St. Joseph Cath Church Ekpan.

01/02/2026

01/02/2026

14/12/2025

Public Announcement: St. Joseph Catholic Parish, refinery road Ekpan. Warri, Delta State

We regret to inform the public that on Thursday 4th of December 2025, between 11:30 AM and 12:00 PM, St. Joseph Catholic Parish in refinery road Ekpan, Warri, Delta State, experienced a robbery. During this incident, our solar systems, sound systems, speakers, two sided fans and other valuable items were stolen. The security personnel on duty was unfortunately restrained.

We appeal to the public for assistance. If anyone comes across any of these stolen items or has any information about the perpetrators, we kindly urge you to come forward. Your help is crucial in recovering the stolen property and bringing the culprits to justice.

We also invite everyone to join us in prayers for the safety and security of our community.

Thank you for your understanding and cooperation.

27/07/2025

17th Sunday in Ordinary Time
# TEHILLAH
for the aged
of new CMO excos in the parish

26/07/2025

You are all invited

21/07/2025

May Almighty God show you favour as you go out this week

20/07/2025

Photos: 16TH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

30/06/2025

Faith and Culture in display
The solemnity of SS. Peter and Paul

23/06/2025

Look up to God in this New week and He's ready to lead and guide your steps

23/06/2025

💔 Tragedy Strikes During Holy Mass in Damascus: 20 Faithful Martyred

In a heartbreaking act of violence, a su***de bomber targeted worshippers gathered for Mass at Mar Elias Church in Dweil’a, on the outskirts of Damascus, Syria, this Sunday. According to the Syrian Ministry of Health and security sources, at least 20 people were killed, and dozens more wounded, many critically.

The attacker, identified by the Interior Ministry as a member of the extremist group ISIS, reportedly entered the church during the sacred liturgy, opened fire on the congregation, and then detonated an explosives vest, turning a moment of worship into a scene of horror.

No group has formally claimed responsibility yet, but witness accounts support the statement from authorities that this was an intentional assault against Christians gathered in prayer.

As we mourn this grievous loss, we remember the words of Christ:

🕯️ “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
(Matthew 5:10)

These martyrs died clinging to their faith, within the house of God. May their sacrifice be a seed of peace and a testimony of unshakable belief in Christ.

🙏 Prayer for the Victims and the Church in Syria

Lord Jesus Christ,
You are close to the brokenhearted and You save those crushed in spirit.
Today, we bring before You the souls of the faithful who were slain while worshipping You in Damascus.
Receive them into Your eternal embrace, where every tear is wiped away and death is no more.
Comfort the grieving families and all who are wounded, physically or spiritually, by this brutal act.
Strengthen Your Church in Syria and around the world, that in the face of persecution, she may stand firm in faith, radiant in hope, and rooted in love.
Turn the hearts of those who do evil, and bring peace to every corner afflicted by hatred.
We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

🕊️ Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them.

22/06/2025

STATEMENT ON THE MASSACRE IN NIGERIA

Bishop Joseph Strickland
Jun 16, 2025

My dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

With a heart weighed down by sorrow and righteous anger, I join the Holy Father, Pope Leo XIV, in mourning the brutal massacre that took place in Benue State, Nigeria. Nearly 200 souls—many of them our own brothers and sisters in Christ, internally displaced and seeking refuge in the arms of the Church—were savagely slaughtered in Yelwata, Guma, during the night of June 13th.

They were not soldiers. They were not armed. They were poor. They were vulnerable. And they were targeted.

Let us be absolutely clear: this was not merely a tragedy. It was a targeted massacre of innocent Christians, many of whom had already lost everything. And they were murdered while under the shelter of the Church.

How long, O Lord? How long will the world remain silent as the blood of martyrs cries out from the soil of Africa?

We cannot look away. We cannot remain silent.

To the faithful of Benue—especially the survivors: we see you. We grieve with you. And we stand with you. The Body of Christ is one. When one member suffers, all suffer. Your blood is the seed of faith; your perseverance is a rebuke to the comfortable; your tears are mingled with the tears of Our Lady, who stood at the foot of the Cross.

I call on the Nigerian government to fulfill its sacred duty: to protect the innocent and punish the wicked. Justice delayed is justice denied. And when Christians are slaughtered in their hundreds with impunity, it is not only a failure of governance—it is a scandal before Heaven.

I call on governments around the world, especially in the West, to open their eyes to this ongoing persecution. Christian blood is being spilled in Nigeria with alarming regularity—and yet, the world’s conscience remains dormant.

Let us not be numbered among those who looked away. Let us not be the priest or the Levite who passed by on the other side. No. Let us be the Samaritan. Let us kneel in prayer. Let us fast in reparation. Let us raise our voices and demand truth, justice, and peace.

To my fellow shepherds in the episcopate: if we do not cry out now, we are complicit in the silence.

May the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. May the Sacred Heart of Jesus, pierced and bleeding still, hold the martyrs of Benue close. And may the Immaculate Heart of Mary wrap the survivors in her mantle of consolation.

Let us pray:

“Deliver me from the hand of mine enemies, and from them that persecute me.”

— Psalm 30:16

Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord.

And let perpetual light shine upon them.

May justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like a mighty stream.

In Christ our King,

Bishop Joseph E. Strickland