AGU, IJEOMA (2026) A HISTORY OF CATHOLIC CHURCH IN IBENDA COMMUNITY, 2011-2025. Other thesis, GODFREY OKOYE UNIVERSITY, ENUGU,.
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Abstract
This study examined the historical development of the Roman Catholic Church inIbendaCommunity, Udenu Local Government Area of Enugu State, from 2011 to 2025. The objectiveswere to trace the historical evolution of the Church, examine its growth and spread across theseven villages of Ibenda, evaluate its religious, social, and community impacts, and assess thechallenges that shaped its development during the period under study. The research adoptedaqualitative historical research design and relied on both primary and secondary sources of data. Primary data were obtained through oral interviews with parish priests, catechists, parishioners, and community elders, as well as archival materials from the National Archives, Enugu. Secondary data were sourced from books, journal articles, theses, dissertations, andChurchpublications. The collected data were analysed using the historical method of source criticismand qualitative interpretation. The study found that although Catholicismwas introducedintoIbenda through earlier missionary activities in the Nsukka cultural zone, the establishment of St. Patrick's Catholic Parish in 2011 marked a significant phase in the consolidation and expansionof the Church within the community. It further revealed that the Church experienced sustainedgrowth in membership, sacramental life, parish organisations, and infrastructural development, while making substantial contributions to education, moral formation, social cohesion, youthandwomen empowerment, and community development. The study also found that the Churchsuccessfully adapted to local cultural realities through inculturation, despite facing challengessuch as economic hardship, youth migration, secularisation, and inadequate infrastructure. It concludes that the Roman Catholic Church has become a major religious andsocio-developmental institution in Ibenda and contributes to existing scholarship by providingasystematic historical account of Catholicism in the community, thereby filling an important gapin the historiography of Christianity in the Nsukka cultural zone and
| Item Type: | Thesis (Other) |
|---|---|
| Subjects: | D History General and Old World > D History (General) L Education > L Education (General) |
| Divisions: | Faculty of Arts > Faculty of Law > Faculty of Management and Social Sciences > Faculty of Education |
| Depositing User: | Nnenna Ayo |
| Date Deposited: | 12 Aug 2026 11:31 |
| Last Modified: | 12 Aug 2026 11:31 |
| URI: | http://eprints.gouni.edu.ng/id/eprint/6249 |
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