The Metropolitan Archbishop of Onitsha, Most Rev. Valerian Maduka Okeke, alongside the bishops of the Onitsha Ecclesiastical Province, has announced a major celebration to mark the advent of Catholicism in the former Eastern Region of Nigeria, chaired by the Apostolic Nuncio to Nigeria, Archbishop Michael Francis Crotty. The event will also feature the ordination of 40 deacons to the Sacred Ministry.
The ceremony is scheduled to hold today, Friday, 5 December 2025, by 10:00 a.m., and will take place at the Basilica of the Most Holy Trinity, Onitsha.
The celebration is expected to draw clergy, religious, lay faithful, and people of goodwill from within and beyond the region, as the Church reflects on its missionary heritage and gives thanks for its continued growth. The ordination of 40 new deacons is seen as a significant boost to pastoral ministry and evangelization efforts across the province.
Church authorities describe the day as one of worship, thanksgiving, and spiritual renewal, inviting all to participate in what they call “a historic moment for the Church in Eastern Nigeria.”
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