Godfrey Okoye
The Most Reverend Godfrey Okoye | |
|---|---|
| Bishop of Port Harcourt | |
 | |
| Church | Roman Catholic |
| Appointed | 16 May 1961 |
| In office | 1961–1970 |
| Predecessor | none |
| Successor | Dominic Ignatius Ekandem |
| Orders | |
| Ordination | 27 July 1947 by Charles Heerey |
| Consecration | 3 September 1961 by Pope John XXIII |
| Rank | Bishop |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 19 December 1913 |
| Died | 17 March 1977 (aged 63) |
Godfrey Mary Paul Okoye, C.S.Sp. // ⓘ (19 December 1913 – 17 March 1977) was a bishop of the Roman Catholic Church in Nigeria. He was the first Bishop of Port Harcourt, serving from 3 September 1961 to 7 March 1970. After leaving the diocese of Port Harcourt, he became the second Bishop of Enugu, succeeding Bishop John Cross Anyogu.[1]
Biography[edit]
Okoye was born on 19 December 1913 to Okoye Nwazulu and Ada Oji in Ifitedunu in the Eastern Region of Nigeria, now Anambra State.[2] He was ordained to priesthood by Most Rev. Dr. Charles Heerey, the Archbishop of Onitsha, on 27 July 1947.[3] In 1950 he became only the second Igbo priest to be admitted into the Congregation of the Holy Spirit.[4] Okoye was heavily involved in events around the Nigerian Civil War, and his explicit support for Biafra raised concerns among fellow priests that they would be targeted in Nigeria.[5] Historian Adrian Hastings described Okoye as a "devout Biafran hawk".[6] In 1977, just before having a hernia operation, Okoye destroyed his personal files detailing his involvement in the war. He died shortly after the operation.[7]
References[edit]
- ^ "Bishop Godfrey Okoye, C.S.Sp. †". Catholic-Hierarchy.org. Retrieved 27 April 2016.[self-published source]
- ^ Amadi, Dan Chima (1995). Bishop G.M.P. Okoye : his life, his times. Lagos: Everlead Communications. ISBN 9789783336711.
- ^ "Our Founder". Daughters of Divine Love Congregation. Retrieved 27 April 2016.
- ^ Okwu, Augustine S. O. (2010). Igbo Culture and the Christian Missions, 1857-1957: Conversion in Theory and Practice. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 274. ISBN 9780761848844.
- ^ Omenka, Nicholas Ibeawuchi (2010). "Blaming the Gods: Christian Religious Propaganda in the Nigeria-Biafra War". Journal of African History. 51 (3): 367–389. doi:10.1017/S0021853710000460. S2CID 154844890.
- ^ Hastings, Adrian (1979). A History of African Christianity 1950-1975. Cambridge University Press. p. 238. ISBN 9780521293976.
- ^ Emenyonu, Ernest (2000). "Nationalism and the Creative Talent". Goatskin Bags and Wisdom: New Critical Perspectives on African Literature. Africa World Press. p. 383. ISBN 9780865436718.
External links[edit]
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