St Michael’s Catholic Church, Okpanam, Oshimili North Local Government Area, Delta State will on Sunday, October 8th, 2023, celebrate her golden jubilee of existence. Activities to mark the joyous celebration began on Sunday, October 1st, 2023.
The Bishop of Issele Uku Diocese, His Excellency, Most Rev Dr Michael Odogwu Elue , will be around to grace the occasion. During the celebration the Bishop will use the opportunity to administer the sacrament of confirmation on not less than two hundred catechumens, as well as dedicate the uncompleted school and church’s administrative blocks under construction started by the immediate past Parish Priest, Rev Fr Malachi Okonkwo.
HISTORY OF THE CHURCH BY MRS MARY ONWEAZU, FORMER CWO PRESIDENT, MESSRS CHRIS OBIEMENYEGO, FORMER LAITY COUNCIL PRESIDENT AND STEPHEN OBIEKEA, FORMER LAITY COUNCIL SECRETARY. The church was established in 1906, by Late Rev Fr Carlo Zappa, an Italian, aka, Fr Ozokpokpa, who died in 1917.
Before coming to Okpanam to establish the church, Fr Zappa, first anchored in Asaba. On coming to Okpanam, he first met Late Obi Ayaezo, who was from Ogbeosadi quarter of the town. His visit to Ayaezo, brought immediate fears to the family that had never seen or met a white person. However, the situation was brought under control, when Fr Zappa, fluently addressed them in lgbo language, explaining his mission in the community to the people at the community shrine, where they gathered.
Despite his explanations to the community people who have been so deeply involved in idol worshiping, why it was necessary to serve the only true God, but they resisted.
Based on this development, Fr Zappa, agreed on another appointed date to come and conclude the issue, without knowing that the community had planned to kill him during his next visit. When he left instruction was given out to the indigenes to shoot dead Fr Zappa, whenever he was sighted again on Okpanam soils. To avoid sellouts, oath was sworn by the indigenes to maintain the murderous resolution.
Here and behold, when Fr Zappa, visited again the first person he met was Obi Njokei, of Umumale quarter, who was unable to act accordingly as planned by the community, because the Spirit of God had taken control. All what Obi Njokei, was able to do was using the word of mouth against Fr Zappa, in order not to be termed a saboteur.
Again despite all the explanations of Fr Zappa, to the community during this second visit, the indigenes still rejected the coming of Christianity to the town. The community went to the extent of poisoning the kolanuts given to him, in order to bring the issue to an end, but by the power of God , the poison became ineffective.
As the time went on, the Spirit of God went into some of the indigenes, who became interested and welcomed the mission of Fr Zappa to Okpanam.
He was allocated a portion of land in the evil forest to erect small hurt as a Church, to hold masses, whenever he came to Okpanam, from Asaba , to fellowship. The erection of the church, prompted the relocation of the community shrine, known as “Ani Okpam” by the small Christian community, which was in front of the church.
The removal of the shrine by the Christian community, did not go down well with the community. This action prompted the community to sue the Church in the then Asaba Native/Customary Court under one Mr Romania, who was then, the first District Officer. The verdict of the court was passed in favour of the Church. The judgement warranted the citing of the shrine in its present position in Okpanam, sharing boundary with the popular ‘Asha Afor’.
With the continued resistance of Christianity by the majority of Okpanam indigenes and hostility to the Christian minority, the church under Fr Zappa, a small Christian community village where Christians lived was built in isolation from pagans adjacent to the premises of the church. One Mr Thaddeus, was brought by Fr Zappa, as Catechist, after the establishment of the church and a settlement for the few Christians. Mr Thaddeus assisted Fr Zappa, converting so many indigenes amongst who were late Paul Ebigwei, the first educationalist in Okpanam, Obi Anyaezo, the first Okpanam indigene met by Fr Zappa, Lucky Okonkwo, Onyezobi, Nwanze Akpo-Akaigwe and others.
The year that a Church was built and commissioned, an Italian Priest, Rev Fr Aniozor, was assigned to take charge of it from Asaba. He had Mr Albert Ogwude, who was living with him as Mass Server. In 1912, the first Corpus Christi was held after the installation of the statue of St Michael. As time went on and the church continued to grow, Paul Ebigwei, who was trained by the missionaries as a teacher was transferred to Issele Azagba, where he assisted in the establishment of the Catholic Church in 1913.
In 1973, St Michael’s Catholic Church, became a Parish, under a white Priest, Rev Fr Stephen. After the creation of St. Michael’s, SS Peter and Paul, Issele Azagba, was created in 193, followed by Ugbolu, in 1938 and Otulu in 1957, all these were made outstations to St Michael’s, including Christ the king, Core Area, St Gabriel’s, Okpanam, St. Raphael’s, Okpanam.
