Yesterday & Today: What led the Irish Reverend Father Shanahan to become Anambra Ìgbos’ favourite priest?
This time out in our reminiscing, we see into a bond that unexpectedly blossomed in the heart of a tribe that seemed set in its ways and how easy was it to redeem souls that seemed lost with the Irish method.
Before Christian identities came to become part of daily life in present southeastern Nigeria, polytheist feelings guided every thought until Reverend Father Joseph Shanahan (1871–1943), later Bishop, came to change all that. A journey back to the 1940s would show a barge – the Shanahan – loaded with two automobiles. The cargo transiting between Onitsha and Asaba will cross through the River Niger on every trip. This simple limited option for mobility has led to Ìgbos having a European as fondly remembered folk hero.
How the Ireland-born Reverend etched into the annals of Nigerian history, especially within the Catholic communities of Onitsha, Anambra State was through a colonial period zealous mission reeking of determination and foresight at the time. This is why he left an indelible mark on the religious and educational landscape of the area. His journey wasn’t merely geographical; it was a profound cultural and spiritual voyage, touching the lives of countless Igbo communities.
The 1940s witnessed a significant chapter in his missionary endeavours, particularly highlighted by the legendary barge crossings between Onitsha and Asaba. These riverine travels weren’t just logistical feats; they symbolised the arduous and relentless pursuit of spiritual outreach to communities steeped in traditional religious practices, often regarded as ‘pagan’ by the colonial and missionary narratives.
Shanahan’s use of water transport was crucial; without it, bridging the gap between these secluded regions and the message of Christianity would have been near impossible. His journeys whether on a barge or some sort of waterway transport through the Onitsha-Asaba crossing stand as a testament to his commitment and the strategic necessity of his mission.
Spiritual legacy
Reverend Father Joseph Shanahan’s legacy is visible in the Cathedral Basilica of the Most Holy Trinity, Onitsha in Anambra State.
In Catholicism, it is the seat of the Archdiocese of Onitsha and there mightn’t have been the birth to life of this sprawling structure without the Irish joining the French on a mission to Nigeria under British rule. He founded the Basilica which gained its status in 2007 when Pope Benedict XVI headed the Catholic church and the Vatican City.
Internally, the natives were taking in life while being annexed by a higher hand. It was in 1886 that traditional chiefs offered the piece of land that the cathedral would be built on to an earlier mission. Just a year after the Berlin Conference in Germany which saw other European contemporaries’ acceptance of British control over the future of Nigeria.
Although 20 hectares of land given by the chiefs had been available since the late 19th century, it was only much later in 1935 that the church sprung to life.
Two years before this, Joseph Shanahan had already attained Bishophood and was dealing with frailness with this health. A worrisome eye infection led him back to Ireland for the time being. Blessing the newly built cathedral in the Name of God brought him back to Onitsha in December 1935, the official commissioning of a future Basilica for worship about a century later.
Before this moment, a dual-purpose building had been what the local Catholics were utilising both for worship and school learning but a spirit-led Irish intervention through collaboration with the Anambra locals changed that.
When he died in Nairobi, Kenya in 1943, it was why even though he had been initially laid to rest in East Africa, he was later exhumed and reburied at the Basilica 13 years later, being the founder.
Ndi Ìgbo love
Even today, Father Shanahan is remembered fondly, almost mythically, within the communities he touched. His tall, bearded figure remains a symbol of dedication and spiritual guidance.
To the Catholics in Onitsha, he is more than a missionary; he is a folk hero whose life’s work laid the foundations for the thriving Catholic presence in the region.
Shanahan’s era and efforts also find a nuanced reflection in literary works like Chinua Achebe’s “Things Fall Apart.” The character of Okonkwo represents the resistance to cultural incursion and colonialism in Umuofia and the struggle against the wave of change brought by figures like Shanahan.
Achebe’s narrative captures the tension and the transformative impact of missionary work in Igboland, showcasing the complexities and the eventual assimilation that Shanahan’s mission contributed to.
