Ayo-Maria Atoyebi (born 3 December 1944) is a Nigerian Bishop Emeritus of the

Roman Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

. He was born in Okerimi-oro,

Kwara state Kwara State ( yo, Ìpínlẹ̀ Kwárà), is a state in Western Nigeria, bordered to the east by Kogi State, to the north by Niger state, and to the south by Ekiti, Osun, and Oyo states, while its western border makes up part of the internation ...

, Nigeria and was ordained a priest of Orders of

Friars Preachers The Order of Preachers ( la, Ordo Praedicatorum) abbreviated OP, also known as the Dominicans, is a Catholic mendicant order of Pontifical Right for men founded in Toulouse, France, by the Spanish priest, saint and mystic Dominic of Ca ...

on 17 December 1978. He served as Bishop of Ilorin Diocese from 6 March 1992 to 11 June 2019.

Priesthood and Episcopal appointment

Ayo-Maria Atoyebi was born on 3 December 1944. He was ordained a priest of the Roman Catholic Church under the Order of Friars Preacher on 17 December 1978. On 6 March 1992, he was appointed the

bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...

of the

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

Diocese of

Ilorin Ilorin is the List of capitals of states of Nigeria, capital city of Kwara State in Western Nigeria.. Retrieved 18 February 2007 As of the 2006 census, it had a population of 777,667, making it the List of Nigerian cities by population, 7th ...

after which he was consecrated as Bishop on 17 May 1992 by Bishop Peter Yariyok Jatau. His

ordination Ordination is the process by which individuals are Consecration, consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorization, authorized (usually by the religious denomination, denominational ...

was also carried out by co-consecrators which includes: Bishop

John Onaiyekan John Olorunfemi Onaiyekan (born 29 January 1944) is a Nigerian prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He was Archbishop of Abuja from 1994 to 2019 and was made a cardinal in 2012. He has served as president of the Christian Association of Nigeria, ...

and Bishop Felix Alaba Adeosin Job. He was the bishop of

Diocese from 1992 to 2019.

Marian activities

Bishop Atoyebi is a devotee of the

Virgin Mary Mary; arc, ܡܪܝܡ, translit=Mariam; ar, مريم, translit=Maryam; grc, Μαρία, translit=María; la, Maria; cop, Ⲙⲁⲣⲓⲁ, translit=Maria was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Joseph and the mother o ...

and promoter of Marian devotions and activities. He has written many books and given many talks on the blessed Virgin Mary. He started an annual Marian pilgrimage programme where Catholics in Ilorin Diocese visit the Blessed Virgin Mary pilgrimage site at Okerimi-Oro his hometown. He is also a member of the theological commission of the International Marian Association.

Retirement

On 11 June 2019, Atoyebi retired as the bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of

due to old age and frail health and was replaced by His Coadjutor; Bishop Paul Adegboyega Olawoore.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Atoyebi, Ayo-Maria 1944 births Living people 20th-century Roman Catholic bishops in Nigeria 21st-century Roman Catholic bishops in Nigeria People from Kwara State Roman Catholic bishops of Ilorin