Roman Catholicism in Nigeria

Catholic Church in	Nigeria
Catholics	18 million (2009)
Population of Nigeria	170 million (2012)[1]
President of Bishops' Conference	Archbishop Ignatius Kaigama
Conference website	cbcn-ng.org
Catholic Secretariat	csnigeria.org
Catholic News Service	cnsng.org
Papal Nuncio	Archbishop Augustine Kasujja
Archdioceses	9
Suffragan Dioceses	43
Apostolic Vicariates	2
Parishes	1,905 (2004)
Diocesan Priests	3,452
Religious Priests	694
♦Total Priests	4,146 (2004)
Religious Women	3,674
Major seminaries in Nigeria	6
Major seminarians
Minor seminaries in Nigeria	2
Minor seminarians
♦Total seminarians	3,755 (2004)
Educational institutes	4,163
Charitable institutes	1,202
References	Italian page for 2004[2]

The Catholic Church in Nigeria is part of the worldwide Catholic Church, under the spiritual leadership of the Pope, the curia in Rome, and the Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria. The president of the Bishops Conference is Archbishop Ignatius Kaigama (Archbishop of Jos).^[3]

The Latin and Eastern Catholic Churches comprise the world's largest Christian Church, and its largest religious grouping. In 2005, there were an estimated 19 million baptised Catholics in Nigeria ^[4] and 22.6 million in 2010.^[5]

Nigeria, together with Congo Democratic Republic, boasts of the highest number of priests in Africa. The boom in vocation to the priesthood in Nigeria is mainly in the eastern part (especially among the Igbo ethnic group) which accounts for over 70 percent of the country's Catholic population.

The second papal visit to the country in 1998 witnessed the beatification of Blessed Cyprian Michael Iwene Tansi. Pope John Paul II proclaimed him blessed at Oba, Onitsha Archdiocese, a local Church established by the apostle of eastern Nigerian, Bishop Joseph Shanahan, CSSp.

The official patron saints of Nigeria are: Mary, Queen of Nigeria and Saint Patrick of Ireland.^[6]

Map of Nigeria

List of Dioceses

Within Nigeria the hierarchy consists of:

• Archbishopric
  • Bishopric

Episcopal conference

See footnote^[7]

Catholic traditionalism

A more traditionalist subset of the Catholic Church is also present in Nigeria and embodied by the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter (Nne Enyemaka Shrine,^[8] Umuaka). There also exists a community of the irregular status Society of St. Pius X (Saint Michael’s Priory,^[9][10] Enugu).

Catholic Universities in Nigeria

• Caritas University, Amorji-Nike
• Godfrey Okoye University, Enugu
• Madonna University (Ihiala), Okija
• Our Saviour Institute of Science and Technology, Enugu
• VUNA, Veritas University Abuja (The Catholic University of Nigeria), Abuja

Major Seminaries in Nigeria

• Seminary of Saints Peter and Paul, Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria
• Seminary of All Saints, Uhiele Ekpoma, Edo State, Nigeria
• Bigard Memorial Seminary, Enugu
• St. Thomas Aquinas Major Seminary, Makurdi
• St. Augustine's Major Seminary, Jos
• National Missionary Seminary of St. Paul, Gwagwalada
• St Joseph Ikot Ekpene
• Blessed Tansi Major Seminary Onitsha
• St Albert The Great Major Seminary Abeokuta
• Bonus Pastor Seminary Orlu
• St. John of the Cross Spiritual Year Seminary, Ekpoma
• Seat of Wisdom Major Seminary, Owerri.
• Good Shepherd Major Seminary, Kaduna.

Minor Seminaries in Nigeria

• St. John Vianney Minor Seminary, Barkin-Ladi, Plateau State.
• St. James' Junior Seminary, Yandev Gboko
• St. Jude's Minor Seminary, Kuje Abuja
• St Theresa's Minor Seminary Oke-Are Ibadan
• Sacred Hearts Minor Seminary Akure
• St. Clement's Minor Seminary, Adankolo-Lokoja, Kogi State
• St Paul's Seminary Ukpor, Nnewi Anambra State
• All Hallows Seminary, Onitsha Anambra State
• Mercy Seminary, Bende Abia State
• Immaculate Conception Seminary, Ahiaeke Umuahia, Abia State
• St. Dominic Savio Seminary, Akpu, Anambra State.
• St John Bosco Seminary, Isuaniocha, Anambra State.

Nigerians who have been Canonized

• Blessed Cyprian Michael Iwene Tansi, from Anambra State Beatified by Pope John Paul II, March 22, 1998^[11]

Catholic Religious Congregations Founded in Nigeria

• Daughters of Divine Love^[12]
• New Evangelization Sisters of Mother of Perpetual Help (NES)
• Sons of Mary, Mother of Mercy Congregation(SMMM)
• Daughters of Mary, Mother f Mercy Congregation (DMMM)
• Holy Family Sisters of the Needy (HFSN)
• Missionary Sisters of Divine Mercy (MSDM) Nnewi, Nigeria. Website: www.divinemercysisters.net

Missionary Societies Active in Nigeria

• Society of African Missions
• The Spiritans (Congregation of the Holy Spirit, C.S.Sp.)
• The Augustinians (Order of Saint Augustine, O.S.A.)
• Missionary Sisters of Our Lady of Apostles
• St. Louis Sisters
• Salesians of Don Bosco (Salesian Fathers)
• Missionaries of Africa
• Pontifical Mission Societies of Nigeria (PMS Nigeria)
• Aid to the Church in Need
• Missionary Society of St. Paul
• Order of Preachers (Dominicans)
• The Franciscans
• Society of Jesus (Jesuits)
• The Cleratian Missionary Fathers
• The Oblates Of St Joseph
• The Redemptorists
• Daughters of St Paul
• (Missionary Sisters of Divine Mercy P. O. Box 611 Nnewi Nigeria. Cell: +2348033802674)

See also

• List of Roman Catholic dioceses in Nigeria This page also gives quick access to many internet links to official websites of the Nigerian dioceses.
• List of cathedrals in Nigeria
• List of Saints from Africa

References

External links

• Catholic Secretariat of Nigeria
• Catholic Bishops' Conference of Nigeria
• Catholic News Service of Nigeria
• GCatholic.org Information
• Catholic Hierarchy Alphabetical list of Nigeria dioceses
• Catholic-Hierarchy Nigeria Statistical Table by Diocese
• Nigerian Catholic Diocesan Priests Association
• Catholic Altar Servers Association of Nigeria (CASAN)
• Catholic Nigeria Family Network (CNFN)
• Catholic C.H.E.S.S. Project (Catholic Home, Education and Social Support)
• Catholic Charismatic Renewal of Nigeria
• "Agencia Fides" Information Service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
• Catholic News Service, Africa Page
• divinemercysisters