March 29, 2024

DEPARTMENT OF PASTORAL AFFAIRS

DEPARTMENT OF PASTORAL AFFAIRS

Most Rev. John Ebebe Ayah
Most Rev. John Ebebe Ayah
Chairman
Rev. Fr. Michael A. Banjo
Rev. Fr. Michael A. Banjo
Director

This Pastoral Affairs Department helps the Catholic Bishops of Nigeria in the exercise of their pastoral office for the good and service of the Church in Nigeria and the particular Churches. The main task of the department is to develop a comprehensive and realizable pastoral plan for the Church in Nigeria and facilitate its implementation. The department deals with the pastoral activities in the Church and functions at the strategic level with a main task of guiding those relevant bodies in each ecclesiastical circumscription, that function at the operational level, towards realizing the mission of the Church.

The Pastoral Affairs department is made up of the following units

  • Liturgy/pastoral unit
  • Pilgrimages, synods and congresses
  • Religious education, catechesis and Biblical apostolate
  • Inculturation and translations
  • Canon law
  • Theology, ethics
  • New Evangelization

 

 

A Secretary heads each unit which may comprise of one of a combination of committees.

  • The Director of the Department is also the Secretary of the Pastoral and Liturgical Committee.
  • The Secretary of Religious Education, Catechesis and Biblical Apostolate Committee
  • The Secretary of the Pilgrimage, Synod and Congresses Committee
  • The Secretary of the Canon Law Committee
  • The Secretary of Inculturation and Translation Committee
  • The secretary of Theology Committee

DUTIES

The task of the Department includes:

  • Production and printing of annual liturgical Calendar and other important liturgical materials.
  • Maintaining steady correspondence with

 

  • Sacred Congregation for Divine Worship.
  • Pontifical Commission for Pastoral Tourism.
  • The International Commission on English in Liturgy.
  • Co-coordinating the work of diocesan spiritual directors.
  • Making Mass wine available for the Nigerian Catholic Church.
  • Organizing International and National Eucharistic congresses and other Pastoral Congresses.
  • Organizing National Pilgrimages and co-operating with organizers of Provincial Pilgrimages.
  • Co-coordinating Jubilee Celebrations on the National Level

The Pastoral Affairs Department of the CBCN is the office charged with issues relating to Theological Reflection, Canon Law, Religious Education, Biblical Apostolate, Catechetic, Inculturation and Translation, and Organization of Pilgrimages, Congresses, Synods and Jubilees.

Liturgy / Pastoral unit

Most Rev. John Ebebe Ayah
Most Rev. John Ebebe Ayah
Chairman
Rev. Fr. Michael A. Banjo
Rev. Fr. Michael A. Banjo
Secretary

This unit sees to matters concerning divine worship and the fostering of pastoral initiatives in the various ecclesiastical circumscriptions in Nigeria.

The functions of this unit include:

  • Offering services to Bishops (individually and collectively) and Diocesan liturgical commissions on liturgical matters
  • Collaborating with directors of liturgy and diocesan Masters of Liturgical ceremonies towards ensuring that the liturgy is celebrated according to the mind of the Church
  • Promoting the use of sound sacred music in the liturgy
  • Promoting pastoral initiatives in Dioceses
  • Seeing to the preparation and approval of liturgical texts for use in Nigeria
  • Maintaining correspondence with the Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith; Congregation for Divine Worship and the council for English in the liturgy
  • Ensuring that directives coming from the Holy See in the area of liturgical and pastoral life of the Church are implemented across the country
  • Collaborating with the Ambassadors Publications in the publication of liturgical calendar
  • Ensuring that Mass wine is available for Dioceses to purchase
  • Overseeing the celebration of special jubilees and years. E.g., Year of Faith, Year of Mercy, Year of the Family, Marian Year, etc.

 

Religious Education, Catechesis and Biblical Apostolate

Bishop Martin Olorunmolu
Bishop Martin Olorunmolu
Chairman
Mr. Femi Emmanuel Adeojo
Mr. Femi Emmanuel Adeojo
Secretary

Pilgrimages, Congresses & Synods

Bishop Martin Olorunmolu
Bishop Martin Olorunmolu
Chairman
Mr. Femi Emmanuel Adeojo
Mr. Femi Emmanuel Adeojo
Secretary

Canon Law

Most Rev. Jonas Benson Okoye
Most Rev. Jonas Benson Okoye
Chairman
Rev. Fr. Michael A. Banjo
Rev. Fr. Michael A. Banjo
Secretary

This unit sees to the promotion of the theory and practice of canon law with the aim of upholding justice and order in the Church and guarding against arbitrariness and anarchy. The ultimate goal that this unit works towards is the salus animarum (cf. canon 1752).

The functions of this unit include:

  • Offering canonical services to Bishops individually and collectively
  • Collaborating with Canon Law Societies of Nigeria and of West Africa
  • Collaborating with the Canon Law Faculty of the Catholic Institute of West Africa
  • Offering canonical services to Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life and associations aspiring towards such
  • Organizing seminars towards assisting ecclesiastical tribunals in their functions
  • Assisting the CBCN in coming up with complementary norms
  • Assisting Dioceses in putting in place necessary canonical Policies and guidelines
  • Guiding Church organizations (at the national level) in the drafting of their constitutions
  • Facilitating inter or intra diocesan arbitration and conciliation where necessary
  • Maintaining correspondence with the Pontifical Council for the Interpretation of Legislative Texts
  • Collaborating with the Association of Catholic Lawyers
  • Attending to matters that concern relations between the Latin and Eastern Catholic Churches
  • Attending to pastoral practices from the canonical perspective

Theology

Bishop Augustine Ukwuoma
Bishop Augustine Ukwuoma
Chairman
Rev. Fr. Moses lyara (OSA)
Rev. Fr. Moses lyara (OSA)
Secretary

Theology ethics

Bishop Matthew Audu
Bishop Matthew Audu
Chairman
Rev. Fr. Moses lyara (OSA)
Rev. Fr. Moses lyara (OSA)
Secretary

New Evangelization

Bishop Donatus Ogun OSA
Bishop Donatus Ogun OSA
Chairman
Rev. Fr. Moses lyara (OSA)
Rev. Fr. Moses lyara (OSA)
Secretary