The laity: Story of an ecclesiastical vocation
March 2,2021
By Wulime Goyit
It just may have been another missing fragment of history. But within the covers of The Laity in the Catholic Archdiocese of Jos lies an account that identifies a pivotal arm of the church, keeps it in perspective and celebrates its continuous relevance in the scheme of things.
Pieced together by a veritable foot soldier of the faith, Boniface Gwotbit, the book, a 218-page document is structured in a manner that its ten chapters fall into the two parts that divide the book. The first three chapters are found in part one while the last seven fall into the second part.
Suffused with subtopics that may well be chapters of their own, the book records several milestones of the archdiocese in crisp, lucid details; details that, in an ironic sense, open up many other areas for further discourse.
But as you begin to turn the pages, the author cautions that the chapters are not arranged in such a way that one chapter would necessarily lead to the other. With this, he acquires the latitude to make each of them stand alone, more or less independent of the other, but all dovetailing into the books central theme.
And then the journey begins.
He takes you down a stairway that leads you to the roots of Catholicism in these parts. You first meet an unaffected Goemai land, north of the Niger and Benue rivers, at the turn of the 20th Century, steeped in tradition, governed by a belief system that recognized one God, and providentially primed to bump into a civilization that was set to come.
This is the setting in which the early SMA missionaries, three of them, from Lyon, France arrived Shendam in 1907. Fathers Oswald Waller, Joseph Mauren and Ernest Berlin, the story goes, had been accompanied right from Asaba by an Ibo lay person who was not only a good cook, but understood a bit of English and Hausa languages in addition to his mother tongue.
How this anonymous Ibo lay person never gets mentioned in the pages that immediately follow appears to diminish the historicity of his place in the whole gamut of the narration. And you wonder whether he is yet another item of history set to be lost in the mists of time. But I take back this hasty conclusion.
Until “The Birth of the Laity” in part two where this indistinct figure with immense history comes alive again, Gwotbit merely tucks him away in a single sentence. Not breaking his flow, he continues to reel out the early general developments in the archdiocese.
From huge initial setbacks such as the tragic loss of Father Berlin and, afterward, his replacement, Father Schumacher, there appeared to be no letup in the difficult times experienced by the missionaries. What was more, their primary mission, that of evangelization, met with little success. But the author hinges their determination on the scriptural assertion that unless a wheat grain falls on the ground and dies, it remains only a single grain, which is found in John 12:24.
And how true is this proclamation of the gospel? From the depths of despair, the author takes you to the heights of glory, exemplified by many dizzying successes. He highlights these under The Learning process and Gradual spread, The opening of Demshin Mission Station, Gradual Fruits of their Labour, Expansion Drive of Father Waller, and Evangelization through the Establishing of Schools.
The Lumley Era from 1934-1954 increases the momentum of discourse. The author records that Monsignor Lumley was a young priest of 36 when he was appointed to head the prefecture of Jos in 1926. In several respects, his era prepared the ground for the archdioceses rich episcopal history. Hence, the author reveals that Rome was pleased with the work of Monsignor Lumley and the prefecture of Jos was raised to the status of diocese on June 26, 1953.
Then, one after the other, Gwotbit chronicles the times of successive Bishops of the diocese. There was Bishop John Reddington from Ireland who became the first Bishop of the diocese in 1954; then Bishop Gabriel Gonsum Ganaka who took over in 1975; and Bishop Ignatius Kaigama who reigned between 2000 and 2020. The authors compact sketching of an eventful 60-year period leaves you in awe of the massive success story that their combined tenures represented.
He does not leave out Monsignor Emmanuel Udeh who held the fort between 1999 and 2000 before the installation of Archbishop Kaigama. He also introduces the new Archbishop of the archdiocese, His Grace, Most Rev. Dr. Matthew Ishaya Audu who took over from Kaigama in 2020 following the installation of the latter as the Archbishop of Abuja.
The second chapter of the book takes you to 2007, one hundred years after Catholicism began in the areas north of the rivers Niger and Benue. The huge significance of this centenary is not lost on the author and he tracks the build-up to the official celebration with an eye for the minutest of details.
But what has been the fate of a hundred-year-old archdiocese? The author looks to the keynote address delivered by Archbishop Kaigama at the Centenary Synod which held in July of 2006. He finds the text, reproduces it and leaves you with an insightful, wide-ranging treatise, covering the triumphs, dilemmas and aspirations of the century-old institution.
Then he takes you back to Shendam where the journey all began and where an elaborate programme was set to be rolled out in commemoration of the event. A crowded schedule no doubt, but he does not miss its highpoints. He takes you to the Benue river bank at Ibi in memory of the first three missionaries who in 1907 began the great trek to Shendam from there; then the graveside of Fr. Ernest Berlin and Fr. Charles Schumacher; and the mass at Demshin, where Fr. Waller opened a mission station.
Gwotbit recalls that as the celebration reached its peak, a long list of selected clergy and laymen was reeled out by Archbishop Kaigama, having been recognized by Pope Benedict XVI for their sacrifices to
the church. And what a fitting end to a chapter which also acknowledges the labors of succeeding generations of Gods people.
But the year 2007, the centenary year, was not done. The author dedicates the third chapter to efforts leading to the creation of Shendam diocese. He follows the long, intricate process that began in the archdiocese, involved provincial bishops, bishops of the ecclesiastical provinces of Jos, Kaduna and Abuja, and then the Bishops Conference of Nigeria, before its approval by the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples in Rome in July 2005.
