According to records made public by the Nigerian Catholic Network, the Pope, then Robert Prevost, visited the country nine times between 2001 and 2016.
His trips were mostly related to Nigeria through his conferes of the Order of St. Augustine.
It was learnt that the visits were “usually to be present at the Provincial Chapters of the Augustinian Province of Nigeria as the Prior General. He would usually visit most of the areas the Augustinians have a community. These include Lagos, Jos, Benin, Bida, Ibusa, Iwaro Oka-Akoko, Kano, Warri, Kaduna, Abuja, etc.”
He Ate Nigeria’s Food With Brothers During Visits – Fr Emmanuel James
BY ACHOR ABIMAJE, Jos
Fr Emmanuel James is the secretary of the Order of Saint Augustine Province of Nigeria, who also works at Saint Monica Catholic Church, Rantya Jos, Plateau State.
In an interview with LEADERSHIP Sunday, he said they were happy that God had elevated one of them, Cardinal Robert Prevost, to Pope Leo XIV.
He said before becoming the Pope, he was the Prior General, Order of Saint Augustine Worldwide, who served between 2001 and 2013.
Fr James said, “It might interest you to know that one of the countries he visited was Nigeria for the good of the Order. He came to Nigeria several times. During some of his trips, he visited many parishes, including Saint Monica Catholic Church, Rantya, Jos, which is the headquarters of the Order in Nigeria.”
The cleric disclosed that Pope Leo XIV slept at Saint Monica Catholic Church for a number of nights and ate Nigerian food with the brothers, who were working in the church and went to the remote communities where Augustinian communities were located and interacted with the locals.
James described Pope Leo XIV as a simple leader who accepted anybody that he came across. “So as a member of the Augustinian family, we are highly elated that one of us is now the Pope.
“In fact, he is an Augustinian who takes Nigeria as his home. I thank God that I am an Augustinian. My encounter with him before he became an Augustinian priest was when he came to my parish when I was an altar servant and served with him during one of the Masses in the Parish.
“It was an awesome experience to be with him. Little did I know that one day he would turn out to be a Pope.
“So, the Augustinian family in Nigeria is grateful to God for what He has done. We are hoping that his reign will usher peace around the world. Like our father, Saint Augustine, he will be filled with the Holy Spirit and wisdom to make the right decisions, be a father to all and speak the truth whenever the need arises,” he said.
Also, in a phone chat with our correspondent, Fr Felix Usman, Father of Order of St Augustine Monastery, Jos, said Pope Leo XIV was their Prior General for 12 years.
Usman said his expectations from the new Pope is for him to be humane and just to take the Catholic Church to the next level.
“Pope Leo XIV knew us by our names when he was the Prior General,” he said.
Parish Priest Recalls Pontiff’s Days In Adamawa
By Hussaini Hammangabdo, Yola
The Parish Priest of Saint Augustine, Bekaji in Adamawa State, Reverend Father Richard Igyor, has expressed happiness over the elevation of Cardinal Robert Prevost as Pope, the head of the Catholic community worldwide.
He said, “There is nobody who would not be happy when his own is elevated to such a prominent religious position.”
In an interview with LEADERSHIP Sunday on the emergence of the new Pope, Igyor said he is a kind of leader that the world needs now.
The clergy stressed that the new Pope, while serving as the Prior General of the worldwide Augustinian Order from 2001 to 2013, began establishing the church in the eastern part of Nigeria, Yola, Jalingo, Wukari and Maiduguri.
According to the cleric, before he became the Pope, he visited Nigeria more than six times.
Igyor described Pope Leo XIV as a courageous leader who is guided by the Holy Spirit.
“The new Pope is a down-to-earth man,” he said, adding that he is very friendly and loves justice.
He further said that the Pope “is between the liberal and conservative priests.”
We’ve Given The World A Humble Leader – Rev Father Onyiah
BY FELIX IGBEKOYI, Asaba
Reverend Fathers Stephen Onyiah, Anthony Edukore and Kizito Okoye are all priests at St Augustine Catholic Church, Ibusa, Oshimili North local government area of Delta State.
They work as Fathers in the Augustinian community, the parish priests of St. Augustine’s Catholic Church and St Augustine School, Ibusa, and for Issele-Uku Catholic Diocese and Nigeria as a whole.
According to Fr Onyiah, the Order of St. Augustine (OSA)/ Augustinians are of “one mind and one heart”, believing everything you’re doing in this world, if God is not there, something is missing.
He said Augustinians have produced a Pope by the special grace of the Almighty God, who they knew, “grew to become our Proviso General from 2001 to about 2013, a good leader, a very humble and simple man.
“The Pope was close to Africa; he visited a number of times. As students, we met him in Nigeria. It was great news for us as Augustinians that among the cardinals who went in for the Conclave, he was chosen.
“In fact, I was shocked because I just finished a mass when someone told me the new pope is Robert Leo and I looked at the person with surprise.
“It’s just a wonderful thing for us as Augustinians. So, it’s a news of great joy for the Augustinian Order all over the world. The man we know who was our former Proviso General. He is an astute man; he loves God. Like the Augustinian would say, ‘one man one heart, Oh Lord, you made us for ourselves’, our hearts are restless until they rest in you.”
He expressed the confidence that he would be a very good Pope because he is humble and loves the poor.
On his policies, Fr Onyiah said the church is organised, while the new Pope will only work within what is already established.
“The church has an organised and established structure that are sustained upon every single year. No Pope comes to change that but rather continue and even emphasise it. Like the migrants who were trapped in one of the highlands, Pope Francis came and welcomed them. It’s just something he did in addition to what the church has already been doing,” he said.
Timeline Of His Visits To Nigeria
November 2001: While the General Chapter of 2001 approved the constitution of the Augustinian Province of Nigeria in August, the Prior General (Fr. Robert Prevost) and his council erected the province in November. This was at St. Monica, Jos (The Augustinian Provincialate in Nigeria).
*August 2003: Visited as the Prior General
*October 2005: St Monica Catholic Church, Malali, Kaduna
*August 2007: Canonical visits in 2007 (he visited every part of Nigeria where the Augustinians work: Lagos, Jos, Kaduna, Abuja, Agbor, etc).
*May 2008: Present for the episcopal ordination of the Bishop of Kano, Bishop John Namaza Niyiring, OSA.
*August 2008: Visited as the Prior General
*August 2010: Visited as the Prior General
*August 2012: Visited as the Prior General
*September 2016: As the Bishop of Chiclayo, Peru, he visited Abuja for the Intermediate General Chapter which was held at DRACC, Lugbe. He was taken on a tour of Abuja with the Major Superiors of the Augustinian Order to places like the National Stadium, Eagles’ Square and the Ecumenical Centre. They were later hosted to a dinner at the KK Hotel. He had Mass at St. John of the Cross Catholic Church, Mararaba.
–SOURCE: Nigerian Catholic Network
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