St Anthony’ Catholic Church Obeagu Akwunanaw. Enugu State. 

As the Catholic Missionaries arrived Onitsha on Saturday December 5th, 1885 and continued to reach out to the interiors of Igbo land through Aguleri, Eke, Uturu, Okigwe, Mmaku and Awgu, they got down to Oduma Community in the year 1920; in fulfillment of Jesus command to his apostles “… and you will be my witness in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8).
Accordingly, the Rev. Fr. Gauian established the first Church/School, St. Anthony’s between Ameke and Amagu villages in 1925 through one Chief Onyegbune a native of Umunochi of the present Abia State.
Oduma as a very large community with thick population had additional stations created as the number of converts continued to increase; they include: St. Nicholas Ohofia, St. Theresa’ Obeagu, St. Francis Ukete, St. Dominic’s Odumachara and Christ the King Agugwu Ohofia.

On September 25, 1990 the foundation of the St. Anthony’s parish building was laid by the then Rev. Fr. Luke Adike, and as it pleased His Lordship, Bishop Michael U. Eneja, the Church rose to the statues of a parish on September 25, 1993 with Rev. Fr. Theophilus Nwodo as the pioneer Parish Priest. He was succeeded by Rev. Fr. Damian Ekete on September 20, 1996 who served a year and four months and was succeeded by Rev. Fr. Joseph Ogbonna who arrived the Parish on 6th February 1998. After him came Fr. Kalvin Achu in August 2000, and was succeeded by Fr. Victor Anigbo in July 2001 (his first missionary journey). He witnessed the creation and inauguration of new St. Nicholas Parish Ohafia Oduma by Bishop M. U. Eneja of Enugu Diocese on 16th August 2002. Fr. AnthoLinus Aneke took over from him on September 2004 and then Fr. Oswald Ikeude on October 2005.