The Erection and Installation of the First Bishop naturally followed the creation of a diocese. And so the author provides everything, or almost everything, you should know about what happened in the case of the Shendam diocese. Additionally, he provides names of priests and religious as at the time of canonical erection and installation of the first bishop.
And then he introduces part two. Chapter 4 is the first of the chapters in this part. Aptly titled The Birth of the Laity, the author returns to that Ibo man who [in 1907] accompanied Fathers Oswald, Mauren and Berlin from Lokoja to Shendam as their cook. And so from the ashes of history emerges the story of the laity.
Because the work of the missionaries was not complete without the work of the lay people that served them, the author laments their exclusion in recorded history. He, however, asserts that over time, and in some of the places, the early lay people like catechists, interpreters and mission boysenjoyedthe kind of respect accorded the missionaries.
The author lists those he describes as frontline catechists and cooks with early missionaries across the archdiocese. According to him, full recognition has now been accorded the laity by the Vatican II Council and this has ensured Co-ordinated Laity Participation”. He outlines the processes leading to the inauguration of the National Laity Council of Nigeria and the establishment of structures for the council in the dioceses, parishes and outstations.
The fifth chapter of the book traces the beginning of the Laity Council in the Jos Archdiocese to the era of its first Bishop, John Reddington. He says Reddington influenced early indigenous young men like Peter Jatau, Gabriel Gonsum Ganaka and Kevin Aje to answer the call to priesthood. He reveals further that it was one of these first generation indigenous priests (Ganaka) that provided the bulwark of support for the laity in the diocese, having been himself the first chaplain and spiritual director of the Nigerian Laity Council.
The author discusses successive leaderships of the laity in the archdiocese, examining the many activities and programmes under the different eras led by: Patrick Dokotri (1978-1995), J. O. Akabe (1995-1997), Joseph Fomwul (1997-2005), Abel Fom (2005-2014), Boniface Gwotbit (2014-2018) and Mercellinus Suwa (2018-date). You behold the gradual growth of the laity; you behold the vigor it injects into the church; you behold its latter-day role that rivets the churchs attention to national politics, the economy and sundry social concerns.
And you have no time to catch your breath as chapter six begins. With the title, Stability and expansion of activities of the laity, it takes you through the formation of the Catholic Social Forum (CSF), which is indeed the political wing of the council. From convention halls to workshop venues, you get a sense of what the CSF is doing to change the face of politics and democracy in Nigeria.
The archdioceses quest fora new Cathedral, the Divine Mercy Cathedral also gets the attention of the author. This is found in chapter 7. The author states how the idea came about and the machinery set up to actualize it. He recalls the N 30 billion fund raising ambition which took place in 2014 as well as the foundation laying ceremony in 2016. He, however, laments the disappointing lack of commitment to the pledges made by organizations and even some state governments.
Among “Other Developments” in the archdiocese, the author says, is the Sisters of Our Lady of Fatimas Golden Jubilee celebration. Acknowledging that this event falls outside the purview of the Laity Council, the author considers it a major historical development in the archdiocese worthy of mention.
He also fills the pages with information on The Establishment of the Female Catechists Centre, Kwall, providing an outlook of the courses offered; the New Residence for the Archbishop of Jos; Inauguration of the CMO in the Archdiocese of Jos; Beatification Process of the Servant of God, Gabriel Gonsum Ganaka; Sandwich Programme for Lay People at SAMS, Jos; Creation and Erection of Zawan Deanery; and ends the chapter with The Boniface Gwotbits Era.
The author uses the Gwotbit Era to project the pivotal role of the laity in the archdiocese. He highlights the mobilization efforts of the committee which, according to him, ensured loyalty and support for the Archbishop throughout its tenure. He recalls the workshops organized and, in particular, the Joint Mega Workshop of the CSF in October 2017, which all sought to awaken the laity to the very urgent tasks of nation-building. He wraps up the chapter with Emerging Challenges, where he deplores the emergence of tribalism in the church, and challenges the laity to say no to what he calls evil spirit.
As the author winds down, he brings the youth into the picture. Because they represent the future, he sees in them the future of the gospel and decides to use the eighth chapter to discuss Youth Apostolate; Hope of a Church on Mission. He acknowledges the Churchs demonstrable commitment to youth development and points to the many youth groups as indicative of this.
Coming towards the end, A Laity on Mission is far from an afterthought. The author etches his thoughts on your mind with incisive details about the kind of spirit that drives its activities, its challenges, and where it is headed.
If the author rounds up on a solemn note, there is a sense in which he finishes strong. The death of the first Bishop of the new diocese of Shendam, Bishop James Daman was no doubt one of the darkest episodes in that bastion of the Catholic Church. But, in chapter ten, the author returns there and declares, the Lord was still on the throne. He takes you through another difficult moment for the Church, the death of the second Bishop of Bauchi, Bishop John Malachy after barely four years of his installation. But their replacements, Bishop Philip Dung for Shendam, and Bishop Hilary Naanman Dachelem for Bauchi represent the continuation of life and living.
Until you turn the last page, The Laity in the Catholic Archdiocese of Jos: The Journey So Far holds you captive by the words that are strung together by a skilled story teller. Taking on many subjects at once, Boniface Gwotbit frees his mind with the power of his simple sentences. And he serves you a piece of history in a way only he can.
