₦airaland Forum

My parish priest here in lagos is a yoruba guy, his assistance is from badagry too

chidiebere2020:
SINCE the day Reverend Father Lutz from France stepped his feet on the soil of the ancient city of Onitsha in 1885, the history of the people of Eastern Nigeria has not been the same. Our history changed for the better. I do reflect, from time to time, on the heroism of European missionaries who left the relative comforts of their homes to come to Igboland and the rest of Eastern Nigeria from the 19th Century in order to bring the Good News to our people. Some died on the high seas. Some died of diseases like malaria endemic in the tropics. Some were killed by our people who innocently thought that they were strange and dangerous beings because the Europeans looked totally different from them. Yet, the Christian missionaries persisted because of their immense love of God and humanity. Father Lutz, Bishop Joseph Shannahan, Bishop Joseph Heery and other early missionaries are a perfect example of what the Bible calls agape love, or sacrificial love. May their souls rest in the bosom of the Lord. These authentic men of God did not just bring us the Gospel. They spearheaded the abolition of improper cultural practices like the killing of twins and the”osu” and “ohu” caste system. They brought us modern healthcare. The impressive hospitals they established in places like Onitsha, Ihiala and Adazi, all in Anambra State, several decades ago still provide our people with quality services. The Holy Rosary Hospital at Emekuku, Imo State, and St Luke’s Hospital, Anua, Akwa Ibom State, are among the numerous medical facilities established by the Church in Eastern Nigeria which have been of immense benefit to our people. Many people abandoned by their families and communities because they were afflicted by diseases like leprosy were treated in hospitals like these ones free of charge. I hesitate to imagine what Eastern Nigeria would have been without the Church. If not for Caritas, the Catholic charity, millions of our people would have perished during the civil war due to acute hunger. The Federal Government imposed an economic and food blockade against Eastern Nigeria because, as it argued, “starvation is a legitimate instrument of war”. Caritas cargo planes were strafed relentlessly, day and night. I personally benefitted greatly from the tones of dried milk, corned beef, salt, egg yoke, dried milk and other critical things made available by Caritas. The contribution of the Church to the educational development of Eastern Nigeria remain unparalleled. The missionaries used their limited resources to build schools all over the place, and products of these schools were competing favourably with their counterparts anywhere in the world. Generations of our best teachers, professors, lawyers, medical doctors and other professionals were trained in places like Christ the King College, Onitsha. I am a proud Old Boy of the great CKC. Up to 1970, many of the schools in various places in the Southeast were either established or managed by the Church. Like in other parts of the world, it has always been a thing of pride to associate with a Catholic Church owned or run school. Without the Church, there is no way Eastern Nigeria could have made the stupendous progress it has recorded in education, especially from 1945 when the Second World War came to an end. The Yoruba people of Western Nigeria, for instance, have a historical head start over the Igbo in education principally because major Yoruba towns and cities like Lagos are located on the coast; the white people who brought formal education to Nigeria came through the sea. Yet, within only two decades, the Igbo, to use Professor Chinua Achebe’s language, “had wiped out their educational handicap in one fantastic burst of energy”. By 1965, the Igbo were competing favourably with the Yoruba. In fact, there were more Igbo PhD holders among the Igbo than among the Yoruba, though the Yoruba had more professors. It is regrettable that the government took over Church schools in Nigeria, beginning with, of all places, East Central State (today’s Southeast). The forcible acquisition practically sounded the death knell of sound and solid education throughout the country. Hitherto, we received a kind of education which combined high academic standards with high morals and discipline. This was in line with the tradition of Catholic education everywhere in the world. It is, therefore, with joy that we note that some state governments have begun to return some of these schools to their proprietors. We look forward to having schools like CKC, Onitsha, and College of Immaculate Conception, Enugu, as well as St Patrick’s College, Calabar, return to their days of glory. We also note with delight that the Catholic Church has demonstrated great keenness on the development of higher education, particularly since the liberalisation of the ownership and management of tertiary institutions in Nigeria. It has far more private universities than any organisation. Some of the higher institutions it owns directly or indirectly are Madonna University which is the first private university in the country, Catholic University of Nigeria, Tansian University, St Augustine University, Renaissance University, Bishop Godfrey Okoye University, etc. It does, indeed, gladden the heart that the Catholic Archdiocese of Abuja, which in the mid 1990s established Loyola Jesuit College in Abuja, the most competitive secondary school in Nigeria, is working hard on building a Jesuit university in the Federal Capital Territory. The role of Opus Dei, a prelature of the Church, in the establishment and management of such famous new institutions as The Lagoon Secondary School in Lagos and The White Sands Secondary School, also in Lekki, Lagos, as well as the Pan African University in Lagos, is well appreciated. On the occasion of the 125th anniversary of the Catholic Church, it behoves the three Dioceses in Anambra State to seriously consider starting a famous university in the class of Pan African University, all the more so with the Archdiocese of Abuja about to establish a Jesuit University. After all, each of the dioceses is headed by a scholar of repute. We note with pride that the Church in the Onitsha Archdiocese and the Eastern Nigeria has remained faithful to its principal role: saving souls by reconciling man with his creator through preaching and practising the Good News. There are a lot of big churches everywhere, and many others are springing up rapidly. The churches are always full. Our seminaries, convents and monasteries are full of young men and women eager to serve God with all their being. Our people are the bedrock of Catholicism in every part of Nigeria. Bishop Shannahan described Eastern Nigerians as “natural Catholics”. We gave the Church Blessed Iwene Tansi, the first West African to be beatified. We gave the Church Dominic Cardinal Ekandem and Francis Cardinal Arinze. We produced Rt Rev Godfrey Okoye, the extraordinarily dynamic first Bishop of Enugu Diocese who had earlier served as the Bishop of Port Harcourt and led a holy life. We gave the Church Michael Eneja, the late Bishop of Enugu who led a saintly life right from the time he was in Onitsha as a young priest and inspired a generation of young people into going to the Ministry Mr. Chike MADUEKWE, a lawyer, writes from Anambra

