By Charles Igwe
Pope Francis has appointed Monsignor Thomas Ifeanyichukwu Obiatuegwu, a clergy member of the Catholic Diocese of Orlu, as the Auxiliary Bishop for the same diocese, assigning him the titular see of Horrea Cœlia.
Monsignor Obiatuegwu, born on January 1, 1966, in Uli, Anambra State, served as the Parish Priest of St Thomas Umuna Catholic Church in Orlu Diocese before this appointment.
Ordained a priest on August 26, 1995, for the Diocese of Orlu, Monsignor Obiatuegwu is an alumnus of the Minor Seminary in Umuowa, Saint Joseph Major Seminary in Ikot-Ekpene, and Bigard Memorial Seminary in Enugu. He holds Master’s degrees in Philosophy from the Universidad de Navarra, Pamplona, Spain, and Public Management and Policy from Indiana University in the United States.
Throughout his service, the Auxiliary Bishop-Elect has held various roles, including Chaplain of the hospital of Amaigbo (1995-1997), Parish Priest of Saint Theresa Catholic Church, Amauju, Isunjaba (1997-2001), Parish Vicar of Saint Patrick Catholic Church, Kokoma, Indiana, USA (2004-2010), and Chaplain of the USA Army (2010-2017). He also served as Parish Priest of Holy Rosary Catholic Church, Orlu (2017-2018), Parish Priest of Saint Michael Catholic Church, Urualla (2018-2023), and Dean of the Saint Michael pastoral zone (2018-2023). Since 2023, he has been the Parish Priest of Saint Joseph Catholic Church, Umuna, Orlu.
Upon his episcopal ordination, Monsignor Obiatuegwu will serve as an assistant to Most Reverend Augustine Tochukwu Ukwuoma, the 70-year-old Bishop of the Diocese since June 2008.
