The Holy Childhood Association (HCA) is committed to the welfare and holistic development of children through child-centered projects across Nigeria.
Yesterday, the National Director of the Pontifical Mission Societies (Missio Nigeria), Rev. Fr. Solomon Zaku , led the Secretary General of the Holy Childhood Association, Rev. Sr. Inês Paulo Albino, and members of the national team on an inspection visit to selected HCA-funded projects in Minna, Abaji, and Kuje.
The visit provided an opportunity to witness firsthand the impact of the generous support of children helping children through the Holy Childhood Association. These projects, which focus on the spiritual, educational, health, and social well-being of children, are transforming lives and bringing hope to many communities.
The Holy Childhood Association continues to fund child-centered missionary projects across the world, reflecting its enduring mission of children praying for children, learning about the world, and sharing with children in need.
Sr. Albino was positively amazed by the show of gratitude the recipient demonstrated to the donors and commended them for honouring the donors' intentions through the actualisation of these projects.
As Nigeria celebrates the Silver Jubilee of the Holy Childhood Association, this visit is a powerful reminder that missionary solidarity is changing lives and building a brighter future for children.
By Peter Oluwasanmi Adubi
The Pontifical Mission Societies (Missio Nigeria), in collaboration with the Pontifical Missionary Union, Rome, successfully organised the Floating Institute of Missiology (FIM) for the Abuja Ecclesiastical Province from 22nd to 26th July 2026 at the Pastoral Centre, Makurdi.
The five-day mission formation programme brought together priests, religious, catechists, and lay faithful from the dioceses of Abuja, Lafia, Idah, Otukpo, Makurdi, Katsina-ala and Gboko. The programme was designed to deepen participants' understanding of the Church's missionary mandate and strengthen their commitment to evangelisation in today's rapidly changing world.
The opening Holy Mass was celebrated by the host Bishop, Most Rev. Wilfred Anagbe, CMF, who warmly welcomed the participants. In his homily, he encouraged them to remain steadfast in their missionary vocation despite the many challenges confronting the Church and society. He urged them to continue proclaiming the Gospel with courage, faith, and hope.
In his opening address, the National Director of the Pontifical Mission Societies, Rev. Fr. Solomon Patrick Zaku, explained the origin and significance of the Floating Institute of Missiology. He noted that the institute is a mission formation programme approved by the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) and entrusted to the Pontifical Mission Societies to promote missionary awareness and formation among the People of God in Nigeria.
Throughout the programme, participants received intensive formation on key aspects of the Church's missionary teaching through seven major presentations.
The first presentation, "Situation of Mission in the World: Insights from Evangelii Nuntiandi", explored the biblical and theological foundations of mission, the Church's evangelising mission, and the contemporary challenges facing evangelisation. Participants reflected on the enduring relevance of Evangelii Nuntiandi in inspiring renewed missionary commitment.
The second session, "Missionary Spirituality and New Evangelisation: Insights from Redemptoris Missio and Evangelii Gaudium", examined the missionary mandate of the Church, the importance of missionary spirituality, prayer, and the call to the New Evangelisation as articulated by St. John Paul II and Pope Francis.
Another important presentation focused on "Ecumenism and Interreligious Dialogue: Insights from Ecclesia in Africa and Vatican II." Participants reflected on the Church's teaching concerning dialogue with other Christian denominations and religions, particularly within the African context, where peaceful coexistence and collaboration are essential for authentic evangelisation.
The fourth presentation examined "The Role of the Pontifical Mission Societies in Missio Ad Gentes", highlighting the history, charisms, and missionary contributions of the four Pontifical Mission Societies in promoting the universal mission of the Church through prayer, charity, sacrifice, and missionary animation.
Recognising the growing influence of digital technology, participants also received formation on "Mission and Communications in the Contemporary World." The session emphasised the responsible and effective use of modern communication tools and digital media for proclaiming the Gospel and reaching wider audiences.
Another highlight of the programme was the reflection on the 2026 World Mission Sunday theme, "One in Christ, United in Mission." Participants examined the message of Pope Leo for the centenary celebration of World Mission Sunday and reflected on the importance of missionary unity within the universal Church.
The final presentation explored the teachings and missionary reflections of Pope Leo, drawing insights from his inaugural Mass homily, his address to the National Directors of the Pontifical Mission Societies, his homily during the Jubilee of Mission, and other audiences. The session encouraged participants to embrace the Holy Father's vision of a missionary Church rooted in communion, witness, and service.
