid years,” described him as “a Wonderful Soul. He’s a priest like no other. He touched the lives of people; he was very spiritual and very prayerful. He was someone who gave his totality to God and to the people of God. He is someone who will be dearly missed. We are here today to honour a great, honourable priest.”

According to Rev. Fr Fadairo, “Msgr. Hoteyin gave his time, talent, everything to the church, and to the people of God, most especially the Marian Shrine. He was there day and night, in rain and in shine, attending to the needs of the people – confession and counselling for hours.

He was a great example to all the priests. He cared for people – the religious, priests, both young and old.
“It will take a long time to have somebody to replace him in all the positions he held. But mainly, he was a great man. A great Christian, a Nigerian without guile. He loved the country; he loved the people. He was always praying for the good of the country, waiting to see a better Nigeria, and continuously working towards it. He was also supportive of the bishops. He served diligently with all the bishops that he worked with as a priest. So, he’s a great man.”

Msgr Hoteyin was a great intercessor- Rev Martinos

On his part, the Parish Priest of St Agnes Catholic Church, Maryland, Rev Fr Theodore Martinos described Msgr Philipp Hoteyin as “one who respects the sacred”, adding, “In his entire priestly life, even up to his old age, I saw for the few months I had the opportunity of living with him, a sincere, humble, man with respect for the sacred and for the presence of God. A man of 81 years, yet, each time he was in the presence of God, I saw him go down on his two knees, and his forehead would hit the ground. I marvelled at such a thing. He was a man who lived in the presence of the Lord.”

Speaking further, Fr. Martinos emphasized how great an intercessor Msgr Hoteyin was. “He was a man who loved to intercede for people both on the physical and spiritual levels.

He was always praying for everyone as a great intercessor. I feel that if all of us intercede for one another- for our fellow brothers and sisters, that means a community of love because I can’t intercede for somebody if I don’t have love within my heart.”

“He taught through his life and act of devotion to know that we are not merely human or physical, but that there must be a perpetual connection, a constant awareness of the divine, and a constant communication with the divine.

Fr. Martinos enjoins devotees to emulate the life of the late Msgr. “My message would be for us to take the fruit of his life as a Christian and his ministry as a priest, and manifest it in our own lives, so that we can teach the legacy of Msgr. Philipp Hoteyin. The legacy is the legacy of directing all our focus on Jesus through the Blessed Virgin. I want everybody to keep remembering not just his name, but that Legacy and live by it,” he added.

Msgr Hoteyin was a good man- Rev Okogie

In his vote of thanks, Rev Fr. Mark Okojie, who expressed gratitude to all who were in attendance, noted, “Our dear Msgr. has been a good man for the times I’ve known him. Right from when I was a little boy, I usually come to this Marian Shrine for the first Saturday devotion, and since then, I’ve known Msgr. He has been a good man all this while, and I’ve had several encounters with him.”