Amongst the Priests that served in St Michael’s, were Fr. Joseph Stephen(dead), Monsignor Denis Arimoku(dead), Fr Mathew Ogboi,Fr Callistus Eluche (dead), Monsignor Chuka Mary Egbe(dead), Monsignor Pius Nwaobi (dead) Bishop Michael Odogwu Elue, Fr Stephen Ayogbe, Fr Victor Jackson Ibude, Fr Anthony Banye, Fr Henry Ogonwa, Fr Pius Sunday Okwuagwu (dead), Innocent Chikamagwai(Assistant Parish Priest)Fr Donatus Onyiye Chukwuedo, Fr Charles Ikenna Egwuenu(Assistant Parish Priest), Fr. (Dr.) John Mordi (Priest in Residence), Fr. Francis Onwordi (Priest in Residence), Fr. Evaristus Anene (Assistant Parish Priest), Fr Phillip Nwanunu (Assistant Parish Priest), (Assistant Parish Priest) Fr Nelly Nwadei (Priest in Residence), Fr. Paul Adione (Priest in Residdence), Fr Malachi Okonkwo, Fr. Denis Onochie (Assistant Parish Priest), Fr Norbert Uchuno, Fr Valentine Odum (Assistant Parish Priest) Fr Dr Andrew Anah ( Priest in Residence) Fr Jude Onyebadi (Priest in Residence).
The pastoral works of these Priests have undoubtedly won many converts. Also the citation of Asaba, as the State’s capital thus making Okpanam, part of the capital territory has in the last years brought about an explosion in the population of the Parish. This singular development has apparently made the Parish faced with new worship auditorium since the existing one (old Church) could no longer house the parishioners in mass celebrations, hence the need for a new and befitting state of the art worshiping auditorium.
The Modern Day St. Michael’s Catholic Church
Like the biblical Nehemiah, who rebuilt Jerusalem, such could be said of Fr Okwuagwu, who served in the Parish. He arrived St Michael’s, in 2004, for his pastoral work at a time when the parishioners were in dire need of not just a new church building but a befitting worshiping house. Prior to his coming two of his predecessors had twice put up structures to lintels levels. And twice these structures were brought down. The reasons for these demolitions were not farfetched. The first structure did not reflect the desire of the people, the second was too ambiguous.
The aftermath of these demolitions was the disillusionment of Catholics residing outside the community. This disposition was of course understandable since the larger chunks of the monies that funded the demolished buildings came from their pockets. And so buying their cooperation again became a matter of hard work and commitments on the part of the Parish Priest and his local Parishioners.
Fr Okwuagwu, realized the situation on ground too well and so, he started the fundraising with what could be somewhat termed “the laughable”.
Some of the laughable strategies he applied were styled as followed: buying him recharge card, buying him a plate of ‘mama put’ and taking him to contemporary eateries like Mr Biggs. What all these involved were contributing the monetary of these recharge card of any network, Mama Put, palatable meal of Mr Biggs etc into the church’s building fund. Occasionally he did organized some minor fundraising where Parishioners and indigenous homecoming Catholics congregate during Christmas, Easter and CWO’s Annual August Reunion masses etc. With these funds, Fr Okwuagwu was able to judiciously raise the church’s building to an enviable level.
The passionate appeals for the new church building did not stop in cash donations, people also donated in kind by giving bags of cement, tippers’ of sand, granite and supported with their physical strength, this was evidenced when the youths in the Parish came out in massive number to cast the decking of the gallery. Furthermore, the kind and generous donations from Bishop Michael Elue and the Delta State government would not be forgotten. The catholic community in Okpanam , would ever remain grateful to them and numerous others who contributed their quotas in any form towards the construction of the church building.
Achieving this success without organizing any major launching endeared Fr Okwuagwu to the catholic faithful in and outside Okpanam, thus regaining their cooperation and confidence.
In all these it must be noted at no time did he forcefully asked the Parishioners or the homecomings to donate. Instead it was the humours that came with the tactics he employed that made people identified with the project financially.
On completion of the project, he started the rectory, which he brought to a near completion, but was completed by his successor, Fr Donatus Onyiye Chukwuedo.
Today, the catholic community in Okpanam can proudly say they have a new church building. But coming this far without any major launching remained phenomenal, if not miraculous.
The new edifice is one of octagonal shaped, located West of the old church building. Unlike the outside, stepping inside the church for the first time gives you an awesome feeling that makes you want to ask”can this be true that this church is in Okpanam?”
The floor is tiled all through. It has 19 Mosaic plastered pillars, 17 of them are suspending the convexity shaped gallery. The auditorium also has 56 aluminium projected windows and 10 fixed stained glasses,each with sacred image.
Presently, the air conditioners in the church auditorium are not are not working because the empowering generator has spoiled.
