About Me

REV. MSGR. PAUL BESSONG ENOW

He was born on Saturday 13 August 1955 to the family of Mr. Benedict Enow Tabe and Alice Tabe Egbe (both late) of the Banyang tribe of Nchang, Mamfe, Manyu Division of Cameroon’s South West Region.

Young Paul attended Catholic Primary Schools in Tiko and Bota between 1961 and 1967. He then proceeded to the renowned St. Joseph’s College, Sasse, Buea for his secondary education from 1967-1972. Later on Paul obtained Higher National Diploma (HND) in Accountancy from the Polytechnic Calabar in 1981.

While in the Polytechnic, Paul had the stirrings of a vocation to the Celibate Catholic Priesthood. In October 1982, he was accepted by then Bishop of Benin City (now Archbishop Emeritus) Most Rev. Dr. Patrick Ebosele Ekpu into the St John of the Cross Spiritual Year (then a campus of Ss. Peter and Paul Seminary Ibadan). In October 1983, he moved into the Ss. Peter and Paul Seminary, Ibadan. His studies here lasted till June 1990. During this period, he obtained the following academic qualifications: Diploma in Religious Studies (1987) Bachelor of Arts (Religious Studies) 1990 all from the University of Ibadan. He also obtained Bachelor of Theology (B.Th) from the Urban University in Rome in 1990. All these were in the Second Class Upper Division.

On 8 September 1990, Paul along with five others were ordained Catholic Priests at St. Paul Catholic Church, Airport Road Benin City. It is to be noted that Fr Paul is the first Parishioner of St. Paul Catholic Church to be ordained a Catholic Priest. The Ordination was witnessed by his late mother along with 32 others from Mamfe Cameroon. Paul’s father died in 1983. Since Ordination to the Priesthood, Msgr. Paul B. Enow has worked in many Parishes/Institutions:

  • Rector, St. Patrick Catholic Church Ugbowo 1990-1992
  • Assistant Priest, St. Thomas Aquinas Benin City: September 1992- January 1995
  • Parish Administrator, Mary the Queen, Ekpoma: January 1995- November 1995 4.
  • Parish Administrator, Sacred Heart, Agenebode: November 1995-July 1996
  • Relief duty, St. Joseph, Igueben July 1998-October 1998
  • Assistant Priest Overall Administration, Holy Cross Cathedral July 1999-July 2004
  • Parish Priest, St. Patrick, Ugbowo July 2004-December 2006
  • Parish Priest, St. Paul Catholic Church, Airport Road December 2006-September 2017
  • Parish Priest, Our Lady of Fatima, Ugbor September 2017 till date

While carrying out the above assignments, Msgr. Paul was charged with additional duties:

  • Vice Chancellor II September 1990- September 1992
  • Vice Rector, St. Paul Minor Seminary September 1992- January 1995
  • Financial Administrator of the Archdiocese September 1990- July 1996 July 1999 till date
  • Part-time Lecturer, All Saints Seminary Ekpoma: 1995-1996/2001-2015
  • Facilitator, Archbishop P.E. Ekpu Limex Centre 2009
  • Lecture, St. Boniface Catechetical Centre 2009-2015
  • Chairman, Academic Board, St. Boniface Catechetical Centre 2014 till date
  • Member, Board of Trustees, Project Chari love 1990 till date
  • Chaplain: Catholic Nurses Guild: 1990-1997/1999 till date
  • Knights/Ladies of Mulumba Catholic Doctors: 2010 till date

Rev. Msgr. Paul B. Enow has organized and facilitated a number of Retreats which include the following:

  • St. John of the Cross Spiritual Year, Ekpoma
  • Ss. Peter and Paul Major Seminary, Ibadan
  • Seminary of All Saints, Ekpoma
  • Good Shepherd Seminary, Kaduna
    1. St. John of the Cross Spiritual Year, Ekpoma
    2. Ss. Peter and Paul Major Seminary, Ibadan
    3. Seminary of All Saints, Ekpoma
    4. Good Shepherd Seminary, Kaduna
      In the above, retreats were given more than once.
    5. Catholic Institute of West Africa 1996
    6. Diocese of Uyo: 199-2006
    7. Diocese of Lokoja: 2011
    8. Diocese of Issele Uku: 2011
    9. Diocese of Ondo: 2012
      The above 5-9 were retreats for Priests
    10. Archdiocese of Benin City: Candidates for Diaconate/Priestly Ordination 1999-2005
    11. Many Parishes within and outside the Archdiocese of Benin City.

In July 1996, Msgr. Paul B. Enow was sent for Postgraduate Studies at the Catholic Institute of West Africa (CIWA) Port Harcourt. He was read Biblical Theology. He graduated in June 1999 with a Second Class Upper. He holds a Masters in Theology (M. Th) from the University of Calabar.

In 2015, with the celebration of his Silver Jubilee of Priestly Ordination, Msgr. Paul stopped Part-time lecturing at the Seminary of All Saints, Ekpoma. In August 2016, he started writing daily reflections on the word of God. This is still going on. He shares these reflections on the social media: Facebook, WhatsApp, Telegram. With the lockdown occasioned by COVID-19, he started online broadcasting of Masses in March 2021. This still continues on a daily basis (Weekdays 6:30am, Sundays 7:00am). He does this through The Eternal Word Reflections. This has been duly registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), Abuja. Like his Patron Saint, St. Paul, he ardently longs to reach many people sharing God’s word.

Msgr. Paul has met many on his journey of life of which he has fond memories. His classmates of the 1967 class of St. Joseph’s College, Sasse, Buea, Cameroon tagged Solidarity 1967; his classmates in the course of Seminary formation;his classmates and other colleagues during Postgraduate Studies at CIWA, Port Harcourt; his formators at the Seminary notably Fr. Gregory Abiebhode (late), Msgr. John K.A. Aniagwu, Msgr. Benedict E. Etafo; the many Parishioners he met during these thirty one years of Priestly life; his brother Priests in the Archdiocese of Benin City and beyond; male and female religious.

Msgr. Paul is grateful to God Almighty for His blessings over the years. He is also grateful to Most Rev. Dr. Patrick Ebosele Ekpu (Emeritus Archbishop of Benin, Benin City) who ordained him and continues to take a personal interest in him. He is grateful to his Local Ordinary, Most Rev. Dr. Augustine Obiora Akubeze at whose instance, he has been elevated to the rank of a Monsignor in the Church. May God continue to endow Archbishop Akubeze with all that he needs to shepherd the flock entrusted to him. Amen. He is grateful to his immediate and extended family for their physical and spiritual support. He is also grateful to the Archbishop of Bamenda and Apostolic Administrator of the Diocese of Mamfe, Cameroon, Msgr. Andrew Fuanya Nkea. He is grateful to the Priests/Religious from Manyu, Cameroon, especially Very Rev. Fr. Paul Ayuk Obi with whom he was lived and worked closely in the almost last four years. In summary, Msgr. Paul B. Enow is grateful to all who have been part of his Priestly life.

Msgr. Paul B. Enow sees his elevation to rank of a Monsignor as a call to sustained dedication to God, the Church and humanity. He humbly asks for the prayers of all to remain focused and always do the needful as a Catholic Priest worth the name.

Reflections Corner

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