Welcome
About Us
Spiritan presence and mission in Nigeria from 1885 to the present day remains a great contribution to the local Church in Nigeria. The Nigeria-Biafra War that ended in 1970 saw the expulsion from Nigeria of all the Irish Spiritan missionaries, most of whom were working in the southeastern Nigeria. From 1976 some resilience young Indigenous Spiritans activated a more concrete presence of the Spiritan mission and presence in Nigeria under one banner of ‘Province of Nigeria’. One Provincial Superior serving One Province! However, with growth in membership, ethno-cultural origins and background of members, it was necessary that the One United Province be regionalized: One Province, Four Regions (Onitsha, Okura, Makurdi and Ekiti). This new form of the one Nigeria province was inaugurated in October 2001 during the first Chapter of the Province of Nigeria as a regionalized Province.
Our History
The Province of Nigeria as it has previously been known and organised gave way for the Union of autonomous but supportive circumscriptions made up of four Circumscriptions, one of which is the today *Province of Nigeria South West, formerly known as Ekiti Region.* In March 11, 2009, the Superior General, Fr. Jean-Paul HOCH, CSSp in due consultation with his Council decided that to reorganize the Spiritan Presence in Nigeria into the Union of Supportive Circumscriptions made up of four Regions: the Region of Onitsha is to become the Province of Nigeria South-East, the Region of Makurdi is to become the Province of Nigeria North-East, the Region of Okura is to become the Province of Nigeria North-West and the Region of Ekiti is to become the Province of Nigeria South-West.” The four Provinces in Nigeria were officially inaugurated on same day on 2nd October 2010. The 2nd of October 2010 has therefore become the birthday of our beloved and promising Province of Nigeria South-West as well as the death anniversary of our Founder Claude Poullart Des Places. The Province of Nigeria South West geographically comprises and covers the Spiritan missions in Delta, Edo, Ogun, Oyo, Osun, Balyesa, Ekiti and Lagos States of Nigeria. Our mission remains in line with the core mission of Christ brought by our Spiritan ancestors, namely ‘evangelization of the poor. We are available to work where the Church finds difficult to get workers. In accordance with our Rule of Life article 4, our mission ranges from first evangelization to pastoral care in areas where the Church has difficulty finding apostolic workers, to work for human and social development in justice and peace, works of education, chaplaincy and youth ministry, formation and training of the clergy, farming, and self-reliant programs One heart and one soul