Nigeria - Perpetual Partnership with Africa & Madagascar

There are 28 Redemptorist communities in Nigeria, namely:

Abuja Community (Federal Capital Territory)
Agboju Community, Lagos State
Agric Community, Lagos State
Amuwo-Odofin Community, Lagos State
Ewu-Elepe Community, Lagos State
EgBIn Community, Lagos State
Ilemba Community, Lagos State
Ilufe Community, Lagos State
Ira-Nla Community Lagos State
Satellite Town, Lagos State
Tedi Community, Lagos State
Alakia Community, Ibadan, Oyo State
Liguori House Community – Retreat House, Ibadan, Oyo State
Redeemer Community (Philosophy & Theology House), Ibadan, Oyo State
Benin Community, Edo State
Calabar Community, Calabar, Cross-River State
Iju-Onibukun Community, Abeokuta, Ogun State
Lusada Community, Abeokuta Ogun State
Iva-Valley Community, Enugu State
Mater Domini Community – Prenovitiate/Retreat House, Enugu State
Ugwogo-Nike Community, Enugu State
Kaduna Community, Kaduna State
Nnewi Community, Anambra State
St. Augustine Oba Community, Anambra State
St. Gerard Oba Community, Anambra State
Osogbo Community, Osun State
Port-Harcourt Community, Port Harcourt
Ughelli Community, Delta State

1. Abuja,
2. Lagos State,
3. Ibadan, Oyo State,
4. Edo State,
5. Calabar, Cross-River State,
6. Abeokuta, Ogun State
7. Enugu State
8. Kaduna State
9. Anambra State
10. Osun State
11. Port Harcourt
12. Delta State

Number of Confreres on Foreign Missions

Togo – 2 Confreres
South Africa – 2 Confreres
USA – 1 Confrere
Rome – 2 Confreres
Ghana – 2 Confreres

Overview of the Redemptorist Vice Province of Nigeria (1987 to Present)

The Redemptorist presence in Nigeria began in 1987 with the arrival of the first group of missionaries from the Denver Province (USA). Responding to the pastoral needs of the Church in Nigeria – and the express invitation of the then Archbishop of Lagos, Cardinal Anthony Olubunmi Okogie, at the encouragement of Fr. John Burke, SMA. The early missionaries laid a strong foundation rooted in the Redemptorist charism of missionary preaching, parish renewal, and popular missions.

From modest beginnings, the Nigerian Redemptorist mission grew steadily in personnel, apostolic outreach, and institutional maturity. This growth culminated in the establishment of the Redemptorist Vice Province of Nigeria, marking a significant step toward local ownership of the mission and participation in the global Redemptorist family.

Over the years, the Vice Province has expanded its apostolates across multiple regions of Nigeria, adapting creatively to diverse pastoral, cultural, and socio-economic contexts while remaining faithful to the Congregation’s mission.

First Redemptorist Missionaries from the Denver Province

Major Apostolates and Areas of Ministry

The Vice Province is active in parish pastoral ministry in mission and developing dioceses, where Redemptorists focus on liturgy, sacraments, and the formation of lay leaders, making parishes centres of missionary outreach and faith formation.

Faithful to their Redemptorist identity, parish missions and retreats – ranging from traditional missions and seasonal retreats to youth, clergy, and lay renewal programs – are carried out nationwide and remain a hallmark of the Redemptorist contribution to the Nigerian Church.

In keeping with the Redemptorist tradition of running shrines, the Vice Province oversees three shrines in Nigeria: the National Shrine of Our Mother of Perpetual Help (Enugu), the Shrine of St. Gerard Majella (Oba, Anambra), and the Oke-Maria Shrine (Osogbo, Osun State).

The Vice Province is actively involved in vocation promotion and initial and ongoing formation – through houses of formation, a joint novitiate in Ghana, and mentoring young Redemptorists – making Nigeria a major source of Redemptorist vocations in Africa and the wider Congregation.

Redemptorists in Nigeria contribute to seminaries, theological institutes, and university chaplaincies through teaching and academic work, with many confreres engaged in research and writing that enrich both Church and society.

The Vice Province promotes retreats, spiritual direction, counselling, and Marian devotions, ministries that resonate strongly with the Nigerian religious context and attract large numbers of the faithful.

Responding to modern evangelisation needs, the Vice Province invests in print and digital media, social media, online catechesis, and faith-based media teams, with a growing focus on youth.

Faithful to the option for the poor, Redemptorists in Nigeria engage in pastoral care, advocacy, charity, social interventions, and collaborate with dioceses and NGOs on justice, peace, and development.

The Vice Province maintains strong partnerships with lay collaborators, including the Friends of the Redemptorists (FOREDS), Redemptorist Youth and Vocation Ministry (RYVM), Confraternity Our Mother of Perpetual Help (COMPH), Lay Missionaries of the Most Holy Redeemer (LMMMHR), the League of St. Gerard, and Oblates of the Redemptorists.

Leadership

Fr. Micheal C. Emerue C.Ss.R is the current Vice Provincial Superior of the Vice Province
of Nigeria. He is ordinary consultors are Frs. Noel Eshikena C.Ss.R (Vicar/First Consultor)
and Godwin Abbah C.Ss.R (Second Consultor).

From its missionary beginnings in 1987 to its present status as a vibrant Vice Province, the
Redemptorist Vice Province of Nigeria has grown into a dynamic missionary body,
contributing significantly to evangelisation, formation, and pastoral renewal in the Nigerian
Church. Rooted in the charism of St. Alphonsus Liguori, the Vice Province continues to
respond creatively to contemporary pastoral challenges while preparing for deeper
participation in the Congregation’s reconfiguration and global mission.