Read more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2010/12/125-years-of-catholic-church-in-eastern-nigeria/

did the Op asked for this borin long epistle of yours ?

Nbote:
It's exactly d same reason why there are more yorubas in Baptist and White garment churches especially.. because d predominant churches in d south west are white garment churches, Baptist and Apostolic churches.

seconded

The missionaries from catholic church settled more in the SS,SE than in SW unlike the ones from Baptist and Methodist who settled more in SW than SE & SS.

The real reason being that Yorubas are the smartest of all the tribes in Nigeria. That's why they always do the good and bad things 1st.


Yorubas discovered the foreign religion to be scam 1st so they also got involved in it by breaking away from the catholics (who brought the religion here) and founded the own chuck to make money.


Doing this, the British won't be taking their mone. But they will make their own money frm their own church.


Thanks

The catholic church and the very pious catholic reverends are not òkó ashawos..they aint given to dirty alatas or omo ageges... They dont sèpènise neither are they ogogoro freaks....they dont "owoda owomi da".... Catholics dont play paso pasopaso or skiiibooo...

So a square peg cannot fit in a round hole..uno

Gloriiaaa in echesis deoo...etu spiritu omniiibus...

Any statistics to support this? I don't think there's any corner in Yorubaland that does not have catholic churches, all headed by Yoruba priests.

hmmm... Lets see...

Igbos simply love catholic because catholic saved them from extinction by providing them with food and relief materials during the war, hunger almost wiped them off the surface of the earth
But for the catholic mission, the Igbo race could have gone into extinct now in Nigeria

femi4:
Our culture doesn't encourage termination of lineage

this response tho

Yoruba go to Orthodox Pentecostal church majorly

Until about 30 years ago, Yoruba Christians were mostly Anglicans and Methodists (Church of England connection), and to a lesser extent Christ Apostolic Church, and white garment.

Now Redeem and others have taken over.

Catholicism has always been very marginal in the West.

I think u can help urself by using google

U wan use super glue do eye drop.
Where u wan see white men dey run babalawo.
U dey expect 2c moslem dey recite bible verse.
Op dey wan see Yoruba inside catholic church.
White garment na dia calling
Dagbo calling

Ogashub:
I observed that too

Yoruba's and igbos are miracle mongers.. You will always see them in noise making churches falling down into and out of annoiting.. They dont like how Catholics quietly and mannerfully pray.. We belive in the powers of the blessed sacrament which still works wonders... Proud Catholic

Lol mannerfully indeed. Please show me with reference to the bible what ur manner fully mean. Meanwhile check out Matthew 11:12.

xjiggy:
Same reason Igbos are few in Anglican church and Baptist church. The church they came in contact with mostly in the west were the British Baptist and Anglican church. The Igbos on the other hand came in contact with and embraced the Catholic church

You're wrong,there are many Igbos in the Anglican Church,almost as many as Roman Catholics..

Depends on what sect the easterners or folks from the west came in contact with first.
Funny enough I know of a big Yoruba family who are dedicated Catholics.

Why are there few Igbos and more Yorubas Redeem leadership?
Questions questions...

When your mama born you and now decided to be a Rev father or sister when the Bible say go into the world and multiply.catholic doctrine are somehow and yorubas are intelligent to adopt try and compare Yoruba Muslim to Yoruba xtian
Baptist and Anglican was widely accepted in west then

`

todaynewsreview:
There has been series of argument among folks over the few numbers of Roman Catholic members among the Yorubas. It is a common scenario seeing many Yorubas in denominations like The Redeemed Christian Church of God, Mountain of Fire, Living Faith, "White Garment Group of Churches", CAC, among others and even a good numbers among the Anglicans who are even Priests but the main subject of concern is why are there very few Roman Catholics or Revd Fathers of Yorubas?

