Ogoja
Ogoja Location in Nigeria
Coordinates: 6°30′N 8°40′E / 6.5°N 8.667°E / 6.5; 8.667Coordinates: 6°30′N 8°40′E / 6.5°N 8.667°E / 6.5; 8.667
Country	Nigeria
State	Cross River State
Area
• Total	972 km2 (375 sq mi)
Population (2006 census)
• Total	171,901
Time zone	WAT (UTC+1)
3-digit postal code prefix	550
Area code(s)	045
ISO 3166 code	NG.CR.OG

Ogoja is a Local Government Area in Cross River State, Nigeria. Its headquarters is Ogoja town in the northeast of the area near the A4 highway at6°39′17″N 8°47′51″E / 6.65472°N 8.7975°E / 6.65472; 8.7975.

It has an area of 972 km² and a population of 171,901 at the 2006 census.

The postal code of the area is 550.^[1]

The town was one of the provinces during pre-colonial independence. It consists of many tribes, which includes: Ishibori (This village has different clans like Uhmuria, Ikaptang, Ikajor, Ishinyema, Ikariku, Imerakorm) and Igoli as the central town. Mbube being one of the major tribes consist of different villages which includes: Odajie, Adagum, Ekumtak, Idum, Ojerim, Egbe,Nkim, Ogberia Ogang & Ogberia Ochoro,Oboso,Benkpe, Edide, Bansan, Aragban etc. their major source of livelihood is subsistence agriculture, basically farming of cassava, yams, palm oil, palm wine etc. Ekajuk, is one of the major clan in Ogoja Local government area. Divided into Ward I and Ward II, and includes major Communities such as Nwang, Ekpogrinya, Esham, Egbong, Nnang, Ewinimba, and Bansara (which are collection of a group of villages).

[edit] Present Administration

Currently, Ogoja has three arms of government namely; executive, legislature and judiciary. The executive arm is made up of an elected Chairman & a deputy chairman and supervisors appointed by the chairman and confirmed by the legislature. The current Chairman is Mr Joe Eweh, while the deputy chairman is Mr Ama Agboje. The legislative arm comprises ten councillors who represent the ten wards in Ogoja. The leader of the legislature is Mr Austin Ayungbe - Ekajuk ward II, while the deputy leader is Mr Thomas Ori - Mbube east ward II. Others are; Ms Sarah Amu - Mbube east ward I, Mr Tom Egbang - Mbube west ward I, Mr Peter Odu - Mbube west ward II, Mr Vincent Uga - Nkum-Irede ward, Mr Iyang Nnang - Nkum-Iborr ward, Mr Paul Aganyi - Ekajuk ward I, Mr Anthony Ntaji - Urban ward I, Mr Wogor Umari - Urban ward II. All the officials in the executive and legislative arms are members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). Their tenure expires in December, 2010. The Judiciary is headed by the Chief Judge of Ogoja.

This section is outdated. Please update this section to reflect recent events or newly available information. (November 2011)

[edit] References

v t e Cross River State State capital: Calabar LGAs Abi Akamkpa Akpabuyo Bakassi Bekwarra Biase Boki Calabar Municipal Calabar South Etung Ikom Obanliku Obubra Obudu Odukpani Ogoja Yakuur Yala

For Thaddeus of Edessa also known as Addai / Mar Addai, see Thaddeus of Edessa

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (June 2009)

Saint Jude the Apostle
Apostle Jude, by Anthonis van Dyck
Apostle and Martyr
Born	1st century AD Roman Province of Galilee
Died	1st century AD Roman Province of Syria
Honored in	Roman Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox Churches, Eastern Catholic Churches, Church of the East, Oriental Orthodox Churches, Anglican Communion, Lutheranism, Islam, Aglipayan Church
Canonized	Pre-Congregation
Major shrine	Saint Peter's, Rome, Reims, Toulouse, France
Feast	October 28 (Western Christianity) June 19 (Eastern Christianity)
Attributes	Axe, club, boat, oar, medallion
Patronage	Armenia, lost causes, desperate situations, ibises[citation needed], hospitals, St. Petersburg, Florida, Cotta Lucena City Quezon, Philippines, the Chicago Police Department, Clube de Regatas do Flamengo from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and Sibalom, Antique, Philippines, Trece Martires City, Cavite, Philippines.

Jude was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus. He is generally identified with Thaddeus, and is also variously called Jude of James, Jude Thaddaeus, Judas Thaddaeus or Lebbaeus. He is sometimes identified with Jude, "brother of Jesus", but is clearly distinguished from Judas Iscariot, another disciple, the betrayer of Jesus.

The Armenian Apostolic Church honors Thaddeus along with Saint Bartholomew as its patron saints. In the Roman Catholic Church he is the patron saint of desperate cases and lost causes.

Saint Jude's attribute is a club. He is also often shown in icons with a flame around his head. This represents his presence at Pentecost, when he received the Holy Spirit with the other apostles. Another common attribute is Jude holding an image of Jesus Christ, in the image of Edessa. In some instances he may be shown with a scroll or a book (the Epistle of Jude) or holding a carpenter's rule.

[edit] Identity

Symbol of his martyrdom

Saint Thaddeus Armenian Monastery

Church of Saints Simon and Jude Thaddeus in Rudno, Poland.

Procession in Lima, Peru.

[edit] New Testament

Jude is clearly distinguished from Judas Iscariot, another disciple and later the betrayer of Jesus. Both "Jude" and "Judas" are translations of the name Ιούδας in the Greek original New Testament, which in turn is a Greek variant of Judah, a name which was common among Jews at the time. In most bibles in languages other than English and French, Jude and Judas are referred to by the same name.

"Jude of James" is only mentioned twice in the New Testament: in the lists of apostles in Luke 6:16 and Acts 1:13.

