Gilbert Ekezie
The Catholic Archbishop of Lagos, Most Rev Dr Alfred Adewale Martins, has appointed the Priest-in-Charge of the Catholic Church of the Presentation, Festac Town, Lagos, Rev. Fr. Anthony Gbenayon Godonu, as an acting Director of Social Communications of the Church in the Archdiocese. His appointment takes effect from April 1, 2019.
Martins in a release in Lagos on Monday said Rev Fr Godonu takes over from Msgr Gabriel Osu who had served meritoriously in that capacity for over two decades.
Godonu was born on March 23, 1976, to the family of late Mr. and Mrs Roger and Celestina Godonu of Porto-Novo, Republic of Benin.
He grew up in Badagry where he had his primary and secondary school education at Our Lady of Apostles (O.L.A.) Primary School from 1984 -1990 and Badagry Grammar School (B.G.S) from 1990 to 1996 respectively.
With the dream of becoming a Catholic priest, Godonu was admitted into St. John of the Cross Seminary, Ekpoma, Edo-State for his one- year spiritual experience (a kind of preparatory year for the priestly training proper) in January 1998 under the auspices of the Catholic Archdiocese of Lagos.
According to the release, in October 1998, he was admitted into the Major Seminary of All Saints, Uhiele-Ekpoma, Edo-State, for his philosophical and theological studies where, he later bagged his Bachelor of Arts degree (B.A. Hons) in Philosophy from the University of Benin, Benin City in 2002.
Four years later, he bagged another Bachelor’s degree in Sacred Theology (B.Th.) from the Pontifical Urban University, Rome, Italy in 2006.
On December 15, 2005, Fr Tony G. as he is fondly called, was raised to the diaconate order alongside some of his classmates by his Eminence, Anthony, Cardinal Okogie at the Seminary of All Saints, Uhiele, Ekpoma, Edo State.
On December 9, 2006, along with five other deacons, Godonu was ordained a Catholic priest by Anthony Cardinal Okogie, the then Archbishop of Lagos at St. Mary’s Catholic Church, Ajegunle, Lagos.
Since his ordination, Fr Godonu has worked in the following parishes: Our Lady of the Holy Rosary Catholic Church, Ogba, Immaculate Conception Catholic Church, Ibonwon, Epe, St. Paul’s Catholic Church, Ebute-Metta, St. Mary’s Catholic Church, Ajegunle, St. Margaret’s Catholic Church, Olodi, Apapa, and St Gerald’s Catholic Church, Soluyi, Gbagada.
Between these several pastoral assignments in the archdiocese, he was sent to Rome, Italy in June 2011 for postgraduate studies in Social Communications where he had his Masters degree in Communication.