If you know any Revd Father that is a Yoruba, you may reference him.

I implore oga Seun and lalasticlala to push this thread to front page for more responses.

Thanks.

I've met a lot of yoruba reverend fathers in lagos o.. no think am. My parish priest sef is yoruba Rev. Joseph Adeyemi.. very funny guy. My administrator back then in St. Finbarrs College Akoka was Rev. Jerome Odutan.. very funny guy too. One thing i like about yoruba priests is that Most of them are usually very funny and they teach well too. Even the archbishop and cardinal of lagos are yorubas. So what are you saying

xjiggy:
Same reason Igbos are few in Anglican church and Baptist church. The church they came in contact with mostly in the west were the British Baptist and Anglican church. The Igbos on the other hand came in contact with and embraced the Catholic church

I disagree with you.
there are many Igbos in Anglican and even in my Methodist church.
Catholic spread very well in the east sha.
all the same,what matters its that we should be in a church that serves God truely.

twentyk:
Cuz we bloody AFonJA and gat tribal marks....
Oh not forgetten our amala and ewedu tendencies...wat u expect we from d brown roof republic....

If they start with you now, you'll start screaming that you want Biafra.

pocohantas:
Why are there few Igbos and more Yorubas Redeem leadership?
Questions questions...

Honestly, you have no idea how many there are. It is not only Igbos alone. There are so many other folks too from other regions, just that the most pronounced ones are those you know.

Dexema:
Depends on what sect the easterners or folks from the west came in contact with first.
Funny enough I know of a big Yoruba family who are dedicated Catholics.

I know a handful too but they are not as much as those that are in Anglicans, Methodists, or Pentecostal churches.

I never thought of the OP's question before now.

pocohantas:
Why are there few Igbos and more Yorubas Redeem leadership?
Questions questions...

Because the founder is a Yoruba man from Ondo state and the G. O Is also a Yoruba man

donbenie:
You're wrong,there are many Igbos in the Anglican Church,almost as many as Roman Catholics..

na lie ooo.
Just few in Anambra state.
U hardly find Anglicans in Enugu and Ebonyi who are majorly Catholics.
Imo is like 90% catholics.
Abia is a mixture of presbyterians,Assemblies of God,catholics and others few.

Thank God, Yoruba aren't many in Catholic,,,, because if they become a revd father they would have disgrace Christians by raping some sisters and having children...

Also Yoruba sisters will be disgraceful to Christianity because they won't be truthful

