Roman Catholic Diocese of Auchi
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| Statistics | |
|---|---|
| Country: | Nigeria |
| Metropolitan: | Benin City |
| Rite: | Latin Rite |
| Area: | 6,116 km² |
| Population: Total: Catholics: |
800,200 (2004) 65,000 (8.1%) |
| Ordinaries | |
| Bishop: | Gabriel Ghiakhomo Dunia |
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Auchi {Latin: Auchian(us)} is a diocese located in the city of Auchi in the Ecclesiastical province of Benin City in Nigeria.
Contents |
[edit] History
- December 4, 2002: Established as Diocese of Auchi from the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Benin City
The history of the Catholic Church in Etsako - Afemai land or what is now the Diocese of Auchi dates back to the latter part of the 19th century - when the first Roman Catholic missionaries arrived at Agenebode in the present Etsako East Local Government Area of Edo State in Nigeria - and opened a mission station there. The team was led by Rt. Rev. Monsgnor Carlo Zappa who took over as the Prefect of the Upper Niger in 1894, with headquarters in Asaba.
As a Prefect, Monsignor Zappa successfully gained access into the interior and established stations throughout the territory now known as Benin Ecclesiastical province.
In Etsako, he opened a parish station at Agenebode in 1897.
From the narratives of oral traditional history by our community elders, it was gathered that through the successful settlement of the Royal Niger Company - a trading foreign company which included the John Holt Brothers - these white missionaries discovered that the Agenebode people were easily accessible through the River Niger and to some degree hospitable to foreigners. This, gave them confidence to pitch their tents among the people.
As a matter of fact, deductive reasoning and oral narratives, show that these white missionaries had already had contacts with the Agenebode indigenes as far back as 1884 - exploring the possibility of opening a parish church within the community. Prior to 1897, there has to be all kinds of logistics - preparations, negotiations and gathering of people before a church community starts. It took them about 13 years to build a formidable base before a parish was finally birthed in 1897. There was a break through - a parish was opened for the spread of the gospel and westernization of our people!
It is important to say that, when the Benin City diocese celebrated their 100 - centenary year at Agenebode in May 2nd, 1984; amid other ceremonies in other parts of the diocese, there were questions about the timing, but some living proteges of those missionaries testified that the timing was okay - because there were earlier contacts before a church community was birthed.
It was at Agenebode that the first parish station was opened in the Archdiocese of Benin City with Fr. Peter Pioten as the first parish priest. From Agenebode, other parish out stations were opened at Ivianokpodi, Iviukwe,Okpekpe and Apana.
In 1908, he established the first Major Seminary in Nigeria --St Martin's Seminary--at Ivianokpodi. The seminary was later transferred to Asaba in 1927 by Bishop Broderick. Among the seminarians who moved from Ivianokpodi to Asaba was the late Fr. Paul Emechete, the first Nigerian priest,and late Rt. Rev. Monsignor Joseph Agbodio Erameh, a native of Anegbette in south Uneme Clan in present Etsako Central Local Government Area of Edo State.
With the death of Bishop Broderick in 1933, Bishop Leo Taylor was appointed his successor in 1934. Bishop Taylor who came to Asaba-Benin Vicariate from Lagos where he was principal of St. Gregory's college, created Uzairue Parish in 1935, with Fr J.J Heeley as the first Parish Priest.
Bishop Taylor ordained the first Edo Priest who was also the second indigenous priest of the Vicariate Apostolic of Western Nigeria in the person of Rev. Monsigor Joseph Agbodio Erameh at Asaba, on December 20th 1936, and transferred the Major Seminary there to Benin in 1938. Bishop Taylor was succeeded in the Asaba-Benin Vicarite by Bishop Patrick Joseph Kelly in the same year.
The Catholic Church in Etsako, during the Episcopacy of P J Kelly established four secondary schools: Our Lady of Fatima college, Auchi,St. John's College Fugar,St. Angela's Girls Grammar School, Uzairue and St. Peter's College Agenebode which were taken over by Government in 1973.
In the same 1973, Bishop Kelly retired and handed over the Diocese of Benin City to Bishop Patrick Ebosele Ekpu (now Archbishop Emeritus). Conscious of the fact that the task of envangelizing the diocese was onerous,Archbishop Ekpu worked very hard to see that many more indigenous priests were ordained and new parishes were created.
As at December 30th, 2002; there were (10) parishes in Auchi Diocese. Hopefully, more parishes will be opened according to the will of God with time.
Archbishop Ekpu's repeated attempts to have the schools returned to the Catholic Mission foundered on the stony rock of 'Nigerian Union of Teachers.'They resisted fiercely. "NUT"'s blind opposition to Government's attempt to return the erstwhile Voluntary Agency schools to their rightful owners somehow clogged some progress. However, we still have very few private Catholic schools scattered all over Auchi diocese, serving the educational needs of the people.
The early Missionaries in collaboration with some Irish nuns established two major medical facilities. These include Notre Dame Hospital at Uzairue and the Medical Health Centre at Agenebode respectively - serving the medical needs of our people.
The "sisters of Notre Dame De Namur" are managing these hospitals today. They have been working tirelessly to keep these hospitals open, so that many people - Catholics and non Catholics - especially the poor, can have access to quality health care within Afemai territory over the years.
The history of the Catholic Church in the diocese will not be complete without accounts of its spread to Akoko-Edo and Owan Local Government Areas of the Diocese, which with Etsako constitute the geographical areas comprising the Diocese.
In contrast to the warm welcome which the early Catholic Missionaries received in Etsako, their experience in Akoko-Edo and Owan Local Government Areas was one of initial resistance, if not down-right hostility, by the Church Misionary Society (the Anglicans) which was the first Christian Mission to establish its presence in the areas. The relatively slow pace of conversion to the Catholic faith and of vocation to the Catholic Priesthood in the areas up to date can be attributed, in part to this historical fact.
[edit] Special Churches
The Cathedral is St. Vincent’s Cathedral in Auchi. The Cathedral of St. Vincent, Auchi is an upshoot of a project started by the late parish priest Fr. Michael Grace (of blessed memory). After his demise, this project was continued by Fr. Felix Igbineweka and then Fr. Obozuwa. Fr. Obozuwa was deeply committed to this project owing to the fact that discussions were underway that this parish will be the future home of soon to be erected diocese of Auchi and the cathedral. In some some quarters, rumours was spreading that the now Archbishop Emeritus Patrick Ekpu was not deeply committed to this project and simply left it to the indigenes to raise the funds and come up with a plan to make the new diocese viable. Priests from this region were summarily transferred from their posts and placed in the new diocese. They were not given the choice to either remain in the current Archdiocese or to relocate to their place of origin.
[edit] Leadership
- Bishops of Auchi (Roman rite)
- Bishop Gabriel Ghiakhomo Dunia (since November 6 2002)