The formation programme concluded with a commissioning ceremony during which eighty one (81) participants were sent forth, in the spirit of the Apostles, to continue proclaiming the Good News in their various dioceses, parishes, and communities. They were encouraged to become true missionary disciples, committed to spreading the Gospel through their words, actions, and faithful witness.
The Floating Institute of Missiology continues to serve as an important platform for missionary formation in Nigeria, equipping clergy, religious, and lay faithful with the knowledge, spirituality, and practical tools required to fulfil Christ's missionary mandate in the contemporary world.
The Catholic Church in Nigeria is actively preparing to celebrate World Mission Sunday on October 19, 2025, under the theme “Missionaries of Hope Among All the Peoples.”
This annual observance serves as a time for the faithful to renew their missionary commitment, reflect on their shared responsibility in evangelization, and extend material and spiritual support to missionaries across the world.
Preparatory Initiatives
In anticipation of this global celebration, the Pontifical Mission Societies (PMS) – Missio Nigeria through our Nationa Director, REV. Fr. Solomon Patrick Zaku has launched several strategic initiatives designed to deepen awareness, foster participation, and strengthen missionary solidarity nationwide.
Development of Animation Materials
The National Office of PMS Missio Nigeria has produced creative and engaging animation resources aimed at promoting the theme and encouraging active involvement across parishes and dioceses.
Production of Posters and Booklets
Thousands of World Mission Sunday posters and copies of the Holy Father’s message have been printed and translated into Nigeria’s three major languages—Yoruba, Hausa, and Igbo—to ensure accessibility and inclusivity among the faithful.
Diocesan-Level Mobilization
Awareness and sensitization campaigns are currently underway across dioceses, focusing on educating parish communities about the meaning and importance of World Mission Sunday and mobilizing support for the Church’s missionary efforts.
Digital and Social Media Engagement
The global World Mission Sunday video is being widely promoted through digital platforms and social media to reach a broader audience and inspire a renewed missionary spirit among Catholics, especially young people.
Also, adequate plans are on ground for exclusive interviews at the Catholic Television of Nigeria and for the World Mission Sunday Mass to be televised live.
A Renewed Call to Mission
As the Church in Nigeria prepares for this significant day, the faithful are invited to participate actively through prayer, reflection, and generosity. Missionaries continue to serve courageously in challenging environments—spreading the Gospel, promoting peace, and uplifting those in need. Our collective support sustains their mission and keeps hope alive in the hearts of many.
We are thrilled and glad with the mission enthusiasm of our people towards this year’s World Mission Sunday.
Together as Missionaries of Hope
Let us unite in prayer and action for all missionaries who dedicate their lives to proclaiming the Good News. May their work be strengthened by our solidarity and sustained by God’s grace.
Calabar and Kaduna Ecclesiastical Provinces hosted the Floating Institute of Missiology in collaboration with the Pontifical Mission Societies (PMS). The PMS National Director, Rev Fr. Solomon noted that:
The Floating Institute of Missiology is a mission formation program approved by the Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) and entrusted to the Pontifical Mission Societies. Its purpose is to provide missionary formation for all the faithful in Nigeria — priests, religious, and laypeople alike. This program expands participants' understanding of mission and their personal responsibilities in the Church’s missionary work.
The initiative supports the primary goal of the PMS: to foster a universal missionary spirit within the Church. Pope Francis reminds us that the Pontifical Mission Societies are called to awaken and deepen the missionary awareness of every baptized Christian. As stated in Ad Gentes Divinitus, the PMS nurtures a missionary spirit in Catholics from infancy through to the end of life.
Approved by the CBCN in 2009, the Floating Institute of Missiology was first implemented nationally in two phases — the first in October 2012 and the second in October 2013 — with over 100 participants from various dioceses across Nigeria.
Following that, participants were encouraged to replicate the formation at the provincial and diocesan levels. Each year, the national office of the Pontifical Mission Societies selects two to three provinces to organize the program. This year, Calabar and Kaduna provinces were chosen —
Throughout the period of this formation, participants explored various key themes, including:
- The meaning and foundations of mission
- Biblical and theological perspectives on mission
- Communication and mission
- New Evangelization
- Missionary spirituality
- Ecumenism and interreligious dialogue
- The structure and global work of the Pontifical Mission Societies
The theme of this year’s formation is “Missionaries of Hope Among the Peoples”, which is also the theme for World Mission Sunday 2025. This theme aligns with the ongoing celebration of the Jubilee Year of Hope. It calls us to be men and women of hope — to be beacons of light and encouragement to those we serve, especially in a world marked by suffering and despair.
