About Us

Brief History of the Cathedral

The Anglican Diocese of Enugu began as the mustard seed sown by the Rev. Isaac Ejindu. A mission team led by Rev Ejindu mission team was sent from Onitsha by Rev. G.T. Basden in 1916.

In 1917, Rev Ejindu began to organize and minister to a mixed congregation made up of coal miners (coal mining in Enugu which started in 1915); railway construction staff (for railway work started from Port Harcourt to Enugu). Eastern secretariat staff, public works department, the police and prisons staff.

In 1922 Bishop B. Lasbrey became the Bishop of the Diocese on the Niger with Enugu District under his jurisdiction. In 1927 Rev. H.H Daws took over the superintendence of Enugu Church District and Rev. Ejindu continued to oversee Udi and its evangelistic areas.

And then in 1950, the Niger Diocesan Synod was held in St. Peter’s Church, Ogbete under Rev. Agori-Iwe.

On January 1, 1960, Enugu Archdeaconry was created stretching from Udi to Makurdi. It was inaugurated on 26th February, 1960 at St. Peter’s Church, Ogbete by the Rt. Rev. C.J. Patterson, Bishop of the Diocese of the Niger.

In 1967, a request for the creation of the Diocese of Enugu out of the Diocese on the Niger was made to the Provincial Standing Committee of the Province of West Africa (Anglican Communion). The request was granted and the approval for the advancement of Enugu Archdeaconry into a full Diocesan status was given.

The execution of the approval suffered delays as a result of the Nigerian Civil war which broke out in 1967. However, on the feast of St. Peter, the Apostle, precisely on 29th June 1969, the Anglican Diocese of Enugu came into existence and Rt. Rev. Gideon Nweke Otubelu was consecrated the first Anglican Bishop of Enugu Diocese.

He retired in 1997 and on 6th February 1998, a young charismatic and ebullient Bishop Emmanuel Olisa Chukwuma took over the leadership of the diocese till date. To God be the glory.

• Establishment of Cathedral Church of the Good Shepherd, Enugu.
  
  On April 25, 1982 the Rt. Hon. And Most Rev. Robert Alexander Kennedy Runcie the then Archbishop of Canterbury in the presence of the Most Rev. Timothy Olufosoye, the Metropolitan Primate of all Nigeria and the Rt. Rev. Gideon Nweke Otubelu laid the foundation stone of the Cathedral Church of the Good Shepherd.
  
  Work on the construction of the Lady Chapel did not however commence until 1985. On 2nd February 1992, the Lady Chapel was dedicated for worship by the Rt. Rev. Gideon Nweke Otubelu.
  
  The Cathedral, the throne of the Bishop moved from the Pro-Cathedral Church of St. Bartholomew’s Asata after the retirement of the first provost in the Diocese, the Very Rev. Captain Lazarus Okeke to the Good Shepherd Anglican Church, Enugu with the letter’s dedication in 1992.
  
  The Rev. Canon Chike Nwizu’s preferment as the provost of the Cathedral Church of the Good Shepherd, Enugu on December 25th, 1993 made him the second Provost in the Diocese of Enugu.

• The turning of sod for the Cathedral Nave by then Bishop E.O. Chukwuma.
  
  The Cathedral Nave was build within four (4) years without any levies or mandatory contributions to churches and His Grace Archbishop Emmanuel Olisa Chukwuma (OON) towers as a colossus of consolidation.
  
  No doubt Bishop Gideon Nweke Otubelu of blessed memory came over from “Macedonia” with a great vision that has helped us.
  
  The Cathedral Nave was dedicated by Archbishop Peter J. Akinola in March 2008, amidst pomp and Pagenterry.
  
  

• The then provost worked with the Bishop to complete the Cathedral Nave, the Ultra Modern Cathedral Hall which was named after the late Provost – Chike Nwizu, the Nursery/primary School block, and the Good Shepherd Secondary School lecture and administrative block etc. He retired in 2004 and the Rev Canon Honest Gad-Nwosu (now Ven) succeeded him as Canon Residentiary.
  
  During this period, there was great transformation coupled with revival programs in the Cathedral. The re-designing of some parts of the Nave, Stone pitching, the tilling and terrazzo tilling of the Church were done during this period. Gad Nwosu, started the Wednesday mid-week morning Holy Communion service at 7am and the First Day of the month prophetic prayer.
  
  In January 2007, at the verge of creation of the new 3 diocese: Enugu North, Awgu/Aninri and Nike out of Enugu Diocese, the Ven. Christian C. Nweke was appointed the Dean of the Cathedral. Remarkable among his achievements were the erection of the six flats Clergy residential quarters.
  
  Ven Nweke was succeeded by the Ven Christian N. Akujuaobi, who became the Acting Archdeacon of the Cathedral in 2010.
  
  The running of the Cathedral proceeded smoothly without any hitch. However, later in 2011, the Bishop assumed the position of the Dean of his Cathedral and the Rev Canon Emeka Ezeji (now Ven) was appointed the sub-Dean of the Cathedral in 2014. During his tenor as the Sub-Dean, the hosting of the Church of Nigeria General Synod, 25th Celebration of the Cathedral Church, purchase of I.V.M. Evangelist bus, the computerization of the Cathedral Nursery/Primary Schools and the tarring of the Cathedral compound by Chief Arthur Eze were accompanied. The building of the junior staff quarters and the building of Our Saviour’s Ang. Church with its parsonage were equally done during this period.
  
  During Ven. Ezeji’s time the vision to start Adullam Cave Convention with the approval of the Archbishop was conceived.
  
  The Ven Emeka Ezeji was transferred out of the Cathedral in 2018 and the Ven. Davidson Udodi replaced him. The work has continued unabated and the vision of investment in the building of CCGS printing Press Ltd was achieved. To the glory of God, our powerful mid-week faith clinic on Wednesday has been split into two to accommodate our Thursday Victory Hour.
  
  Remarkably, the Young Fathers(Y.F.F) was newly established as a feed to the General Men’s Fellowship, to eliminate generational gap and to involve them in Evangelism, end of year Couples Dinner was introduced to engender strong family tiers within Christian marriage.
  
  Recently the Good Shepherd Anglican Seminary was handed over to the oversight of the Cathedral Church, during the 1st Session of the 18th Synod, 2021 hosted by Emmanuel Anglican Church, Achara Layout. So far, the school has undergone massive infrastructral renovations on the hostel and school blooks with the Cathedral Church investing over ten million Naira and the school management committee ably led by Prof. Obinna Onwujekwe investing well over ten Million and still investing.

• In 2018 Ven Emeka Ezeji was transferred and Ven. Davidson Udodi replaced him. The work has continued unabated and the vision of investment in the building of the CCGS printing press Ltd was achieved.
  
  To the glory of God, the commencement of the Thursday Victory Hour of the Cathedral Church was laudable and powered by the vision of our Diamond Mummy – Dr. Mrs Joyce Chukwuma with Rev. Obinna Chiagozie (now Canon) coordinating the move alongside other Cathedral priests on behalf of the Archbishop.