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A unique place
St. Mary’s Catholic Church, Karu, began in the 1950s with one man gathering his neighbours. Today it is a parish of over five thousand and the largest Catholic church building in the Archdiocese of Abuja.
Pa Aaron Chigbogu settled on the soil of what is now Karu village, then part of Keffi Local Government Area. He brought a strong Catholic faith from Anambra, and set about finding others who shared it. He was multilingual — Igbo, Hausa and English — and that reach across tribes mattered. Late Pa Edward Nwafor gave up his own residence so the little congregation could worship somewhere.
It was not welcomed by everyone. At the time only the Evangelical Church of West Africa was recognised in Karu village, and the Catholic faith was regarded by many of the Gbagyi indigenes as something foreign that would not last. Before the war, an Irish priest, Rev. Fr. Anthony, travelled from Keffi to celebrate Mass once every three months.
A word from the parish priest
“You do not need an appointment to belong here.”
St. Mary’s is a parish of over five thousand people — Igbo, Gbagyi, Tiv, Yoruba, Idoma, Hausa and more — sitting in the same pews on a Sunday morning. Whatever brought you to Karu, there is room for you in it. If you are new, or returning to the Church after a long time away, come to any Mass and introduce yourself to a warden at the door afterwards.
Rev. Fr. Alexander Imoh Titus, MSP, Parish Priest
Our history
- 1950s
Pa Aaron Chigbogu gathers the first Catholics in Karu. Around the same time, Sir Emmanuel Bayero Madaki is received into the Church by Rev. Fr. Toner in Kachia.
- 1967
The civil war breaks out. Many Catholics from the east return home and the first mud worship centre, abandoned, collapses. Sir Madaki steps into the gap Pa Chigbogu leaves behind.
- 1970s
The Chief of Karu refuses land for a church. Mr. Madaki travels repeatedly to Keffi and secures approval from the Emir instead. The Chief later relents and permits building on a portion of thick forest.
- 1976
Pa Chigbogu, back after the war, and Sir Madaki organise a general work party. The forest is cleared and a mud house with built-in mud benches goes up.
- 1979
The nation’s capital moves from Lagos to Abuja. The parish population begins to swell.
- 1981
The Federal Capital Territory is declared an Independent Mission of Abuja on 6 November, with His Eminence Dominic Cardinal Ekandem as Ecclesiastical Superior.
- 1982
St. Mary’s is formally handed to the fledgling Catholic Mission of Abuja. Rev. Fr. Matthew Hassan Kukah, released from Kaduna, is assigned to celebrate regular Masses.
- 1986
St. Mary’s becomes a quasi-parish and then a parish, with Rev. Fr. Innocent Jooji as first parish priest.
- 1990s
A senior official proposes demolishing the churches along Karshi Road; the plan dies with him. A man builds bungalows on parish land, then disowns them in court, and the land returns to the Church. That is where the present church now stands.
- 1995
Pastoral care of the parish passes to the Missionary Society of St. Paul of Nigeria.
- 2012
The parish marks twenty-five years. Under Fr. Sam Etim the foundation stone, construction and roofing of the new church are completed.
- Today
Rev. Fr. Alexander Imoh Titus, MSP, is parish priest, continuing the pastorate of the Missionary Society of St. Paul.
Parishes born from St. Mary’s
A parish is measured partly by what it gives away. Three communities that began as outstations here now stand on their own.
- SS. Peter & Paul, Nyanya — opened under Fr. Pius Ajiki and raised to a full parish in 1994.
- St. Donald’s, FHA Karu — began in 1995 in a private residence; made a parish in 2001.
- St. Ignatius of Antioch — established in Karu village in February 2007, still served from St. Mary’s.
The priests who have served here
From the diocesan priests of Makurdi who founded the parish, to the Missionary Society of St. Paul, who have held the pastorate since October 1995. Many assistant and resident priests have also served St. Mary’s; their names are held in the parish record even where they do not appear here.
| Parish priest | Years |
|---|---|
| Rev. Fr. Innocent Jooji | 1986–1989 |
| Rev. Fr. Pius T. Ajiki | 1989–1995 |
| Rev. Fr. Basil Aguinam, MSP | 1995–1996 |
| Rev. Fr. Charles Atuah, MSP | 1996–1997 |
| Rev. Fr. Anselm Umoren, MSP | 1998 |
| Rev. Fr. Edward Obi, MSP | 1998–2002 |
| Rev. Fr. Sam Etim, MSP | 2002–2012 |
| Very Rev. Fr. (Dr.) Victor Onwukeme, MSP | 2012–2013 |
| Rev. Fr. Paul Ngozichukwu Ofoha, MSP | 2013–YYYY |
| Rev. Fr. Alexander Imoh Titus, MSP | YYYY–present |
The parish register
Between 1986 and 2007, the years compiled in the parish history, the register records 8,865 baptisms, 1,033 marriages, 1,707 confirmations and 3,280 First Holy Communions. The parish today counts over five thousand parishioners and sixty-three societies.