Pope Francis, in his message for World Mission Sunday 2025, emphasizes that Christians are called to share the Good News by entering into the daily realities of others, becoming true witnesses and builders of hope. He echoes the words of Gaudium et Spes (no. 1):
“The joys and the hopes, the grief and the anguish of the people of our time, especially of those who are poor or afflicted, are the joys and hopes, the grief and anguish of the followers of Christ as well. Nothing genuinely human fails to find an echo in their hearts.”
At the conclusion of this course, participants will be commissioned and sent forth to continue the mission. As we know, Christ’s mission is the salvation of all humanity. Before His ascension, He gave the Great Commission:
“Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 28:19–20).
This command remains our call to evangelize and bring the Gospel to the ends of the earth.
At the end of the formation, participants were commissioned to given certificates to equip them for their new role as missionaries of Hope.
By
Peter Adubi
The year 2025 has been officially declared a Jubilee Year by the Universal Church — a sacred time of renewal, grace, and joyful celebration. The Jubilee Year is often marked by acts of faith, mercy, and pilgrimage. In keeping with this tradition, the children of Nigeria, under the umbrella of the Holy Childhood Association (HCA), have been actively involved in celebrating this extraordinary moment in the life of the Church.
Involving the Little Missionaries in Big Ways
Recognizing that the Jubilee is a time for every member of the Church — young and old — the Church in Nigeria has made significant efforts to include children in the spiritual festivities. Throughout the various Archdioceses and Dioceses across the country, the Holy Childhood Association organized an array of events tailored specifically for children, emphasizing their vital place in the life and mission of the Church.
The 2025 Jubilee Year for Children was themed “We are missionaries of Hope” calling on every child to recognize their role as young missionaries and beloved children of God by giving hope to the hopeless. The nationwide celebrations were both spiritually enriching and educational.
Highlights of the Jubilee Celebrations
Across Nigeria, some diocesan HCA organized grand pilgrimages, bringing children together in large numbers to sacred sites and cathedrals. These pilgrimages were moments of prayer, singing, and learning — designed to help children experience the beauty and universality of the Catholic faith. Children prayed for peace, unity in the Church, and especially for other children around the world who suffer due to conflict, poverty, and lack of education.
Another exciting component of the Jubilee celebration was the Quiz Competitions on Young Saints compiled together by the PMS National Director, Rev. Fr. Solomon Patrick Zaku where children were tested on their knowledge of youthful role models in the Church such as Saint Dominic Savio, Saint Maria Goretti, Blessed Carlo Acutis, and Saint José Sánchez del Río etc. These saints, who dedicated their short lives to Jesus in remarkable ways, served as living examples of holiness for the young participants.
In addition to the quiz competitions, match pasts (marching parades) were organized in many dioceses. These colorful displays allowed various parishes and deaneries to showcase their identity, creativity, and sense of unity. Dressed in their HCA uniforms, the children paraded with enthusiasm, holding banners that proclaimed messages of faith, love, and missionary zeal.
Spiritual Formation and Joyful Fellowship
Spiritual talks and catechesis sessions were held to help the children understand the significance of the Jubilee year. Priests, religious, and catechists led them in reflections on the themes of mercy and mission, teaching them how they, too, can be missionaries in their schools, homes, and parishes by being kind, prayerful, and obedient.
The Jubilee celebration was not only about learning and praying but also about fellowship and joy. Various games, cultural displays, and talent shows were included in the programs, allowing children to bond, build friendships, and express their God-given talents.
A Future Church That Shines
As the celebrations draw attention to children, the message is clear: children are not just the future of the Church; they are the present. Their enthusiasm, faith, and simplicity are gifts to the entire Church. Through this Jubilee Year, the Nigerian Church reaffirms its commitment to nurturing the spiritual lives of its youngest members.
The 2025 Jubilee Year for Children in Nigeria stands as a beautiful witness to the vibrancy of faith among the young and the dedication of the Church to raise holy, joyful, and mission-minded children. As Pope Francis has often reminded the faithful, "Children are the joy of the family and of the Church." Indeed, the joyful celebration of this Jubilee proves just that.
May this jubilee of hope rekindle in all the universal missionary Spirit. Amen
By Peter Adubi
We publish below two precious testimonies of two seminarians who attend the Bigard Memorial Seminary in Enugu, which this year celebrates its 100th anniversary. The Seminary is named after the founder of the Pontifical Society of St Peter the Apostle, an institution whose material support has allowed this structure to take root and develop in the Enugu area and which has contributed and continues to contribute so much to the formation of new priests. In the course of these 100 years of history, 4 Cardinals, 14 Archbishops, 37 Bishops and numerous priests working all over the world have been formed in this Seminary.
