Orlu Catholic Diocese gets auxiliary bishop
The spiritual head of the Catholic Church worldwide, His Holiness, Pope Francis, has approved the appointment of Rev. Fr. Thomas Obiatuegwu as the auxiliary bishop of Orlu Diocese, pending the appointment of a substantive bishop.
Obiatuegwu was until his appointment the parish priest of St. Thomas Catholic Church, Umuahia, Abia State.
A statement released by the Orlu Catholic Diocese stated that Obiatuegwu was born on January 1, 1966 in Uli, Ihiala Local Government Area of Anambra State.
The statement added that the newly appointed auxiliary bishop began his missionary journey at the Minor Seminary in Umuowa, from where he proceeded to St. Joseph Major Seminary, Ikot-Ekpene, Akwa Ibom State, between 1987 and 1991, and then to Bigard Memorial Seminary, from 1991 to 1995.
Obiatuegwu obtained a Masters’ degree in Philosophy from the Universidad de Navarra, Pamplona, Spain, between 2001 and 2003 and bagged another Masters’ degree in Public Management and Policy from Indiana University, in the United States of America, where he studied between 2005 and 2008.
He was ordained a priest on August 26, 1995, for the clergy of the Diocese of Orlu.
Obiatuegwu has held several offices in the Catholic Church, among which are: Chaplain of the Joint Hospital, Amaigbo, 1995 to 1997; parish priest, St. Theresa Catholic Church, Amauju Isunjaba, 1997 to 2001; parish vicar, St. Patrick’s Church, Kokoma, Indiana, USA, 2004 to 2010; chaplain of the USA Army, 2010 to 2017; parish priest, St. Michael’s Pastoral zone, 2018 to 2023, and parish priest, St. Joseph Catholic Church, Umuna, Orlu, 2023.
