Nigeria: Completion of five village churches in Koron, Tsohuwa

Completion of five village churches in Koron, Tsohuwa @ACN
Completion of five village churches in Koron, Tsohuwa @ACN

Father Raymond Nandem is a priest of the Archdiocese of Kaduna, Nigeria. In 2007 he requested ACN's financial support to enable him to complete five village churches. His parish currently covers some 36 villages. Most of the villagers are very poor and many of them still follow traditional African tribal religions. There is one parish catechist, plus an additional 27 'pastoral assistants' in the local villages. Father Raymond was ordained in 1995, working first of all in the minor seminary in Zaria, then in the Catholic Institute in Port Harcourt. He also spent four years studying biblical theology. Since the Nigerian government built a hydroelectric dam in the region where he now works, bringing irrigation for the crops, more and more people have been settling in this steadily growing community.

The people of Koron have often fallen victim to the religious and political tensions in the state of Kaduna. Fanatical Islamic preachers have exploited their political influence in order to ideologically indoctrinate others. The Catholic Church has been working tirelessly to improve the lives of the local people. The Catholic communities are now growing in all 36 villages of his parish - so much so, in fact, that five of these small chapels are bursting at the seams, such is the crush of people attending. There is an urgent need to enlarge these chapels, which are both a communal place of gathering and an expression of living Christian faith, the centre of their spiritual life. Hence the need for financial support to enlarge or extend them. ACN contributed €8,500, so that two of the five chapels could be extended.

One of these two churches is in Tiringa, in the south of Kaduna state. It belongs to the Catholic parish of St Lawrence in Koron, near Tsohuwa. The town has a population of around 3,000 souls, of whom some 1,200 are Catholics. Most are simple peasant farmers. The Church has also built a kindergarten and a primary school so that it can provide the young people with an education. Work had to be stopped on the Church in 2007, for lack of of materials and resources. Thanks to the help from ACN they were able to buy cement, corrugated roofing, steel, windows and doors, and now, this year, they have finally managed to complete the work.

The second church is situated in the town of Impi Kadara, which has a population of around 2,500 and some 1,600 Catholics. They too had run out of materials and money, until ACN stepped in and helped.

To know about this and many other similar projects in favour of the pastoral needs of the suffering Church, please contact our national offices.