Catholic Life Publication of the Diocese of Sale
Free
ISSUE 182
June 2014
Nigerian bishop visiting
CRANBOURNE parish priest Fr Denis O’Bryan, assistant priest Fr Joseph Abutu and visiting Bishop of Otukpo, Michael Ekwoki Apochi inspect the crucifixion sculpture at the front of St Agatha’s Church. The sculpture was donated by the Lamattina family. Lay people would also be “The problem is always to NIGERIAN Bishop and Fr Francis Otobo, in 1995, and he was the second administrator of Morwell and bishop. welcomed because even a select the best people to have Michael Ekwoki Apochi is Churchill parishes. He said the priests and sisters short interaction and exchange religious vocations.” spending a month in Sale Our third Nigerian priest working as missionaries in of ideas would enrich both Bishop Apochi said that the Diocese. is Fr Stephen Onuoha who is Australia would bear great dioceses. diocese could only afford to He arrived two weeks ago assistant at Leongatha, serving fruit for the Church in Nigeria “Their presence in our select about 10 men from every and has already visited many the parishes of Yarram, Foster, because they were learning so country and our diocese is 200 who wanted to become areas as he acquaints himself Leongatha and Korumburra. much by working in a country important and should not be priests. with Australia and the places The Nigerian presence in our like Australia. underestimated.” The bishop will be visiting his priests are working. diocese is also bolstered by the Their re-education to include He said the Catholic Church schools and celebrating Mass in Sale Diocese has three three Sisters of the Nativity non-African ways of thinking had only been in his part of various parishes during his visit Nigerian priests, two from who work in Cranbourne. and doing things would be the Nigeria since 1922 but there and this weekend will be at St Bishop Apochi’s Diocese of Bishop Apochi said it was great fruits of the relationship. was no shortage of young men Mary’s Cathedral, Sale. Otukpo who came here as part important for him to see our Bishop Apochi said he hoped and women wanting to serve of an exchange of a relationship diocese first hand because there that Sale Diocese priests would the Church as religious. • Bishop’s ideas for dealing agreement brokered by our then was much he could learn from take the opportunity to visit There were currently 55 with crisis and conflict in Bishop Christopher Prowse. just seeing the way we operate. Nigeria for a week or two when men training to be priests for Nigeria, Page 7. They are Fr Joseph Abutu His diocese was relatively they were heading overseas on his diocese at two different assistant priest at Cranbourne new, having been established sabbaticals. seminaries.
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