by Christiana Gokyo, Jos
About 320 Catholic Priests have so far worked as Parish Priests, Assistants Parish Priests and visiting Priests since the consecration of St. Theresa’s Catholic Church Jos, on October 8th, 1933.
The 90 years’ anniversary celebration of St. Theresa’s Catholic Church Jos has been described as a unique celebration because it will be only celebrated once.
Chairman of the occasion, Sir Fabian A. Okoye, disclosed this during the celebration on Sunday, when he stated that, “We shall never celebrate another 90th-year anniversary again but we can celebrate 91, 92 upwards and so on.
“So, it is a day that will go down in history. Some 40 years back, we celebrated the Golden Jubilee – that’s 50th anniversary of the Church. It is our prayer that we will see and celebrate St. Theresa’s Catholic Church at 100,” he noted.
According to him, “The Parish was dedicated in 1933. It is the father and mother of most of the Catholic Churches in Northern Nigeria.
“The humble beginning was in Shendam, in1907, where the seeds sown that directly gave birth to the Dioceses of Kano, Maiduguri, Yola, Jalingo, Kafancha, Lafia and Bauchi and the Archdiocese of Jos,” he said.
Sir Okoye further explained that, “From Shendam, the early missionaries moved to Upper Plateau and settled the faith in Jos North Local Government Area, specifically St. Theresa’s Catholic Church.
“The Church was strategically located not far from the Railway Station where people from different parts of the country, including expatriates, came for business. The Church has since then grown to what it is today.”
He added, thus: “The growth has been like a relay – where the batten is passed from one runner to another; it is also synonymous to a stage where each actor takes a scene and exits,” adding that “Some of us were not here when the Church began 90 years ago, but have received the batten and running our best.
“If the Church must celebrate 200th anniversary, the race must not end with any generation,” he said, and called on the youths to pick the challenge and continue the race even as old age is forcibly retiring some of them.
“Let them bequeath to the generation after them a stronger faith, a committed heart and a willing spirit intent upon God; and as we celebrate, let us remember the great tasks that lie ahead of us: ‘the salvation of souls.’
“God commanded us to love one another; He then called for us to love humanity regardless of race, faith, religion or ethnic background,” Sir Okoye stated.
Speaking also, the Parish Priest of St. Theresa’s, Very Rev Fr. Anthony Fom, said “St. Theresa’s Church building is not just a building but the symbol of Christianity in Northern Nigeria; and we remain ever grateful to the missionaries, who initiated and sourced for the funds for the building of the beautiful Church.
“For us in the Archdiocese of Jos, St Theresa is our Mother Church and it is as important to us as the Temple of Jerusalem is to the Jews,” the Parish Priest stressed, adding that, “From 1933 to about 1960, St. Theresa has served as the coordinating centre for missionaries, who travelled to different parts of Plateau State and other parts of North Eastern Nigeria as far as Yola to open outstation Churches.
Very Rev Fr. Anthony Fom notedly said that, the Lord of harvest has abundantly blessed their efforts, from having about 500 Catholics and one Church building in 1933, to having millions of Catholics and eight (8) Dioceses with hundreds of Catholic Churches 90 years later as nothing but a miracle, adding, “Therefore, we can only say a big Thank You to the LORD of this good work, as the Psalmist says, ‘Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labour in vain’ (Psalm 127:1).”
He reminded parishioners that it is only ten years to the Centenary Celebration and, therefore, he is of the opinion that the Parish should start the preparation for the Centenary Celebration now.
Our correspondent reports that, the celebration was colourful – adorned with different dance groups and, to crown it all, with the cutting of the Anniversary Cake; thereafter a minute silence was observed for those whose labour of faith has gone, and prayed for their souls to rest in peace.