THE THREAT OF PENTOCATHOLICISM TO THE CATHOLIC PRIESTHOOD: TRIBUTE TO MONSIGNOR RAPHAEL CHUKWUBUNNA ANASIUDU1 - AN OLD SCHOOL PRIEST

Abstract

The history of the Catholic priesthood in Nigeria began a little less than a century ago with the ordination of the first Nigerian priest, Rev. Fr. Paul Obodoechina Emechete (1884-1948), who was ordained on January 6, 1920 at Asaba  by Bishop Thomas Brodrick, SMA. From its earliest beginning to the present the Catholic priesthood has been embraced by young men from all walks of like and from virtually all areas of the Nigerian territory. One of such men is Msgr. Raphael Chukwubunna Anasiudu, former Secretary General of the Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria (CBCN). Of the one hundred years of Catholic priesthood in Nigeria, Msgr. Anasiudu has been part of this history for fifty years. The occasion of the Golden Jubilee of his sacerdotal life and his eightieth birthday provides an auspicious opportunity to reflect on the changing face of the Catholic priesthood in Nigeria. This paper sets out to examine the factors that account for this change and the implication of this change for the future of this sacerdotal ministry in Nigeria.