TheCatholic Church in Nigeria is part of the worldwideCatholic Church , under the spiritual leadership of thePope , thecuria inRome , and theCatholic Bishops' Conference of Nigeria (CBCN).
In 2022, the president of the CBCN isLucius Iwejuru Ugorji ,Archbishop ofOwerri Archdiocese .[ 2] Augustine Obiora Akubeze .[ 3] [ 4]
The Latin and Eastern Catholic Churches comprise the world's largest Christian Church and the largest religious grouping globally. In 2005, there were an estimated 19 million baptised Catholics inNigeria .[ 5] [ 6] [citation needed
Historically, theHoly Ghost Fathers maintained a strong presence inIgboland in today's Southeastern Nigeria, whereas theWhite Fathers operated in Western and Northern Nigeria, and theSociety of African Missions in Lagos.[ 7]
Nigeria, together withCongo Democratic Republic , boasts of the highest number of priests in Africa. The boom in vocation to the priesthood in Nigeria is mainly in the Southeastern part, especially among theIgbo ethnic group, of which the first evangelizers wereHoly Ghost Fathers .[ 7]
The second papal visit to the country in 1998 witnessed the beatification ofBlessed Cyprian Michael Iwene Tansi .[ 8] Pope John Paul II proclaimed him blessed atOba , 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, andPatrick of Ireland .[ 9]
Map of Nigeria Christianity was followed by an estimated 46.18% of the Nigerian population in 2020; one-quarter of Christians in Nigeria are Catholic (12.39% of the country's population).[ 10]
In the same year, over 9,500 priests and 6,500 nuns served over 4,000 parishes.[ 11]
Archdioceses 9 Suffragan Dioceses 59 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 20 Minor seminarians ♦Total seminarians 3,755 (2004) Educational institutes 4,163 Charitable institutes 1,202 References Italian page for 2004[ 12]
Within Nigeria the hierarchy consists of:
Immediately subject to theHoly See :
Episcopal conference [ edit ] TheCatholic Bishops' Conference of Nigeria is the Nigerianepiscopal conference . Its current President isLucius Iwejuru Ugorji .
Catholic traditionalism [ edit ] A moretraditionalist subset of the Catholic Church is also present in Nigeria and embodied by thePriestly Fraternity of St. Peter (Nne Enyemaka Shrine,[ 13] Umuaka ). There also exists a community of the irregular statusSociety of St. Pius X (Saint Michael's Priory ,[ 14] [ 15] Enugu ).
Catholic universities in Nigeria [ edit ] Dominican University , Ibadan
Major seminaries in Nigeria [ edit ] 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 [permanent dead link St Joseph Major Seminary Ikot Ekpene Blessed Tansi Major Seminary Onitsha, Anambra State St Albert The Great Major Seminary Abeokuta St. John of the Cross Spiritual Year Seminary, Ekpoma Seat of Wisdom Major Seminary, Owerri Seat of Wisdom Major Seminary, Umuahia Campus JohnPaul II Major Seminary, Awka Good Shepherd Major Seminary, Kaduna Claretian Institute of Philosophy, Nekede Owerri Spiritan Institute of Theology Attakwu Enugu Spiritan Institute of Philosophy, Isienu Nsukka Don Bosco Institute of Philosophy[ 18] Dominican Institute[ 19] Minor seminaries in Nigeria [ edit ] St Augustine's seminary, Amechi Ezzamgbo, Abakaliki, Ebonyi State Holy Ghost Juniorate Seminary, Ihiala, Anambra State. (Spiritans) Queen of Apostles Seminary, Afaha Obong, Abak, Akwa Ibom State Immaculate Conception Seminary, Mfamosing, Cross River State 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 St Joseph's Seminary Special Science School, Awka-Etiti 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 Holy Martyrs of Uganda seminary Effurun, Delta State Annunciation Seminary Amaudara, Abia State St John-cross minor