The name by which Luke calls the Apostle, "Jude of James" is ambiguous as to the relationship of Jude to this James. Though such a construction sometimes connotated a relationship of father and son, it has been traditionally interpreted as "Jude, brother of James" (Luke 6:16) though Protestants (for instance, the New International Version translation) usually identify him as "Jude son of James".

The Gospel of John also once mentions a disciple called "Judas not Iscariot" (John 14:22). This is often accepted to be the same person as the apostle Jude,^[1] though some scholars see the identification as uncertain.^[2]

In some Latin manuscripts of Matthew 10:3, he is called Judas the Zealot.

[edit] Possible identity with Thaddeus

In the comparable apostle-lists of Matthew 10:3 and Mark 3:18, Jude is omitted, but there is a Thaddeus (or in some manuscripts of Matthew 10:3, "Lebbaeus who was surnamed Thaddaeus") listed in his place. This has led many Christians since early times to harmonize the lists by positing a "Jude Thaddeus", known by either name. This is made plausible by the fact that "Thaddeus" seems to be a nickname (see Thaddeus).

A further complication is the fact that the name "Judas" was tarnished by Judas Iscariot. It has been argued that for this reason it is unsurprising that Mark and Matthew refer to him by an alternate name.^[3]

Some Biblical scholars reject this theory, however, holding that Jude and Thaddeus did not represent the same person.^[4] Scholars have proposed alternate theories to explain the discrepancy: an unrecorded replacement of one for the other during the ministry of Jesus because of apostasy or death;^[4] the possibility that "twelve" was a symbolic number and an estimation;^[5] or simply that the names were not recorded perfectly by the early church.^[6]

Thaddeus the apostle is generally seen as a different person from Thaddeus of Edessa, one of the Seventy Disciples.

[edit] Brother of Jesus?

Opinion is divided on whether Jude the apostle is the same as Jude, brother of Jesus, who is mentioned in Mark 6:3 and Matthew 13:55-57, and is the traditional author of the Epistle of Jude.^[7]

Some Catholics believe the two Judes are the same person,^[8] while Protestants do not.^[9]

[edit] Tradition and legend

Tradition holds that Saint Jude preached the Gospel in Judea, Samaria, Idumaea, Syria, Mesopotamia and Libya. He is also said to have visited Beirut and Edessa, though the emissary of latter mission is also identified as Thaddeus of Edessa, one of the Seventy. The 14th-century writer Nicephorus Callistus makes Jude the bridegroom at the wedding at Cana.

The legend reports that St. Jude was born into a Jewish family in Paneas, a town in Galilee later rebuilt by the Romans and renamed Caesarea Philippi. In all probability he spoke both Greek and Aramaic, like almost all of his contemporaries in that area, and was a farmer by trade. According to the legend, St. Jude was a son of Clopas and his wife Mary, a sister of the Virgin Mary. Tradition has it that Jude's father, Clopas, was murdered because of his forthright and outspoken devotion to the risen Christ. After Mary's death, miracles were attributed to her intercession.

Although Saint Gregory the Illuminator is credited as the "Apostle to the Armenians", when he baptized King Tiridates III of Armenia in 301, converting the Armenians, the Apostles Jude and Bartholomew are traditionally believed to have been the first to bring Christianity to Armenia, and are therefore venerated as the patron saints of the Armenian Apostolic Church. Linked to this tradition is the Saint Thaddeus Monastery (now in northern Iran) and Saint Bartholomew Monastery (now in southeastern Turkey) which were both constructed in what was then Armenia.

[edit] Death and remains

According to the Armenian tradition, Saint Jude suffered martyrdom about 65 AD in Beirut, in the Roman province of Syria, together with the apostle Simon the Zealot, with whom he is usually connected. Their acts and martyrdom were recorded in an Acts of Simon and Jude that was among the collection of passions and legends traditionally associated with the legendary Abdias, bishop of Babylon, and said to have been translated into Latin by his disciple Tropaeus Africanus, according to the Golden Legend account of the saints.^[10][11]

Sometime after his death, Saint Jude's body was brought from Beirut to Rome and placed in a crypt in St. Peter's Basilica which is visited by many devotees. According to popular tradition, the remains of St. Jude were preserved in an Armenian monastery on an island in the northern part of Issyk-Kul Lake in Kyrgyzstan at least until the mid-15th century. Later legends either deny that the remains are preserved there or claim that they were moved to a yet more desolate stronghold in the Pamir Mountains. Recent discovery of the ruins of what could be that monastery may put an end to the dispute.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Iconography

Jude is traditionally depicted carrying the image of Jesus in his hand or close to his chest, betokening the legend of the Image of Edessa, recorded in apocryphal correspondence between Jesus and Abgar which is reproduced in Eusebius' History Ecclesiastica, I, xiii. Eusebius relates that King Abgar of Edessa (now Şanlıurfa in southeast Turkey) sent a letter to Jesus seeking a cure for an illness afflicting him. With the letter he sent his envoy Hannan, the keeper of the archives, offering his own home city to Jesus as a safe dwelling place. The envoy painted a likeness of Jesus with choice paints (or alternatively, impressed with Abgar's faith, Jesus pressed his face into a cloth and gave it to Hannan) to take to Abgar with his answer. Upon seeing Jesus' image, the king placed it with great honor in one of his palatial houses. After Christ's execution, Thomas the Apostle sent Jude to King Abgar and the king was cured. Astonished, he converted to Christianity, along with many of the people under his rule. Additionally, St. Jude is often depicted with a flame above his head, representing his presence at Pentecost, when he was said to have received the Holy Spirit with the other apostles.

[edit] Veneration

The Order of Preachers (the Dominicans) began working in present day Armenia soon after their founding in 1216. There was a substantial devotion to St. