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Nigerian archbishop visits the diocese

His Excellency, The Most Rev. Valerian Okeke, Archbishop of Onitsha, Nigeria visited the Diocese of Belleville during the weekend of June 20-21.

He was the guest of Bishop Braxton and he joined the Bishop for the 10:30 a.m. Mass at the Cathedral on Sunday, June 21. The Archbishop has generously lent four of his priests to our Diocese as Fidei Donum missionaries. The priests are Fr. Ignatius Okonkwo, serving at St. Mary Parish in Eldorado, St. Mary Parish in Harrisburg, and St. Joseph Parish in Elizabethtown; Fr. Patrick Okwumuo, serving at St. Stephen in Flora (recently transferred to St. Augustine of Canterbury in Belleville); Fr. Justin Olisaemeka, serving at St. Mary Parish in Centralia; and Fr. Michael Mbonu, serving at St. Edward Parish in Fairfield and St. Sebastian Parish in St. Sebastian. Archbishop Okeke has also been instrumental in assisting the Bishop in obtaining other Nigerian priests.

The Archdiocese of Onitsha is blessed with many vocations to the priesthood. The seminary is overflowing. Bishop Braxton, who has known Archbishop Okeke for many years, has ordained priests in Onitsha in an open field in order to accommodate the thousands of Catholic laity who participate in the ordinations, which are sometimes held twice a year because of the large numbers to be ordained. At a dinner in honor of Archbishop Okeke, Bishop Braxton expressed to him the great gratitude of the Diocese for his pastoral concern for a sister Church across the Atlantic. The Bishop also informed the Archbishop that his priests are making an exceptional contribution to the life of the Church in southern Illinois.

The Bishop stated that because this visit came about at the last minute, it was necessarily brief. He hopes that future visits will be longer, giving the Archbishop the opportunity to see more of the Diocese. He assured Archbishop Okeke of the prayers and support of the People of God in Belleville. In a particular way, he promised a solidarity in prayer during the special Synod on Africa, which will gather African Bishops in Rome with the Holy Father in October, to reflect on the future of the Church on a continent where the Catholic Church, which has grown remarkably in the last three decades, has also served as a catalyst for growth, development, and reform.