Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Abuja (Agenzia Fides) - On Saturday, March 8, there will be a solemn celebration held in Nigeria for the inauguration of the first Minor Basilica in the nation, the Basilica of the Most Holy Trinity in Onitsha, in the province of Anambra. The event was announced in a statement sent to Agenzia Fides by Fr. Ralph Madu, head of the communications office in the Catholic Secretariate of Nigeria. The ceremony for the dedication of the new basilica, whose official decree is dated May 28, 2007, will be presided by Cardinal Anthony Okogie, Metropolitan Archbishop of Lagos. The Basilica of the Most Holy Trinity is located in the southern part of the city and is the first Catholic cathedral the east of the Niger.
The Basilica is constructed over level ground that forms a part of the 20 acres that were donated to the first Catholic missionaries of the country, by local authorities on January 6, 1886. The Basilica holds the relics of Blessed Cyprian Iwene Tansi and among those laid to rest inside the church are the remains of Bishop Joseph Shanahan and Archbishops Charles Heerey and Stephen Ezeanya.
In 1920, Bishop Joseph Shanahan initiated construction of the modern-day Basilica, which was completed in 1935 by his successor, Archbishop Charles Heerey. The Cathedral was dedicated on December 5, 1960, and later inaugurated as Minor Basilica on May 28, 2007.
The canonical title of “Basilica” is bestowed on those churches that correspond to certain requirements and are granted liturgical privileges accordingly. A Basilica can also become a pilgrimage site.
With the establishment of the Basilica in Onitsha, there are now 15 churches in Africa that share the title of Minor Basilica. They are: the Basilica of Our Lady of Africa of Argel (c. 1875); the Basilica of Saint Augustine, in the Diocese of Hippo (c. 1914); St. Cyprian y St. Luis, in the diocese of Carthage, which later became a national museum; the Basilica of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Lodonga, Uganda (c. May 26, 1961); Basilica of Saint Therese of the Child Jesus in the Latin Diocese of Cairo, Egypt (February 8, 1972); the Cathedral of the Holy Family in Nairobi, Kenya (February 15, 1982); Immaculate Conception Church in Ouidah (Cotonou), Benin (November 9, 1989); Basilica of Our Lady of Peace of Yamoussoukro, in the Ivory Coast (October 30, 1990), which is the largest Christian church in the world, using Saint Peter’s in Rome; the Basilica of “Notre Dame” in Poponguine, in the Archdiocese of Dakar, Senegal (November 23, 1991); the Cathedral of Kabagayi, Rwanda (October 22, 1992); “Our Lady of Fatima“ in Heliópolis, Chaldean Diocese of Cairo (April 6, 1993); Holy Martyrs of Uganda Church in Namugongo, Archdiocese of Kampala (April 28, 1993); Saint Peter’s Cathedral, Archdiocese of Kumasi, Ghana (June 2, 2004); Cathedral of the Diocese of Navrongo-Bolgatanga, Ghana (May 17, 2006); and finally, Basilica of the Most Holy Trinity in Onitsha, Nigeria (May 28, 2007). (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides 7/3/2008 righe, 38 parole, 488)
