Bishop Anthony Gogo Nwedo CSSP
was ordained on 17th May, 1959 as the first bishop of the newly created Catholic
Diocese of Umuahia. At this time, Umuahia and all its neighboring towns were
backward and undeveloped with very few Primary and Secondary schools. The areas
were also predominantly Protestant. He needed help in running and developing the
new diocese. Faced with this challenges, he borrowed a leaf from Bishop Shanaha,
the then Bishop of Onitsha Diocese who, when faced with similar challenges,
overcame it by building Catholic schools as tools for evangelization and
development. Bishop Anthony Gogo Nwedo, in like manner, initiated the building
of schools, colleges, hospitals and orphanages, but he was unable to answer one
question: 'Who would run these institutions?'
He tried to invite a religious congregation from overseas to help the newly
created diocese, but none was available. He then asked Propaganda Fide to help
him find such a religious congregation that could help him but they replied,
"Why not start your own?". Initially he thought it was going to be an impossible
venture but as time went on, the idea developed and he began to gather young
girls as prospective candidates who later became pioneers of the congregation.
When the Secretary General of Propaganda Fide, Archbishop Pietro Sigismondi,
sent him the "NORMA" for erecting a religious society he then realized that
there was no reason to wait any longer. On 29th December, 1961 the first 18
young girls gathered around him in Corpus Christi Mission, Etitiulo, Bende.
Another eleven young girls later joined them. These 29 young girls stayed two
weeks in Bende, and on January 17, 1962 (the feast of St. Anthony of Egypt),
they moved to the uncompleted Mercy Secondary School, Nbawsi, that he was
building for them. Thus, the Daughters of Mary Mother of Mercy (DMMM)
congregation started with these twenty-nine young girls, now pioneers of the
congregation.
For their formation, the Congregation of the Sisters of Peter Claver in Rome
undertook to train the first group of eight aspirants whom the Father Founder
judged were ready for a more serious religious formation. They were sent to the
convent of St. Peter Claver Sisters in Ibadan, where they had their
Pre-Novitiate training. After their Pre-Novitiate training, they went to Rome
and were clothed as Novices at the Novitiate house of St. Peter Claver Sisters
on 8th December 1964. They came back to Nigeria in June 1966, and on December 8,
1966, six of them made their first religious profession.
The congregation started as a Pious Union in December 1961 and was canonically
erected as an Institute of Diocesan Right by the Founder on 17th January, 1962.
On the recommendation of his successor, Most Rev. Dr. Lucius Iwejuru Ugorji, the
Congregation was raised to an Institute of Pontifical Right on February 2, 1994
by the Congregation for the Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of
Apostolic Life.
Our
Founder
 Our Father founder, late Bishop
Anthony Gogo Nwedo, CSSp., was born to the Families of Joseph Mary Nwedo Nzeribe
and Monica Ubelife Nwedo (both of blessed memory), around 1912 in Oguta in
Owerri Archdiocese of Imo State, Nigeria, West Africa. He completed his primary
and secondary education in 1928. After the completion of his high school
education in 1938, he proceeded to the Seminary for his priestly formation. On
July 29, 1945 he was ordained a Catholic Priest. His zeal for the consecrated
and religious life became so great that in 1950 he entered the Holy Ghost
Fathers' Novitiate in Kilshane, Ireland and had his Religious Profession in
1951. On May 17, 1959, he was ordained the first Bishop of Umuahia Catholic
diocese.
As a bishop of a new diocese he was faced with challenges of an undeveloped
Ecclesiastical territory, and he built Catholic schools as a means of
evangelization to tackle those challenges. In addition, he needed a spiritual
power house, that is, a religious society by which the prayers and penance of
its members would obtain Divine graces and blessings necessary for the success
of the ministry and the spiritual growth of the diocese. As a result, in 1961,
he founded the Daughters of Mary Mother of Mercy (DMMM) congregation, and in
1970 founded the Sons of Mary Mother of Mercy (SMMM) congregation.
As the Bishop of Umuahia, he worked zealously for the evangelization of God's
people of Umuahia. The creation of two dioceses from the Umuahia diocese, namely
Okigwe diocese and Aba diocese, is evidence of his hard work and untiring
spirit. He retired in 1990 and on February 12, 2000 he left to answer the
heavenly call. From these
humble beginnings, the mustard seed that was sewn grew, and the kindled flame of
Mercy continued to enflame other generous hearts. The development of the
congregation followed both in numbers and in new foundations in different
dioceses and archdioceses all over the world. Presently, we have over 1,000
sisters and have particular cause to sing of the mercies of the Lord who has
graciously and abundantly multiplied the fruits of the firmly rooted tree, as
the Daughters faithfully and selflessly radiate the light of Christ's Mercy,
which is reflected in that of Mary, our Mother of Mercy. We are grateful to God
for the many favors we have received from Him as a Congregation and pray that He
will continue to bless our apostolic and missionary activities. Amen.
|
.jpg)