chidiebere2020:
SINCE the day Reverend Father Lutz from France stepped his feet on the soil of the ancient city of Onitsha in 1885, the history of the people of Eastern Nigeria has not been the same. Our history changed for the better. I do reflect, from time to time, on the heroism of European missionaries who left the relative comforts of their homes to come to Igboland and the rest of Eastern Nigeria from the 19th Century in order to bring the Good News to our people. Some died on the high seas. Some died of diseases like malaria endemic in the tropics. Some were killed by our people who innocently thought that they were strange and dangerous beings because the Europeans looked totally different from them. Yet, the Christian missionaries persisted because of their immense love of God and humanity. Father Lutz, Bishop Joseph Shannahan, Bishop Joseph Heery and other early missionaries are a perfect example of what the Bible calls agape love, or sacrificial love. May their souls rest in the bosom of the Lord. These authentic men of God did not just bring us the Gospel. They spearheaded the abolition of improper cultural practices like the killing of twins and the”osu” and “ohu” caste system. They brought us modern healthcare. The impressive hospitals they established in places like Onitsha, Ihiala and Adazi, all in Anambra State, several decades ago still provide our people with quality services. The Holy Rosary Hospital at Emekuku, Imo State, and St Luke’s Hospital, Anua, Akwa Ibom State, are among the numerous medical facilities established by the Church in Eastern Nigeria which have been of immense benefit to our people. Many people abandoned by their families and communities because they were afflicted by diseases like leprosy were treated in hospitals like these ones free of charge. I hesitate to imagine what Eastern Nigeria would have been without the Church. If not for Caritas, the Catholic charity, millions of our people would have perished during the civil war due to acute hunger. The Federal Government imposed an economic and food blockade against Eastern Nigeria because, as it argued, “starvation is a legitimate instrument of war”. Caritas cargo planes were strafed relentlessly, day and night. I personally benefitted greatly from the tones of dried milk, corned beef, salt, egg yoke, dried milk and other critical things made available by Caritas. The contribution of the Church to the educational development of Eastern Nigeria remain unparalleled. The missionaries used their limited resources to build schools all over the place, and products of these schools were competing favourably with their counterparts anywhere in the world. Generations of our best teachers, professors, lawyers, medical doctors and other professionals were trained in places like Christ the King College, Onitsha. I am a proud Old Boy of the great CKC. Up to 1970, many of the schools in various places in the Southeast were either established or managed by the Church. Like in other parts of the world, it has always been a thing of pride to associate with a Catholic Church owned or run school. Without the Church, there is no way Eastern Nigeria could have made the stupendous progress it has recorded in education, especially from 1945 when the Second World War came to an end. The Yoruba people of Western Nigeria, for instance, have a historical head start over the Igbo in education principally because major Yoruba towns and cities like Lagos are located on the coast; the white people who brought formal education to Nigeria came through the sea. Yet, within only two decades, the Igbo, to use Professor Chinua Achebe’s language, “had wiped out their educational handicap in one fantastic burst of energy”. By 1965, the Igbo were competing favourably with the Yoruba. In fact, there were more Igbo PhD holders among the Igbo than among the Yoruba, though the Yoruba had more professors. It is regrettable that the government took over Church schools in Nigeria, beginning with, of all places, East Central State (today’s Southeast). The forcible acquisition practically sounded the death knell of sound and solid education throughout the country. Hitherto, we received a kind of education which combined high academic standards with high morals and discipline. This was in line with the tradition of Catholic education everywhere in the world. It is, therefore, with joy that we note that some state governments have begun to return some of these schools to their proprietors. We look forward to having schools like CKC, Onitsha, and College of Immaculate Conception, Enugu, as well as St Patrick’s College, Calabar, return to their days of glory. We also note with delight that the Catholic Church has demonstrated great keenness on the development of higher education, particularly since the liberalisation of the ownership and management of tertiary institutions in Nigeria. It has far more private universities than any organisation. Some of the higher institutions it owns directly or indirectly are Madonna University which is the first private university in the country, Catholic University of Nigeria, Tansian University, St Augustine University, Renaissance University, Bishop Godfrey Okoye University, etc. It does, indeed, gladden the heart that the Catholic Archdiocese of Abuja, which in the mid 1990s established Loyola Jesuit College in Abuja, the most competitive secondary school in Nigeria, is working hard on building a Jesuit university in the Federal Capital Territory. The role of Opus Dei, a prelature of the Church, in the establishment and management of such famous new institutions as The Lagoon Secondary School in Lagos and The White Sands Secondary School, also in Lekki, Lagos, as well as the Pan African University in Lagos, is well appreciated. On the occasion of the 125th anniversary of the Catholic Church, it behoves the three Dioceses in Anambra State to seriously consider starting a famous university in the class of Pan African University, all the more so with the Archdiocese of Abuja about to establish a Jesuit University. After all, each of the dioceses is headed by a scholar of repute. We note with pride that the Church in the Onitsha Archdiocese and the Eastern Nigeria has remained faithful to its principal role: saving souls by reconciling man with his creator through preaching and practising the Good News. There are a lot of big churches everywhere, and many others are springing up rapidly. The churches are always full. Our seminaries, convents and monasteries are full of young men and women eager to serve God with all their being. Our people are the bedrock of Catholicism in every part of Nigeria. Bishop Shannahan described Eastern Nigerians as “natural Catholics”. We gave the Church Blessed Iwene Tansi, the first West African to be beatified. We gave the Church Dominic Cardinal Ekandem and Francis Cardinal Arinze. We produced Rt Rev Godfrey Okoye, the extraordinarily dynamic first Bishop of Enugu Diocese who had earlier served as the Bishop of Port Harcourt and led a holy life. We gave the Church Michael Eneja, the late Bishop of Enugu who led a saintly life right from the time he was in Onitsha as a young priest and inspired a generation of young people into going to the Ministry Mr. Chike MADUEKWE, a lawyer, writes from Anambra

Read more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2010/12/125-years-of-catholic-church-in-eastern-nigeria/

nice piece and proudly Catholic

The SW state with the highest percentage of Catholicism is Ekiti, and it's not even that high in comparison to the SE. It's due to its high rate of Christianity. I can't really say why SW doesn't have higher rate of Catholicism. Some Yoruba have negative perspective of the church. It may also be because missionary weren't as concentrated in the region. Local or native churches are very common in the SW though.

Perhaps because they like marrying more than one wife and the catholic churches frown at this. Anglicans, Methodists and the likes, you may meet elders with two or more wives and occultist too. What Catholics prefer are the lil ones ( ).I guess this may be the reason apart from most early missionaries settling in the East before moving westward

Op. Before concluding, do a proper research. In Ekiti where I was born there are more than 140 towns each with a catholic church and a Yoruba parish priest. In Akure (Ondo state) as a student of Sacred Heart seminary I attended Holy Ghost Conference in 1996 where more than 500 priest, Monsignor and Bishops from Southwest gather and 99.9% of them are Yorubas.