seminary, Isienu-Nsukka, Enugu state St Charles Borromeo seminary, Imiringi, Bayelsa State. St Mary's Seminary Umuowa, Orlu, Imo State. Bonus Pastor Seminary Osina, Ideato North, Imo State. Assumpta Minor Seminary, Owerri Archdiocese. Mater Ecclesiae Seminary, Nguru Mbaise, Ahiara Diocese St Peter Claver's Seminary Okpala Owerri Archdiocese Pope John Paul II Seminary Yala Okpoma Ogoja Diocese St Peter's Seminary Ogii, Okigwe Diocese Sacred Heart Seminary, Rumuebiekwe Port Hacourt, Port hacourt Diocese St Felix Seminary Ejeme-Anigor, Delta State St Joseph Seminary Basawa, Zaria, Kaduna State. St Charles Borromeo Minor Seminary, Madakiya Kaduna State St Peter's Minor Seminary, Katari Kaduna State St Peter's Minor Seminary, Yola Adamawa State St Joseph's Minor Seminary, Shuwa Adamawa State Sacred Heart Minor Seminary, Jauro Yinu Taraba State St Paul Minor Seminary, Benin City, Edo State Nigerians who have been canonized or beatified [ edit ] Catholic religious congregations founded in Nigeria [ edit ] Daughters of Divine Love [ 21] New Evangelization Sisters of Mother of Perpetual Help) Sons of Mary, Mother of Mercy Congregation Daughters of Mary, Mother of Mercy Congregation Holy Family Sisters of the Needy Missionary Sisters of Divine Mercy, Nnewi, Nigeria Sisters of the Eucharistic Heart of Jesus, Ikeja, Lagos-State. Sisters of Jesus Crucified, Uratta, Owerri, Imo State Missionary sister of Jesus and Mary, Warri Missionary societies active in Nigeria [ edit ] ^ "Table: Christian Population in Numbers by Country | Pew Research Center's Religion & Public Life Project" . Features.pewforum.org. 19 December 2011. Archived fromthe original on 7 January 2012. Retrieved16 July 2014 .^ Association of Catholic Information in Africa website, article dated 3/9/22 ^ "Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria (CBCN)" .www.cbcn-ng.org . Archived from the original on 21 May 2009. Retrieved9 April 2019 .^ Olowolagba, Fikayo (22 February 2018)."Catholic bishops elect new president" .Daily Post Nigeria . Retrieved17 March 2020 . ^ Craig Timberg, "Nigeria's Spiritual Rainmaker is Eyed at Vatican,"Washington Poet , 17 April 2005, A1 ^ Pew Research Center: Christian Population as Percentages of total population by country 2010https://www.pewforum.org/2011/12/19/table-christian-population-as-percentages-of-total-population-by-country/ ^a b Ebuziem, Cajetan E. (2011).Doing Ministry in the Igbo Context: Towards an Emerging Model and Method for the Church in Africa ISBN 978-1-4331-1154-9 ^ "Blessed Iwene Tansi: The patron saint of Nigeria's democracy @20" .TheCable . 13 June 2018. Retrieved17 March 2020 .^ "Patron Saints: N - Saints & Angels" .Catholic Online . Retrieved9 April 2019 .^ World Religions Database at the ARDA website, retrieved 2023-08-08 ^ Catholics and Culture website, retrieved 2023-08-08 ^ Italian WikiPage Chiesa Cattolica in Nigeria statistics from 2004it:Chiesa cattolica in Nigeria ^ "FSSP in Nigeria" .www.fsspnigeria.org . Retrieved9 April 2019 .^ "District of Great Britain" .District of Great Britain . Retrieved9 April 2019 .^ "First priory in Nigeria opened" . Archived fromthe original on 16 April 2013.^ "Veritas University Abuja" .www.veritas.edu.ng . Retrieved9 April 2019 .^ "Welcome to Pan-Atlantic University" . Retrieved9 April 2019 .^ "DON BOSCO INSTITUTE OF PHILOSOPHY, IBADAN - Lumen et Sapientia" . Retrieved9 April 2019 .^ "Welcome" .Dominican Institute . Retrieved9 April 2019 .^ "Untitled Document" .www.afrikaworld.net . Retrieved12 June 2019 .^ "Daughters of Divine Love (DDL) website" . Archived fromthe original on 20 February 2014. Retrieved30 May 2013 .
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