- Felicitate with The Catholic Herald at centenary anniversary
- Score the publication high
The clergy, religious and lay leaders, have congratulated Nigeria’s oldest surviving newspaper and Catholic media giant, The Catholic Herald weekly newspaper, on its 100th anniversary. Founded on June 21, 1924, the newspaper clocked 100 on Friday, June 21, 2024. Neta Nwosu and Constaincia Uruakpa reports.
A landmark in the life of the Archdiocese of Lagos – CBCN President, Archbishop Ugorji
Most. Rev. Lucius Iwejuru Ugorji, the President, Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria (CBCN), and Archbishop of the Catholic Archdiocese of Owerri, has congratulated His Grace, Most Rev. (Dr.) Alfred Adewale Martins, the Archbishop of the Metropolitan See of Lagos and Publisher, The Catholic Herald weekly as well as the Archdiocese on the occasion of the newspaper’s 100th anniversary, noting that it has contributed handsomely to evangelisation beyond the Archdiocese of Lagos. According to Most Rev. Ugorji, the centenary celebration is a “landmark in the life of the Archdiocese”. The President of CBCN, who stated this in a congratulatory letter entitled, “A Goodwill Message”. In a letter dated June 17, 2024 and addressed to Most Rev. (Dr.) Alfred Adewale Martins, Archbishop of the Metropolitan See of Lagos, the CBCN president commended Archbishop Martins for the 100 years of the existence of The Catholic Herald, the weekly newspaper of the Archdiocese of Lagos.

The letter read in parts, “It gives me great pleasure to send you this message of goodwill on this auspicious occasion marking the Centenary Celebration of the existence of The Catholic Herald, the weekly newspaper of the Archdiocese of Lagos. This momentous event is, no doubt, a landmark in the life of the Archdiocese of Lagos. It is the Lord’s doing and it is marvellous in our eyes. “This joyous celebration offers me the much-desired opportunity to congratulate you, and the staff and management of The Catholic Herald newspaper for hundred years of hard work and outstanding achievements. “Over the years, The Catholic Herald has served as a herald of Good News as well as the mouthpiece of the Church in Lagos. It has also contributed in no small measure to the mission of evangelisation in the Archdiocese of Lagos and beyond.”
One cannot quantify the impact of The Catholic Herald in spread of the faith in Nigeria – Bishop Mamza
“The paper focuses not only on things that have to do with the Catholic Church, but also on social issues that are for the good of the country and the society. So, I can say that The Catholic Herald has contributed a lot not only towards evangelisation, but also towards the building of a just and good society here in our country Nigeria”, the prelate stated. He however, expressed surprise at the centenary anniversary of the newspaper, noting that most Catholic dioceses in Nigeria are yet to hit the 100- year mark. “I was actually personally surprised that The Catholic Herald has reached 100 years. I just couldn’t believe it. Even the Catholic Church in Northeast Nigeria is not up to 100 years old not to talk about a newspaper that belongs to the Church. “Most dioceses have not celebrated their centenary; but, The Catholic Herald is celebrating its centenary. And again, we can say it is one of the oldest; I wonder if there is any newspaper that is older than it.” “So many dioceses actually started publication of newspapers in the past, but some could not sustain their publications while some did theirs for few years and then they just went into extinction. But The Catholic Herald has consistently sustained its existence for 100 years. It is worth celebrating. “And I’m sure in terms of evangelisation, in terms of the publicity of the faith, it has done very, very well.”

On behalf of the Catholic Diocese of Yola, Bishop Mamza felicitated with the Archdiocese of Lagos, under the leadership of His Excellency, Most Rev. (Dr.) Alfred Adewale Martins and the managemen, and staff of The Catholic Herald for the good work that they have been doing over the years. He prayed for the repose of the souls of departed staff of the paper, “I’m sure within these 100 years, there is no doubt that some staff have already gone to the Lord, so it is our hope that God will grant eternal rest and reward them for the wonderful work they have done to the Church through The Catholic Herald newspaper And those that are still alive and working, he left these words, “For those that are managing it at the moment, I want to wish them God’s blessing. And I also hope that they will continue to sustain it as their predecessors have done in the past. So, I rejoice with the Archdiocese of Lagos, with Archbishop Adewale Martins, all staff, sponsors, benefactors and benefactresses of The Catholic Herald, that God will continue to bless them as they serve humanity and also the Church.”
To have attained 100 years is a great milestone – Archbishop Akubeze
Mo s t Rev. Augustine Obiora Akubeze, Archbishop of Benin City commended The Catholic Herald newspaper for being the oldest surviving newspaper in Nigeria, and leading the way over the years, urging the team not to rest on its oars. He said, “The Catholic Herald weekly newspaper is the oldest surviving newspaper in Nigeria. To have attained a hundred years is a great milestone. It’s not easy. For a century now, you have been at the vanguard of providing informative, entertaining, educative and inspiring news for the public. “Through your publication, you have also continued to spread the gospel, teach Catholic doctrines, enlightening the people, helping to propagate and spread authentic news in the building of God’s kingdom here on earth.”

