ABOUT

INTRODUCTION TO CBIU (CATHOLIC BIBLICAL INSTRUCTORS’ UNION)

BRIEF HISTORY OF THE UNION 

The Catholic Biblical Instructors’ Union (C.B.I.U) was founded by late Rev. Fr Benedict I. Nwolu on September 18, 1974 at C.K.C Aba, while a Curate under late Rt. Rev. Msgr. Edward Nwafor, during the bishopric of late Most Rev. Dr Anthony Nwedo, C.S.Sp; the then Bishop of Umuahia Diocese.

It was later established at St. Eugene and Our Lady of Lourdes Parishes Aba, respectively. The Union, which started with about thirty-eight members at C.K.C, Aba, now operates in more than 33 Dioceses with over twenty thousand members.  

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: 

• To bring back with the aid of the Holy Bible the lost sheep of the Catholic Church. 
• To correct the false impression that Catholics are not allowed to study or to read the Bible. 
• To train her members and non-members alike to be obedient, truthful, humble, honest and convinced Christians of Catholic faith. 
• To penetrate and establish the Catholic Church where the Church does not exist or has no stronghold and to serve as emergency Catechists etc.

Within these forty-one years of the Union’s existence, laudable achievements have been recorded to God’s greater glory. The Union has about 400 branches within the dioceses and archdioceses in Nigeria. About 150 branches have been officially launched by the National Council of C.B.l.U. The Union has several band sets popularly known as Eucharistic Band. Presently; there are about 5 of such band sets commissioned for use. 

This Union has her temporary Secretariat at CK.C Aba (at the C.B.l.U Secretariat) and a permanent site for such and other establishments at Umuogbu in Isiala Ngwa, South L.G.A., Abia State (opposite Nigerian Navy Camp). The Union is managed by C.B.I.U National Council which comprises of the representatives from various Dioceses.

The National Council is led by Humblest Servants, while the Provinces and Dioceses are led by Humbler Servants. The Units and Branches are led by Humble Servants. The Union holds Conventions at the National, Provincial and Diocesan levels every three years, while Units/Zones or Deaneries and Branches hold regular crusades.

Adopted from the C.B.I.U 2016 Liturgical Diary and Weekly Topics

THE HISTORY OF THE CATHOLIC BIBLICAL INSTRUCTORS UNION (CBIU)

INTRODUCTION: 

The Union C.B.I.U is recognized in Nigeria (since 12/5/84) by His Lordship Bishop A.G. Nwedo (CSSP) of Umuahia Diocese; a member of Catholic Biblical Apostate of Nigeria-CBAN and is now going international. 

It has as its policy and motto: 

“No half measure (Rev. 3:16) and action speaks louder than words” (Matt. 7:24; 1 Cor. 11:1) respectively. Study is esteemed in the scheme of affairs of the Union. In this study, the prospective members are taught to know very well the doctrine and practice of the Catholic Church, they would later teach or explain to others, bearing in mind that nobody gives what he or she has not.

HUMBLE BEGINNING- THE TREASURE IN BUD 

This Union was conceived of the Holy Spirit in the mind of Late Rev. Fr. Benedict I. Nwolu of the then Umuahia Diocese. He, as a young boy, right from his primary school days had experienced with much distress the incessant harassment of himself and other Catholics of his village Urnunkpeyi Nvosi in isiala Ngwa L.G.A., by other Churches and sects, especially the Jehovah’s witnesses. These carried about their bible unchallenged, visited every house, nook and cranny of the village and quoted profusely from the bible to condemn Catholic Doctrine and to support their teachings, all to the amazement of the ordinary Catholic who neither had any Igbo Catholic Bible to read, heard little about the bible and as such could hardly quote a single chapter or verse to defend himself. The menace heightened after the civil war in 1970 and reached its climax in 1972 the very year Rev. Nwolu began his theological studies. The situation thus aroused in him a peculiar interest in the Bible and in the systematic and topical approach to issues pertaining the Catholic Doctrines. The evangelical policy of this humble founder is: “If the devil can use a hook to drag souls to hell, he will refine the very hook, Catholicize it and use it to drag the very souls out of hell to Heaven”.

With the aim in mind to rescue the defenseless Catholic of his village, to refute the inauthentic teachings of the other sects and so check the desertion of Catholic to these sects, and armed with the quotations carefully gleaned from Catholic sources, Rev. Father Benedict Nwolu plunged into developing relevant topic from the bible for the refutation of the anti—Catholic Doctrines. This took a good part of his time and studies at the Bigard Memorial Seminary Enugu, and thanks to God the tenth year anniversary celebration of the Union and the emergence of the constitution stand to prove that his efforts were not in vain.

The initial experiment was carry out in the father’s own village, Umunkpeyi Nvosi in Isiala Ngwa L.G.A. when during one of the long vocations, after his apostolic work, he went home and undertook himself a group of young lads from the Block-Rosary Society of his village on how to use logically and systematically the quotations he had assembled for countering the false-non-Catholic doctrines and for stabilizing the Catholic faith of his people. That initial circle included: Messrs. Felix Nwogu, Michael Ururuka, Patrick Nwosu, Nicholas Nnakwu, Matthew Amanze and Late Michael Sunday Ekwuribe. These practically devoured the quotations and the method he taught them without hesitation since it was what they thirsted for a long time. They soon quoted from the Bible freely like the other sects and successfully refuted the major topics the Jehovah’s witnesses brought against the Catholic Church and her teachings, to the surprise of both the Catholic and the Jehovah’s witnesses themselves. The rubbincon was then crossed. 

OBJECTIVE OF THE UNION: 

The primary aim of Fr. Nwolu was to found a group that would spread and use the Holy Bible effectively as other churches and religious sects, to portray in public and private the beliefs and teachings of the Catholic Church to deepen the faith of the ordinary Catholics and to stop the Catholics especially the youths who were thirsting and questing for a topical and systematic approach to the bible from running from pillar to post for it. 

OBJECTIVES OF THE UNION: 

a.   To penetrate with the holy bible/ to instruct and establish Catholic Churches in Nigeria and beyond; where the Catholic Church has as of now not gained entry or set foot into.

b.   To look for with the bible the lost ones, to bring back the straying, to bandage the doctrinally wounded and to make the weak of the Catholic Church strong.

c.      To watch over the fat and health by constant biblical and catechetical instructions.

d.      To be a true shepherd to them all (Ezek. 34:16). The specialty of this Union and the founding aim of Rev. Fr B. I. Nwolu which is in accordance with his evangelical policy is house to house, village to village, church to church and open air biblical and catechetical retreats and instructions on Christ and his church anywhere especially to non-Catholic area and homes.

The Union is established for the help of all parishes and priests. The spirit of the mission of the Union is that of Christ in (Mk. 16:15) while the evangelical trick of the founder is spread rather than concentration.

FORMALLY IN 1974

After Rev. Fr. Benedict I. Nwolu’s ordination on 21^st April 1974, it pleases God that he should be sent to do his first field ministry under Rt. Rev. Edward Nwafor. Each time after Mass and sermons the youths used to come to him with series of biblical questions.

He answered a lot of them and discovered from their question and quest that despite the long articulate and powerful sermons of the Monsignor every Sunday many of his parishioners especially the youths whose Catholic faith had been battered by the Scripture Union members (SU), the Jehovah’s witness group and other religious sects were like the people of his viilage in a spiritual coma. With this, the young priest approached, Rt. Rev. Msgr. E. Nwafor the parish priest and told him that he was interested in Holy Bible and would like to start a bible class. The Monsignor gave his permission and announced it in the Church. The first gathering was made on 9^th September, 1974. On 18^th of September 1974, CKC Legion hall was half filed with many enthusiastic youths, boys and girls and with a few men and women. Rev. Fr. Nwolu first named the Union “Lay Catholic Preachers Union’’, and it was in this name that the Union was launched at CKC Aba on 16^th March 1975. But when later he reasoned with the Rt. Rev. Msgr. About it, Msgr. explain and said the work of the group was more of instruction than of preaching, that then made Rev. Fr. Nwolu changed the name to “Catholic Biblical Instructors’ Union’ a mission name that spelt out the aim of the founder and the mission of the Union which is to bring back with the aid of the bible, the lost sheep of the Catholic Church and to deepen the faith of the ordinary Catholics. 

Since the 1975 launching, the Union in its youthful vigour, dynamism, coupled with the youthful vigour and dynamism of Mr. Emmanuel Dim the first mother branch humble servant and subsequently the first National Council Humblest Servant, realized and pursuing in practical terms the aim of the Humble instrumental founder spread the Union in a surprise way to the two other strategic and important parishes of Aba Urban, namely: St. Eugene’s and Our Lady of Lourdes to Port-Harcourt Diocese and to St. Patrick’s Ekwerazu, Mbaise of the then Owerri Diocese.

But as of now, the Union as a prominent Catholic Bible Society is dynamically dominating by way of biblical instruction in the entire Catholic Diocese of Nigeria. The Union as is vividly expressed in the Constitution is like any other pious Society in the Catholic Church under the Bishop of the Diocese and his Priests, Its members wholeheartedly welcome their objective pastoral and fatherly guidance, directives, supervision encouragement and help, especially in seeing that the Catholic interpretation of the Bible, the devotions and the doctrines of the Catholic Church are maintained even in the local level. But under the very guidance and supervision they request to be given free hand to participate and contribute their own quota of the apostolate in the Church of Christ.

To know what the Union is, the aim of its humble instrumental founder and all it is out to do, one should patiently go through her constitution. It is full of discipline and every kind of co-operation the priest may objectively require from the members. To get the maximum co-operation and discipline the Catholic Church require of every member, the priests are requested to give the Union in their parishes free-hand to operate her constitution. Any otherwise, should come from the Bishop of the Diocese or from the entire Council of Priests of the Diocese. To the members, the humble founder advises to be humble, faithful to their duty in the Union and to their promise to Christ and his Church. In as much as they dig their feet deep and firmly in the Catholic interpretation of the Bible, in the doctrines, traditions, obedience, devotions, liturgy and practice of the Catholic Church, they should not allowed the good teachings of Christ and His Church they have learnt to be chained to a spot (2 Tim. 2:8-9). They should remember that it is in all checks, calumny, hardship, humiliation, serious warnings and persecutions that the Church spreads, and evangelical preaching is intensified (Matt. 10:23a-b, Acts 4:18-20; Act 5:27-29,42 and Acts 8:1,4-5). To those who under any cloak would not allow you to share the word of God with other parishes and carry the Union’s apostolate to non-Catholic and non-Catholicized areas, the Lord in his own words mandates a way out in (Matt. 10:23a-b). But in all these the Humble founder advises every member to always be a Catholic to the core.

Adopted from the C.B.I.U Course and Constitution By Rev. Fr. B. I. Nwolu (Founder of C.B.I.U)