A Christian mission in the era of colonialism : a study of the Catholic missionary enterprise in South-Eastern Nigeria 1885-1939

Ozigboh, R. A. (1980). A Christian mission in the era of colonialism : a study of the Catholic missionary enterprise in South-Eastern Nigeria 1885-1939. University of Birmingham. Ph.D.

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Abstract

The Christian missionary movement of the 19th century stands out among others by its dynamism, dimension and depth. European missionaries trod into uncharted lands, disdainful of hardships, sickness and death, to bring "infidels and heathens" the saving knowledge of God and His Son, Jesus Christ. The reactions to the 18th century rationalist Enlightenment and the 19th century mass dechristianization in Europe gave rise to new forms of pietism and renewed interest in evangelism. Renewed faith in the infallible Bible and in the necessity of the Christian gospel for eternal salvation formed the bedrock of the "new evangelism".
For Africa in general and S.E. Nigeria in particular, the new evangelism came as a means of CONVERSION and SOCIAL WELFARE. The missionary effort to "civilize" and to improve the material conditions of the African became the quickest and surest way to enlist him for eternal salvation. It ensured a ready receptibility on the part of the converts and shaped the practice and the methods of the missionary enterprise. To that end, the colonial official, the european merchant, the missionary and their metropolitan supporters shared a community of interests which has become the problema criticum of African missionary studies.
For S. E. Nigeria, the history of the catholic mission is a dimension of the colonial history of the region. After nearly a century of dominant influence, Britain proclaimed a protectorate over the Oil Rivers on 5th June, 1885. In November of that year, the Holy Ghost missionaries (the C.S.SP.) under Fr. Joseph Lutz arrived on the Niger. Eight months later, on 15th July, 1886, Britain granted the charter to the Royal Niger Company. On 1st January, 1900, Britain formally transferred S. E. Nigeria to the Colonial Office till the grant of independence to Nigeria on 1st October, 1960.
This thesis closely examines the development of the catholic mission in S. E. Nigeria between 1885 and 1939. In the first 15 years (1885-1900), the mission played a very low profile vis-a-vis the British colonial agencies - the Royal Niger Company and the Protectorate government at Calabar. It concentrated its evangelism on and around Onitsha on the River Niger. The missionary gains during the period were modest but the bridge-head was forged for the eventual development of the mission.
The years 1900-1905 were possibly the most crucial in the history of the catholic mission in the region. Under the imaginative leadership of Fr. Lejeune, the mission spanned out from the Niger to the Benue and the Cross rivers. It enthusiastically went into a partnership with the colonial government especially in the provision of western education, which became the primary and the most potent instrument of catholic conversion.
Under Fr. Shanahan (1905-1931), the dynamics of the mission education were fully developed in the bid to convert the Igbo and the Ibibio. The colonial situation enhanced the popular demand for education and with the school, the catholic mission gained a footing in the villages. The catholic break-through in S. E. Nigeria was made in the period 1906-1919 and the consolidation process begun in the 1920’s, continued on to 1939 and beyond. However, the determined catholic push on the Benue and Ogoja frontiers was not made until the 1920’s.
When bishop Shanahan resigned in 1931, the general contours for tie catholic mission in S. E. Nigeria was clearly evident. The main centres of the catholic church were the Igbo and the Ibibio sectors of the present Anambra, Imo and the Cross River States. The areas covered by the Benue and the Rivers States were at the periphery of the catholic mission. In 1934, the catholic mission in S. E. Nigeria was constituted into the three jurisdictions of Onitsha-Owerri Vicariate and Calabar and Benue Prefectures. But for the Calabar perfecture, which was transferred to the new Irish Society of St. Patrick, the C.S.SP. remained responsible for the evangelization of the region. The dominant sector of the mission up to 1939 remained the Onitsha-Owerri vicariate under bishop Heerey.
An attempt was made throughout the study not only to establish the rhythm of the catholic missionary expansion during the 54 years (1885-1939) but also its mechanics. The Nigerian and the European dimensions of the enterprise, especially the roles of Rome and Paris, and the overall impact of the catholic mission on S. E. Nigeria are also highlighted. Though the Igbo dimension is emphasised, the motivating interest in the study has been to understand the ROOTS of the catholic church in S. E. Nigeria.

Type of Work:

Thesis (Doctorates > Ph.D.)

Award Type:

Doctorates > Ph.D.

Supervisor(s):