The prelate on behalf of the priests, religious and lay faithful of the Archdiocese of Benin City, congratulated the Archbishop of Lagos, the priests, consecrated men and women, the Lagos media personnel, including executive and board members, as well as the entire lay faithful of the Archdiocese on the centenary celebration of The Catholic Herald weekly newspaper. While acknowledging the enormity of media task, the prelate commended The Catholic Herald team for its resilience over the years, encouraging the team not to rest on their oars. He stressed, “You have been at the forefront leading the Nigerian Church in this way. So, it’s good news for us all. We are all happy that you are celebrating this feat, and that you have been leading the way all along, so others will follow suit.” Archbishop Akubeze further entrusted The Catholic Herald team and the entire Archdiocesan flock to the maternal care of the Blessed Virgin Mary. “May she intercede for you both now and always. Once again, congratulations and happy celebration,” he prayed on a final note.
I’m amazed at the broad coverage; I will give it nine out of ten, just so that I don’t make it perfect – Bishop Ewherido
Most Rev. Anthony Ewherido ascribed the longevity of the paper so far to the stability of the Church. According to him, the Catholic Church has always been like the solid symbol of stability, and when a press organisation that belongs to the Church survives 100 years, one cannot but just see the stable character of the Church in preserving what is good in that kind of history. He said, “So, it is a very significant landmark because basically, it shows that we have upheld the transmission of truth and doctrine, using that newspaper for 100 years and still waxing strong, despite the fact that media and communication have evolved significantly in those 100 years. So, that you are able to survive all of that time is not only significant, but actually manifests the kind of stability characteristic of the Catholic Church. “It also keys into the integrity of both the Church and the individuals who have been involved in preserving the life of that newspaper during those 100 years.” “So, it’s kudos to the Archdiocese of Lagos, kudos to the Church and kudos to everyone who is involved in sustaining the character of news as a medium o f communication.

Communication this time of not just what is happening in society, but communication of doctrine, communication of Church documents, communication of issues regarding morals and faith. And then of course, its spiritual resource to many people for 100 years. “It’s really significant and worth celebrating. I want to say congratulations to the newspaper, congratulations to the Archdiocese of Lagos.” Reacting to the question on rating the performance of The Catholic Herald in terms of implementing its primary goal of enhancing spiritual life and ensuring a just and peaceful society, Bishop Ewherido scored the paper high. Hear him, “Well, rating it is one thing based on what I know of it, rating the impact on readership will be another thing altogether. From my point of view, it is the content that I see that will actually influence my rating. But I have been truly amazed by the kind of coverage that it has because usually, diocesan newspapers have a very narrow coverage, that is something on the bishop, something on what’s happening in parishes and a little bit of what is happening in the Vatican and that’s it. And sometimes, it’s usually scanty. “Given that our readership is very restricted, it’s even very amazing that The Catholic Herald has been able to sustain weekly publications, because in many places, you would not be able to survive doing weekly publications because of the restricted audience. “
But in terms of coverage, I’m amazed at how broad the coverage is. It is not just Lagos Archdiocese, it covers a good portion of the Southwest, and it has a lot of information coming from the national body and from Rome and other climes outside Nigeria. “Then of course, there is a whole question of the sectioning of the paper where you actually have spiritual and moral content, and content of faith. So, I will rate it very high, I think I will give it a nine out of 10 just so that I don’t make it perfect and think that there’s no room for improvement.” He conveyed his goodwill message, “Well, I would say kudos to the Archdiocese of Lagos. Kudos to the Archbishop, Most Rev. Alfred Adewale Martins and kudos to The Catholic Herald newspaper on your 100th anniversary. Obviously, without the input of the Archbishop and the Archdiocese, it is difficult to say you are celebrating 100, because you wouldn’t have survived. So, I congratulate all of them, and I pray that the next 100 years will be even better than the last 100.”
By all standards The Catholic Herald has done well, I will give it a very high pass mark – Fr. George Ehusani
Rev. Fr. George Ehusani, Executive Director, Lux Terra Leadership Foundation, lauded The Catholic Herald for “Quickly seizing the opportunity of digital technology and digital communication to put The Catholic Herald on the map, in terms of papers that can be accessed on the internet. And its performance when compared to other Catholic papers in its class”. He expressed his views on the centenary landmark of the newspaper as he extolled everyone that has contributed to the sustenance of the paper so far. “Well, any newspaper whatsoever, any publication whatsoever that has been on for this number of years should be applauded. Because at the time The Catholic Herald was founded, there were secular newspapers, there was West African Pilot, there were the other ones. They have all gone into oblivion. They have all died. “ So , if you have The Catholic Herald that we are alive to celebrate 100 years, I want to congratulate the Archdiocese of Lagos. I want to congratulate the various Bishops up to the present Archbishop of Lagos, Most Rev. (Dr.) Alfred Martins and all those who have been involved, all those who have been part of sustaining The Catholic Herald all these years.”

