The 75th Anniversary celebration of the founding of Bishop Shanahan College, Orlu (1949-2024) have finally come and gone. To many of the Old Boys of the famous institution who attended the epoch-making event from across the country and beyond, there has never been any homecoming as massive and as eventful and successful as the Diamond Jubilee celebration.
It attracted Old Boys of the highly reputable school from inception with one of the pioneer set of 1949-1953, Dr. Onyemereobi, in attendance.
The ceremony was, indeed, eventful and fun-filled with many Old Boys who had not seen each other for decades enjoying the opportunity and privilege of meeting once again. The spirit of camaraderie and conviviality exhibited by joyful Old Boys was pervasive across the school premises. The exchange of banter seemed to be endless, with overwhelming enthusiasm and deafening salutations.
However, the highest point of the extraordinary event was the presence of the Apostolic Nuncio to Sri Lanka, Archbishop Brain Udaigwe, who led the Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Orlu, the Most Rev. Dr. Augustine Tochukwu Ukwuoma and some other priests who are Old Boys of the eminent school in performing the concelebrated Holy Mass marking the Diamond Jubilee. The historic Mass which took place in the imposing Chapel of St. Justin is the first to be celebrated by an Archbishop and a Papal Nuncio within the school premises.
The Papal Nuncio shared a personal experience of how he encountered a Sri Lankan, who once told him that his uncle taught in a popular secondary school in Nigeria several years ago. The Sri Lankan thought that the Archbishop would know the exceptional school where his uncle taught. The Archbishop’s initial reaction was that this could not be possible as Nigeria is a vast country with near-countless schools, including extremely good ones. He, nevertheless, went ahead to ask the Sri Lankan to mention the name of the very good school where his uncle taught. To his utmost surprise, he named the school as Bishop Shanahan College, Orlu. According to the Papal Nuncio, this revelation evoked great joy in him, as he knows the school very well and had always regarded the students as special people. Those of us who attended BSC between 1975 and 1980 instantly knew that the teacher in question must be Mr. Sighn, our Mathematics teacher, who all of us regarded as an Indian national, until the story of the Papal Nuncio.
From every indication, the Old Boys of the highly reputable institution as well as the current students and staff, will forever cherish the very rare and wonderful experience of having the Papal Nuncio cum Archbishop celebrate a Holy Mass with the Bishop of the Diocese of Orlu right on the soil of our great Alma Mater.
Below are photographic and video images of the Diamond Jubilee celebration of Bishop Shanahan College, Orlu, held on 19th and 20th December, 2024.