My name is Basil Agbo. I am a seminarian from the Catholic Diocese of Enugu. I am currently in the third-year of my theological studies here in Bigard Memorial Seminary, Enugu. I am delighted to share with you my experiences in Bigard. The seminary has both Philosophy and Theology Departments. She works hard to provide enabling environment for the seminarians to carry out their studies. So many academic programmes are carried out in the seminary each year. These include workshops, symposia, seminars, inauguration and convocation ceremonies. These academic programmes help in the intellectual development of the seminarians. In the current academic year (2024/2025), the total number of seminarians in my seminary is 729. Of this number, 395 are in the Theology Department while 334 are in the Philosophy Department.
The situation in our country has deeply impacted life in the seminary. One of the challenges we face is the growing insecurity in the country. Another challenge is that the economic situation of the country makes it extremely difficult to sustain the seminary financially through the year. Prices of basic goods and services have skyrocketed, making the seminary go to a great length in order to maintain the staff and students.
However, I am happy that notwithstanding the crisis Nigeria is facing, the faith continues to grow in many parts of the country, especially in the South East. Our Churches are full, new parishes are created every now and again, and vocation to the priesthood and religious houses bloom. These give us hope that God is in charge and that there is better days ahead. I also continue to hope that the current crisis and tension in the South Eastern part of the country, where my Seminary is located, would be resolved. This will enable the Seminary to return to uninterrupted Seminary programme ones more.
My name is Ezugwu Emmanuel. I am a seminarian of the Catholic Diocese of Nsukka. Presently, I am in the third year of my Philosophical studies here at Bigard Memorial Seminary, Enugu. I am glad to witness for my dear Seminary.
My seminary as an institution for the training of candidates for the Catholic priesthood has two departments – the Philosophy Department and the Theology Department. These departments follow academic programmes approved by Rome to ensure the academic formation of the seminarians. Other programmes in the areas of pastoral, human and spiritual, that facilitate the integral formation of the seminarians also form part of our formation process. Accordingly, such programmes include annual colloquium paper, formation weekend, various workshops, seminars, spiritual conferences, retreats, cultural and musical events, as well as inauguration of the academic year and convocation ceremonies.
The past year 2023 was indeed a very tasking and challenging year for Nigeria. The general election that took place in the course of the year left much to be desired. Cases of violence, were recorded before, during and after the polls. The litigations that followed the election results also contributed to the unstable political atmosphere in the country. The administration that emerged after the elections imposed some economic policies that have affected the masses adversely. Such policies which include the removal of the fuel subsidy, uniform exchange rate for our local currency to dollar and other foreign currencies adversely affected the cost of generation of power supply in the seminary -which depends on diesel powered generators, as well as access to other goods and services. It is also a pity that Nigeria continues to face infrastructural challenges across various sectors like; transportation, water, power and healthcare. Consequently, the seminary goes extra miles to provide these services for her seminarians.
Furthermore, the security situation in the country has continued to deteriorate. To remain in control of the situation and to protect her seminarians in the face of little or no help from the government, the seminary has continued to upgrade her security outfits and gadgets at great financial costs. These challenges facing Nigeria as a whole, continue to affect life and activities in the seminary. Nevertheless, the seminary remains committed in her responsibility of training seminarians under such conditions.
In the midst of the above, I remain joyful and glad that the Good Lord has continued to be with and sustain us as a seminary in the face of these trying times. Indeed, we can heartily say, “the Lord of hosts is with us, the God of Jacob is our stronghold.” (Psalm 46 vs 7). We also appreciate the impacts of the support from the friends of the seminary and groups both within and outside Nigeria. These go a long way in helping the seminary fulfil her obligations to the seminarians.
The seminary anticipated 2024 with optimism. One of the reasons being the Centenary celebration of her anniversary. The second reason is that despite all the challenges faced in 2023, the Church in Nigeria has continued to grow in leaps and bounds. This is evidenced in the increase in the number of parishes, deaneries and even dioceses. People continue to identify with the Church, attend Masses and other religious programmes. Thirdly, many young people continue to willingly embrace the call to the priestly and religious vocations. We sincerely hope that in this year and beyond, these positive growths will continue to flourish and that the security situation in the country would improve and thus bringing to an end, the persecution and killing of Christians in different parts of the country.