“Those who are dead, may the Lord grant them eternal rest. Those who are alive, may the Lord bless them. The people who worked in The Catholic Herald with no pay. Many people supported The Catholic Herald generously, free of charge. “We need to acknowledge them. We need to pay tribute to them; those who worked because of their faith, they committed their time to working for The Catholic Herald, either full-time or part-time with little or no pay, and others were just volunteers. Those who are dead, we pray the Lord to grant them with eternal life. May the Lord preserve them. And in the last few years of revamping of the paper and making it also go online so that like I am in Abuja, I receive it every week. “I will want to commend you all for quickly recognising that going digital is the way to go. And as you go digital, you are now able to have writers like me contributing from Abuja, Reuben Abati, Pat Utomi; people wherever they are being able to contribute and being able to read the paper.” On the performance of the paper, he had this to say. “I believe that especially after its revamping in the last few years, I think The Catholic Herald has done admirably well. I will give a very high pass mark to it because when you compare it to other Catholic papers in its class, I think The Catholic Herald has done very, very well. So, I will congratulate you and say that there’s room to do more, but by all standards, The Catholic Herald has done very well,” he said.
The Catholic Herald clocking 100 is a great and uncommon milestone – Sir Ezeh
Sir Don Ezeh, KSM, Metropolitan Grand Knight, Lagos Metropolitan Council, Order of Knights of St. Mulumba Nigeria, described the centenary accomplishment of The Catholic Herald as a great and uncommon milestone. In his letter dated June 17, 2024, he on behalf of the Honoured Order of Knights of St. Mulumba Nigeria, Lagos Metropolitan Council, felicitated with the Publisher, Archbishop Alfred Adewale Martins; Director, Very Rev. Fr. Anthony Godonu and members of Board of Editors on the historic and joyful occasion of the 100th anniversary of The Catholic Herald newspaper.

The letter read in parts, “We join your numerous friends, men and women of goodwill across Nigeria and beyond to celebrate you, and congratulate you on your very laudable achievements through so many years. “We urge you to continue to lead the media and communication race of evangelisation by giving voice of influence and impact to leaders of the Church – the Clergy, the Religious and the Laity. “Your Newspaper has shown uncommon resilience to have taken in your stride the obvious challenges of the last century, still standing strong and vibrant, with renewed zeal and dedication in promoting the Faith and defending the Catholic Church. It is just like, “It’s morning yet on Creation day!”
The Catholic Herald is a true moral guide and a much needed voice in the media space – Mr. Nwanze

Congratulating The Catholic Herald on attaining 100 years of continuous publication, Mr. Peter Nwanze, Chairman, All Purpose Committee, Lagos Archdiocese noted that the newspaper is “A true moral guide and a much needed voice in the media space.” He said, “Your endurance over the years speaks to the hard work, resilience, consistency and excellence of your great team. “We are proud to be associated with the world Catholic Herald and your regular high quality publications. “We pray the good Lord sustains the grace, energy, and the drive to be in continuous existence for the next hundred years. “Ad multos annos!”
It has been on the progressive lane – Sir Adekoya
Sir Thomas Adekoya KSJI, immediate past national president of the National Laity Council and former Lagos Archdiocesan Laity Chairman gave his assessment of The Catholic Herald weekly newspaper at 100 years. He said, “Ever since it started, it has been on the progressive lane. It has not seized from what it was in the past, it’s improving more and more. Though there was a time I heard it had issues with circulation. But now it’s on a steady progressive lane. It’s doing very well with good content every week. Sir Adekoya further x-rayed The Catholic Herald newspaper, recognising the works of the Archbishops, Directors and Editors since the inception of the newspaper as far back as 1924. “Since when I have been aware of this publication, it has been at the forefront of propagating liturgical issues as well as spiritual and temporal issues. They have been doing very well.

