Callistus Valentine Onaga | |
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 Bishop Callistus Onaga after celebrating the Igbo Mass to open its eight annual convention in Sacramento, California, on April 24, 2010 |
Callistus Valentine Onaga, D.D., (b. September 29, 1958) [1] is the fifth Roman Catholic Bishop of the Diocese of Enugu. [1] [2]
Callistus Valentine Onaga is the fifth child of Vincent and Victoria Onaga. His mother was the granddaughter of the Paramount Ruler Chief Chukwuani (died 1930) from Ozalla, Nkanu West Local Government Area, Enugu State, Nigeria. Onaga attended St Anthony's Primary School, Agbudu, Nigeria, from 1964 to 1972. He received his secondary education at the Sacred Heart Seminary in Nsude, Nigeria, from 1973 to 1975. He earned his Bachelor of Divinity degree in sacred theology from the Urban University in Rome in 1987, [3] and was ordained to the priesthood on August 8, 1987. [1] Within the diocese, Onaga held several positions, including pastor at St. Mary's Church in Enugu, Vicar General, Administrator of Holy Ghost Cathedral, and committee chairman for the inauguration of the Diocese of Awgu. [3] [4]
On February 9, 2009, Onaga was appointed by Pope Benedict XVI as the Enugu diocesan bishop after the resignation of Anthony Okonkwo Gbuji. [4] He was ordained as the Bishop of Enugu on May 2, 2009, by Archbishop Renzo Fratini. [5] [6] His principal co-consecrators were Archbishop Valerian Okeke [7] and Bishop Gbuji. [8] Later that same day, Onaga appointed Monsignor Luke Adike as the diocesan Vicar General, and Very Rev. Fr. Ambrose Chineme Agu as the Diocesan Secretary and Chancellor. [6]
Onaga is a member of the Association of Episcopal Conferences of Anglophone West Africa as an ordinary. [9] He is a member of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Nigeria. [10] At its first Plenary Meeting in 2009, this conference recognized his appointment as a diocesan bishop. [11] As the diocesan bishop, Onaga is the legal holder of its microbank. [12]
Onaga was the guest speaker for the Igbo Catholic Community USA (ICCUSA) Eighth Annual Convention between April 23 and 25, 2010, [13] held in Sacramento, California. [14]
The Catholic Church in Nigeria is part of the worldwide Catholic Church, under the spiritual leadership of the Pope, the curia in Rome, and the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Nigeria (CBCN).
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