John Anyogu
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John Cross Anyogu (11 March 1898 – 5 July 1967) was a Nigerian clergyman who, on 9 June 1957, became the first member of his Igbo community to be consecrated a Roman Catholic priest and later a
Roman Catholic bishop In the Catholic Church, a bishop is an Holy Orders, ordained Minister (Catholic Church), minister who holds the fullness of the Sacraments of the Catholic Church, sacrament of Holy orders in the Catholic Church, holy orders and is responsible ...
. He was also the first Igbo to be ordained a priest in 1930 and the first bishop of the
Roman Catholic Diocese of Enugu The Roman Catholic Diocese of Enugu ( la, Enuguen(sis)) is a diocese located in the city of Enugu in the Ecclesiastical province of Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Onitsha, Onitsha in Nigeria. History On November 12, 1962, the Diocese of Enugu wa ...
which was created in 1963, the year of his installation. Through his efforts Enugu became a very important Catholic mission centre overseeing several thousand Christians in and around the town. His parish has the largest concentration of Catholics in Nigeria, second only to Owerri parish.


Biography

He was born on 11 March 1898 in
Onitsha Onitsha ( or just ''Ọ̀nị̀chà'') is a city located on the eastern bank of the Niger River, in Anambra State, Nigeria. A metropolitan city, Onitsha is known for its river port and as an economic hub for commerce, industry, and education. ...
, near an early missions settlement on the bank of the River Niger some 96 kilometres from Enugu. His parents, Jacob and Ama Fatima Anyogu, were prominent worshippers at the Onitsha mission where their contribution to its growth, both as a base for European missionaries arriving in Nigeria as well as a training ground for prospective priests, was well known. Their offspring John was not slow in noticing this dedication for by 1912, when he was only 14 he too had resolved to serve God. "As my new year's resolution," he wrote to his father on 1 January 1912, "I want to serve God all my life. I want to be a priest." His father took the matter up with the European priests at the mission asking whether an African could become a priest. The positive response led to John and his brother Luke being sent to England in March 1913 for training. John had attended the Holy Trinity School, Onitsha for his elementary education. In 1912 he passed what was then Standard VI as well as the Junior Civil Entrance Examinations, which showed his exemplary brilliance. In Britain he studied at the Junior Seminary of St. Mary's in Grange-over-Sands in the industrial Lancashire belt. Five years later, he went to Ireland to read philosophy in Dublin and graduated with distinction. He returned to Nigeria in 1919 to continue his studies for the priesthood at
Onitsha Onitsha ( or just ''Ọ̀nị̀chà'') is a city located on the eastern bank of the Niger River, in Anambra State, Nigeria. A metropolitan city, Onitsha is known for its river port and as an economic hub for commerce, industry, and education. ...
; he was among the first crop of priests to graduate from the Igbariam Seminary. In addition to his studies there John Anyogu taught Latin to junior seminarians, using his own quarters as a makeshift classroom. Also during this period, in 1922, he was sent to Ogoja, some 320 kilometres from Onitsha—a distance he did on foot to spread the gospel. Then on 8 December 1930 he was ordained at Onitsha by Bishop Shanahan, at the age of 32, becoming the first priest from Eastern Nigeria. Father Anyogu was first assigned to the Adazi parish as a curate. He served there for five years before being relocated to take charge of
Nnewi parish Nnewi is a commercial and industrial city in Anambra State, southeastern Nigeria. It is the second largest and second most populous city in the southern part of the country. Nnewi as a metropolis has one local government area, which is Nnewi North ...
. In 1940 he went to Idah, a town in the southern part of northern Nigeria, from whence he was posted to Oguta in 1948. The following year Anyogu was transferred to
Nteje Nteje is the headquarters of Oyi Local Government Area of Anambra State, Nigeria. It is situated about 25 kilometres north-east of Onitsha by land route. It is located on the map along the longitude 6.45°E and the latitude 6.14°N. The land is fai ...
where, in addition to other mission duties, he taught the Igbo language to Irish priests. In 1956 he was honoured by the British queen, Elizabeth II, with the Order of the British Empire (OBE). A year later, on 9 June 1957, Father Anyogu was consecrated bishop. Subsequently, he was installed
bishop of Enugu The Roman Catholic Diocese of Enugu ( la, Enuguen(sis)) is a diocese located in the city of Enugu in the Ecclesiastical province of Onitsha in Nigeria. History On November 12, 1962, the Diocese of Enugu was erected from ecclesiastical territ ...
on 15 January 1963, the first bishop of the new diocese. Before his death on 5 July 1967, the diocese of
Enugu Enugu ( ; ) is the capital city of Enugu State in Nigeria. It is located in southeastern part of Nigeria. The city had a population of 820,000 according to the 2022 Nigerian census. The name ''Enugu'' is derived from the two Igbo words ''Énú ...
had become an important Catholic centre, not only for the eastern region for which it was the administrative headquarters, but also for Nigeria as a whole. Other notable siblings: Mother Mary Bernadette Anyogu – founder member of The Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Mother of Christ Mother Mary Benedette Anyogu- was the youngest sister of Bishop John Cross Anyogu. First professed sister of the congregation of the Immaculate Heart. of Mary IHM) she made her first solemn vow in 1946 and later became the first mother general of her congregation. She died in 1988. Marcellina Otigba (née Anyogu) and Grand Matriarch of the Otigba Dynasty. The legacy of the investitures and prestigious OBE award continues in her direct descendants notably : James Otigba (deceased), Felicia Iworah (née Otigba)(deceased), Gregory Otigba (deceased), Brig. Gen (Dr) George Longinus Otigbah rtd.(deceased), Anthony Otigba (deceased), Sebastian Iweka Otigba (deceased), Odilia Nworah (née Otigba)Sunday Henry Otigba, Victor Otigba. grand children Valentine Emeka Otigba and great-grandchildren to date. Appolonia Nwabuzor (née Anyogu)


See also

*
Catholic Church in Nigeria 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 (CBCN). The present president of the CBCN is Most Rev. Luciu ...


Bibliography

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Omu Okwei Omu Okwei or Okwei of Osomari (1872–1943) was a Nigerian queen merchant from Osomari. Life and career Omu Okwei was born in 1872 to Igbo Prince Osuna Afubeho and one of his wives, a granddaughter of Abo king Obi Ossai. At the age of nine, her mot ...
), (Ibadan : Ibadan University Press): Vol. III No 4, 1967. * Journal of African History, (London : Cambridge University Press): Vol. V No 3, 194 (Hopkins A. G.). * Periodicals and newspapers consulted: Africa (Tunis: Ministère des Affaires Culturelles et de l'Information, 1971 ff). Africa Diary (Delhi: Africa Publications (India), 1961 ff). Africa Research Bulletin (Africa Research Ltd), (Oxford: Blackwell, 1964 ff). Ambassador International (Vol 211; 1985). Commonwealth Currents (1978). Guardian (London, s.n.). Independent (London, s.n.). The Times (London). West Africa (London : West Africa Publishing, 1917).


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Anyogu, John 1898 births 1967 deaths Members of the Order of the British Empire Roman Catholic bishops of Enugu 20th-century Roman Catholic bishops in Nigeria