By Teclus Ike Ugwueze
The Catholic Diocese of Nsukka is set to enter a new phase of pastoral discernment as the Bishop of Nsukka, Godfrey Igwebuike Onah, formally announced his intention to convoke a Second Diocesan Synod, in the Year of the Lord, 2026 during the Month of November, following due consultation and prayerful reflection.
The announcement was made during the solemn Eucharistic celebration for the Diaconate Ordination of ten seminarians at St. Theresa’s Cathedral, Nsukka, where the Bishop reflected on the rapid growth of the diocese and the pastoral responsibilities such growth now demands.
According to the Bishop, the decision to convene the synod comes fifteen years after the first synod of the Diocese of Nsukka, convoked by his predecessor, Most Rev Francis Okobo. Since then, he noted, the diocese has witnessed remarkable expansion in vocations, parishes, institutions, and ecclesial life. However, this growth has also given rise to new and complex challenges that call for collective discernment.
Among these challenges, Bishop Onah identified with concern the gradual drift of some faithful into idle and neo-pagan forms of worship, often justified as a return to culture. He cautioned that culture, when detached from the Gospel, risks losing its soul, and that the Church must respond not with fear but with renewed evangelizing creativity.
In response, and in accordance with the norms of the Code of Canon Law and after consultation with the Presbyteral Council, the Bishop announced the theme of the forthcoming synod as:
“Evangelizing Our Culture in a Digital Age.”
He explained that the synod will provide a forum for the Church in Nsukka to reflect deeply on how the Gospel can be proclaimed authentically within contemporary cultural realities shaped by technology, social media, shifting moral values, and the questions of younger generations. The synod, he emphasized, will seek not to reject culture but to purify, elevate, and evangelize it through Christ.
Bishop Onah assured the faithful that full details regarding the synod, its structure, timeline, and membership will be communicated in due course, and that those designated as members of the synodal assembly will be formally informed.
As an immediate pastoral step, the Bishop directed that, until an official prayer for the synod is composed, every parish in the Diocese of Nsukka should include a special intention for the success of the synod in the Prayer of the Faithful at Mass.
The announcement marks a significant moment in the life of the diocese—signaling a Church attentive to the signs of the times, rooted in tradition yet open to renewal. With this synodal horizon, Nsukka Diocese once again affirms her commitment to walking together as a people of God, listening to the Holy Spirit, and proclaiming Christ faithfully in a rapidly changing world.