And it has also contributed to so many topics that are of great importance to the development of the souls of the faithful. “I would say that because some of the write-ups and prolific writers that have always been featuring in most of the monthly, bi-weekly and now weekly editions. It also speaks on issues nationally and internationally as good coverage of the Vatican, especially as it relates to activities and appointments of Bishops globally. I wish to commend the past workers that have contributed to the development of this newspaper, some are late. We have Very Rev. Msgr. Gabriel Osu, Director at one time, followed by Very Rev. Fr. Anthony Godonu, the current Director. And Editors as well, including Mr. Tony Agbugba and the present one, Lady Neta Nwosu. “We cannot fail to mention His Eminence, Anthony Cardinal Okogie for the existence of The Catholic Herald publication and his predecessor who took over from him, Archbishop Alfred Adewale Martins.”
Sir Adekoya sent his goodwill message, “For His Grace, who I will refer to as the proprietor of The Catholic Herald, he has done very well. And I say to him, you cannot stop, whenever you lay your hands on the plough, you must continue to move ahead. Forge ahead for the greater success. “And for the Director, Rev. Fr. Godonu, he has improved on what he got from his predecessor that is, Very Rev. Msgr. Osu. Msgr. Osu did his own at his time. He was also very good. “For the current editorial team led by indefatigable Lady Neta Nwosu, they are fantastic and doing very well. So, for now, I can score them 80 percent. And I wish the publication and the entire team all the best as y o u strive to attain the greater height you are looking forward to.”
The Catholic Herald is a great read, the Children’s page is amazing – Lady Alabi
Commenting on the centenary attainment of The Catholic Herald, Lady Catherine Alabi, President of the Catholic Women Organisation Nigeria, Lagos Archdiocese (CWONLA) attributed the longevity of the newspaper to quality content that cuts across faith, moral issues and speaking to power. Speaking further, she noted that there is a lot to read in the newspaper, coupled with the weekly discourse of the children that borders on religious matters, moral and social issues, capable of enhancing spirituality and responsible behaviour of children. “People are always looking forward to reading it because of their faith. The Catholic Herald is a great read, the Children’s page is amazing.

The Catholic Herald is unlike other publications that are full of junk and what not,” Lady Alabi stated. She conveyed CWONLA’s goodwill message, “The entire members of the CWONLA are congratulating His Grace, Most Rev. (Dr.) Alfred Adewale Martins and his predecessors – His Eminence, Anthony Cardinal Olubunmi Okogie, Late Archbishop JKA Aggey and all the past Bishops for their contributions to the sustenance of The Catholic Herald newspaper. May God continue to strengthen the publisher and his team.”
Reaching out globally through its social media handles is quite commendable – Rev. Sr. Odorwike
According to Rev. Sr. Josephine Odorwike, Director of Social Communications, Eucharistic Heart of Jesus Sisters, the newspaper has done well heralding in the modern digital world through which the Church and society can reckon with, through not just the conventional channels, but also utilising the new media to disseminate the gospel; being the voice of the voiceless and living out its responsibility to checkmate and speak out the ills in the society.

“There’s huge and impressive changes, both in style, language and proactive production. And also reaching out globally through its social media handles is quite commendable,” she said. Sr. Odorwike wished, “The Catholic Herald’s team fruitfulness and selfless services as it keeps disseminating truth in all ramifications to the Church and society as the fourth realm of the estate.”
It’s fantastic, at 100 years, it is even more robust – Mr. Ezeifedi
Mr. Julius Ezeifedi, Chairman, Lagos Archdiocesan Laity Council said that The Catholic Herald has come to stay despite the challenges and all the odds. He said, “And I think to the best of my knowledge, so far so good, The Catholic Herald newspaper is doing well. The only challenge I see is the capability of The Catholic Herald trying to circulate the more and compete with the daily newspapers. So far, the newspaper is doing well. It’s fantastic, at 100 years it is even more robust. “

The newspaper is doing well in terms of evangelisation; in terms of letting the people know about the Church and its activities; in terms of propagating the faith outside, through its online copies. I think it has been trying in bridging the gap between the old and the new generations of Catholics in terms of communication, in terms of information, in terms of being educative and all the rest of it.” Mr. Ezeifedi, on behalf of all the lay faithful in Lagos, congratulated His Grace, Archbishop Alfred Adewale Martins on the 100th anniversary of The Catholic Herald newspaper.