The Parish is located in Dakace along Zaria-Jos road, under Zaria Local Government Area of Kaduna State. The village is comprised of Traditionalists, Christians and Muslims; the Muslims being the majority. St. Anthony’s Church was created in the late 1970s as an outstation church first under Christ the King Church, which is now our Cathedral, and later under St Stephen’s Parish, Dutsen Wai. However, with the growing population of parishioners in the church, it was made a Parish in 2007 by Bishop George Jonathan Dodo. The parish has a population of 2,613 registered members who are mostly indigenes of Zaria (the Kurumas and Hausa Christians or Mihisiyawas) and a handful of visitors from different parts of the country. Their major occupation is petty trading and small scale farming, such as subsistent agriculture and the keeping of domestic animals.
Pastor in charge
The pastor of St. Anthony’s parish is Rev. Fr. Peter Ogwuche, a priest of the Catholic Diocese of Zaria. He was ordained on 19th July, 2008 at Christ the King Catholic Cathedral, Zaria by His Lordship Most Rev. George Jonathan Dodo, the Catholic Bishop of Zaria Diocese.
He first served at St Augustine of Hippo’s Parish, Kongo as Associate parish priest from August 2008 to January 2010. He was transferred to Our Lady Queen of Peace Parish at the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, where He served as Associate
priest from January 2010 to October 2013. While he was there, he was also appointed the director of communications for the Catholic Diocese of Zaria and the diocesan chaplain for the Association of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and Immaculate Heart of Mary and Precious Blood and Divine Mercy Groups. These two offices he held together with his parish commitment until October 2013, when he was sent on further studies to read Pastoral Communication at the Catholic Institute of West Africa (CIWA), Port Harcourt in Nigeria. He returned from school to the diocese upon completion of his studies in September 2015 and was appointed the Parish priest of St. Anthony of Padua’s Parish, Dakace on 1st October, 2015, while still retaining his office as the diocesan director of communications.
Outstation Churches
St. Anthony’s Parish has 10 outstation churches under it namely, St. Patrick’s Catholic Church, Tudun Saibu; St. Michael’s Catholic Church, Ungwuan Sarki; St. Peter’s Catholic Church, Bakuntu; St. Mary’s Catholic Church, Magada I; St. Andrew’s Catholic Church, Magada II; St. John’s Catholic Church, Sabon Kaura; St. John’s Catholic Church, Ungwuan Mazadu; St. John’s Catholic Church, Farar Kasa; St. Dennis’ Catholic Church, Sakarau and St. Peter’s Catholic Church, Likoro. In all, St. Anthony’s parish, Dakace is composed of 11 churches (including the central church).
Parish Laity Council
Each of these churches has its own laity council, pious Associations and schedules of daily, weekly, monthly and yearly pastoral activities. Representatives of the respective church laity councils and pious groups constitute the parish laity council and they meet on the last Sunday of every month to discuss pastoral issues relative to the parish and the individual churches. Once in a while, the pious groups from the different churches also converge as a parish to discuss pastoral matters and forge ideas that will better their activities. Every pious group has a governing body both at the church and parish levels.
Daily Masses
Morning Masses are celebrated every day of the week, Monday to Saturday, by 6am at the central church
Sunday Masses
Two Masses are celebrated every Sunday; one is by 7am at the central church and the other is by 10am at any of the outstation churches.
Confession
Confession is by 5pm on Saturdays at the central church.
Baptism
Baptism is held on the first Saturday of every month at the central church.
Office Hours
From 10 am to 12 pm on Mondays to Fridays at the central church.
Pastoral Visitations
Pastoral visitations to all the outstations happen twice in a year – shortly before Christmas and the last week of Lent, just before Holy Week.
Harvest Thanksgiving
All the churches meet once in a year at the central church to celebrate harvest thanksgiving and bazaar at the end of the harvest period.