The early missionaries to Nigeria set their foot on what is now known as the Catholic Diocese of Orlu in 1910. The resident priest, Rev. Fr John C. Anyaogu, settled at Akokwa in 1936, but available records show that the first Parish to be established in the area was at Amaigbo in 1937, with Rev. Fr. Dr. Hackette as its Parish Priest. It was in 1966 that the confines of the present Catholic Diocese of Orlu were raised to Deanery with Rev. Fr. Lawrence Doyle, C.S.Sp., as its first Dean. On November 29, 1980, the diocese was created out of the then Owerri Diocese (now Owerri Archdiocese), by His Holiness, Pope John Paul II.
ORLU DIOCESE
Province: Owerri
Erection: November 29, 1980
The Diocese of Orlu was established on November 29, 1980, with Most Rev. Dr. Gregory O. Ochiagha appointed as its first bishop. He was ordained on January 6, 1981, and the diocese was officially inaugurated on February 15, 1981.
As of today, the diocese serves a population of approximately 3 million people, with over 1.5 million Catholics. The diocese is home to 691 junior seminarians and 170 senior seminarians. It also has the dedicated service of 5 religious brothers and 119 religious sisters.
The clergy includes 396 Orlu diocesan priests, while 27 priests who served faithfully have passed on, marked with the sign of faith.
A significant milestone in the history of the diocese occurred on June 21, 2008, when Most Rev. Dr. Augustine Tochukwu Ukwuoma was ordained and installed as the Bishop of Orlu, succeeding the pioneering bishop, Most Rev. Dr. Gregory Ochiagha.
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