Parish Priest
REVD. FR. EKUN SEGUN LAWRENCE
Federal College of Education, Okene was established in 1974 as a Federal Advance Teachers College, but took off in 1976 at a temporary site along Okene-Benin road.
Rev. Fr. Jean Labrèch, CSSP, started the Catholic Chaplaincy in September 1977. Fr. Labrèch administered the chaplaincy from Christ the King, Okene; he was also a part-time teacher at the College. Rev. Fr. Joachim J. Onotu replaced Fr. Labrèch in July 1981. In addition to the chaplaincy work,
Fr. Onotu took up a full-time teaching appointment with the College. Fr. Onotu initially, like his predecessor Fr. Labr├¿ch, operated from Christ the King, Catholic Church, Okene, until he relocated to a rented house in Ojikutu, and from there to the College’s staff Quarters in 1986. He remained the Chaplain until his sudden death in mid 1997.
It should be noted that by the time Fr. Onotu became the Chaplain in 1981 the Federal Advanced Teachers College had moved to its
permanent site and became a College of Education in late 1980. And for much of its twenty-nine-year history the Catholic community in the college carried out its liturgical and religious activities in different halls of the college for lack of a chapel until early 1990s when the present chapel was built.
Following the sudden death of Fr. Onotu, Rev. Fr. Andrew Otu took over the administration of the chaplaincy in addition to his job as parish priest of Obangede. Fr. Otu became full-time chaplain of the chaplaincy in August 2001 when he relinquished his post as parish priest of Obangede. However, the Bishop in 2001 added St. Philip Catholic Church, Itakpe (an outstation of Osisi Parish) to the college chaplaincy because of the stay of Fr. Cyril Obanure in the chaplaincy, who was waiting to join the staff of St. Thomas Aquinas Major Seminary, Makurdi.
In August 2002 Fr. Obanure left the chaplaincy for Makurdi, while Rev. Fr. Olu Jerome Megbelayin became a resident of the chaplaincy for a teaching appointment at the college and to later take-over the administration of the chaplaincy following the transfer of Fr. Otu, while Itakpe was severed from the chaplaincy as the bishop made Itakpe a parish.
It should be noted that it was during the tenure of Fr. Otu that a rectory was built, thus affording the chaplaincy the benefit of a resident Chaplain. A summary of the foregoing is that St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Chaplaincy at the Federal College of Education, Okene is in its thirty-Nineth (1977-2016) year of existence, while six priests have worked in the chaplaincy.
Because of the floating nature of Catholic population of the chaplaincy for example more than half of Catholic students who registered with the chaplaincy in 2005/2006-school session 70- were finalists. However a recent census of Catholics in the college’s staff quarters (some Catholic staff members live off the college gate) carried out by Rev. Pius Ariko put the number at 88 made up of 19 families (most of the children are away most the year).
I should add that a few Catholics living off the gate of the college and from Okene region do worship at the chaplaincy.
Just before Fr. Otu was transferred from the chaplaincy at the end of June 2006 he started a house church for Ebira Catholics in Otite (the village right across the college); Otite canonically belongs to Osisi parish following parish boundary adjustments that the bishop carried out in June 2006.
Population of Chaplaincy: 369 = Students (267) and Non Students (102)
Priest |
---|
Fr. Jean Labrch ;; CSSP |
Late Fr. Joachim Onotu |
Fr. Andrew Otu |
Fr. Cyril Toyin Obanure |
Fr. Olu Jerome Megbelayin |
Fr. Casmir Okonkwo |
Rev. Fr. Leo Michael |
Society | Leader |
---|---|
-Laity Chairman | Arch. A.A Ajibulu |
Pastoral Council Chairman | Dr. Thomas Ezeali |
Catholic Charismatic Renewal Prayer Group | |
Catholic Men Organisation | Dr. Thomas Ezeali |
Catholic Women Organisation | Mrs. Oluyole Bernatte |
Catholic Youth Organisation | |
Divine Mercy | |
Legion of Mary | |
Nigeria Federation of Catholic Students | |
Precious Blood of Jesus | |
Sacred Heart of Jesus and Immaculate Heart of Mary |