‘We Are Like Sheep Without Shepherd ‘-Ihiala Catholic Church Members Fume As Bishop’s Feud With Priests Persists

Catholic faithful at St Martin of Tours Parish, Ihiala, in Anambra State have called for an end to the misunderstanding between the diocesan bishop and Holy Ghost priests, which led to the suspension of diocesan activities in the parish.

Our correspondent reports that the misunderstanding between the bishop, Catholic Diocese of Nnewi, Most Rev Jonas Benson Okoye; the Ihiala Catholic community, and the Holy Ghost priests of St Martin of Tours Parish, Ihiala, has remained unresolved despite prayers and interventions by persons and groups.

The parishioners of St Martin of Tours, Ihiala, in a statement signed by the parish presidents of CMO, Linus Nnubia; CWO, Comfort Okolie; CBO, Izuchukwu Ikudike; CGO, Chimuanya Uba; vice chairman of Parish Council, Ansus Ohaeri; spokesperson of Concerned People of Ihiala, Nonye Chukwu, and leader of Concerned People of Ihiala, Orjiewuru Udeorji, said that worshippers at St Martin of Tours, Ihiala, said they ‘are presently like sheep without a shepherd’.

The statement reads in part, “Today marks the anniversary of the abandonment of St Martin of Tours Parish, Ihiala, by His Lordship, Jonas Benson Okoye, the Catholic bishop of Nnewi diocese. By this action, the bishop in the past 12 months has deprived the lay faithful of their spiritual benefits in the church.

“The bishop and his diocesan priests have delisted St Martin of Tours from Nnewi Catholic community; and barred them from participating in diocesan activities; while the Catholic church hierarchy appears to be insensitive to the matter that concerns the lay faithful – the pillar on which the church stands.

“To ensure that our faith as devout Catholics does not fade, and in order not to allow the faithful to scatter, we took the challenge as a test of our faith to celebrate Holy Mass every Sunday, undertake all the important church programmes like Corpus Christi, Holy Week and Easter activities, Advent, Christmas; burying the lay faithful.”

The statement recalled that in November, 2022, Bishop Jonas Benson Okoye, on assumption of office as the bishop of Nnewi diocese, gave ultimatum to Holy Ghost priests to vacate St Martin of Tours, Ihiala, which is the regional headquarters of the Holy Ghost priests, to enable him to assign his diocesan priests to the parish.

The move by the bishop, according to them, met strong resistance from the parishioners, which made the bishop remove the spiritual powers of the Holy Ghost priests to celebrate Holy Mass, dethroned St Martin from being the Southeast regional headquarters of the Holy Ghost priests, and further barred the parish from participating in diocesan activities.

The parishioners also told the Catholic church to take note that St Martins parish, Ihiala, was established on the said land in 1908, and that since then, it has been serving as an evangelization center from which the Holy Ghost priests have traversed the southeast preaching the gospel and establishing other mission centers, with St Martins as their patrimonial home.

According to them, any attempt to push the Holy Ghost priests out of their patrimonial home will be constantly resisted.

Our correspondent gathered that the bishop, on assumption of office, sacked Holy Ghost Fathers of St Martin of Tours Parish who have been in the area for over 150 years.

The Holy Ghost Fathers are missionary priests who came to Nigeria in the 19th century and landed in Onitsha. They continued their missionary work in parts of Eastern Nigeria, building schools and churches.

Some of them settled at Ihiala, an accessible town along the Onitsha-Owerri road and built one of the most magnificent churches in Igbo land.

“The bishop announced the takeover of St Martin of Tours Parish from the Holy Ghost Fathers,” a priest told our reporter on condition of anonymity, adding that, “The bishop also took over Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, which is opposite the church, from the Immaculate Heart Sisters and asked the sisters to leave the convent.”