On Saturday, 11 April 2026, at St. Theresa’s Catholic Parish, Ogbor Uvuru in Aboh Mbaise, the Bishop of Ahiara Diocese, Most Rev. Simeon Okezuo Nwobi CMF, presided over the blessing and dedication of a newly completed church building, a project realized in roughly one year through coordinated parish effort and the significant benefaction of Chief and Lolo Engr. Barr. Success Obioma Akagburuonye.
St. Theresa’s Parish, established in 2021, has been served by successive priests beginning with Rev. Fr. Augustine Ukawuba, followed by Rev. Fr. Innocent Nwaru, and now Rev. Fr. Henry Uzomachi Ekeh. The project originated as an expansion of the earlier church structure, with its foundation laid on 11 March 2025, shortly after the current parish priest assumed office.
The ceremony began with the blessing of the tabernacle in the rectory chapel before proceeding into the church itself, where the altar, pulpit, baptistery, and the entire structure were solemnly blessed in rites that marked the transition of the building from construction into sacred use, after which the Holy Mass followed, concelebrated by priests and attended by a large gathering of the faithful.
In the homily, Rev. Fr. Franklyn Odoegbulem, the Parish Priest of St. Patrick’s Parish, Umuokrika, and the Dean of St. Victor’s Deanery, Ekwerazu, while acknowledging the visible achievement before the eyes of the faithful, directed attention to a more demanding architecture of faith itself, insisting that the more enduring construction is that of a living Christian witness shaped by obedience to God and participation in the proclamation of the Resurrection, a responsibility extended to all believers without exception and illustrated through the scriptural witness of Mary Magdalene and the early apostolic community.
The Parish Priest, Rev. Fr. Henry Uzomachi Ekeh, expressed immense gratitude to the Bishop, the benefactors, and the parishioners, while Chief Success Obioma Akagburuonye, a key contributor, in his remarks, described his contribution as part of a life oriented towards what he termed “kingdom investments,” affirming that what is given to God is never lost, but rather preserved in ways that endure beyond time. He further pledged continued support for the parish, including an expressed willingness to encourage and sponsor vocations to the priesthood in response to concerns about clerical shortages in the region.
The organizational framework of the parish development was also publicly acknowledged, including the Parish Council led by Chief Sir Barr. Linus Uche Nwaiwu KSM and the Building Committee, chaired by Chief Sir Richard Adiele KSJI, whose coordination of resources and oversight of execution were cited as integral to the project’s completion.
In his concluding remarks, the bishop commended the unity and perseverance of the parish community and urged them to preserve the church, not merely as a structure, but as a sign and instrument of their shared faith.
