About our Pastor

ABOUT OUR PASTOR

Very Rev. Fr. Dr. P. Chuma Ibebuike is a priest of the Catholic Diocese of
Orlu. He was ordained a priest on July 22,1979 in the Diocese of Orlu after
his philosophical and theological studies at the Bigard Memorial Seminary
Enugu (Nigeria). From 1979 - 1981 he served as the assistant Bishop's
secretary to Bishop M.O. Unegbu of Owerri Diocese. He later studied at the
Jesuit Faculty of Theology, St. Georgen in Frankfurt, Germany where he
obtained his Doctorate Degree in Theology in 1988. In 1989, he hrther
studied at the University of San Francisco where he obtained his Masters
Degree in Education. In 1995, Father was appointed, by the Holy See, as a
member of the LutheranIRoman Catholic International Commission on
Unity. Since 1994 he has served as a lecturer at the Seat of Wisdom
Seminary Owerri and was the academic Dean of the Department of Theology
for two tenures from 1996 - 2002. He also served as the First Registrar
coordinating the affairs of the affiliation of the Seminary to Imo State
University Owerri. He was the chairman of the Commission on Ecumenism
and the Director of the Ongoing Formation for Priests in Orlu Diocese.
In October 2006 Father came to the Diocese of Little Rock on extended
sabbatical leave. In our Diocese he has served at Springdale, Hot Springs,
Immaculate Conception in N. Little Rock and Crossett/McGhee.
Now we are blessed to have him as our Pastor and Shepherd here at St. John.
May God bless Father Chuma in his ministry here and may we continually be
blessed through his spiritual and liturgical guidance.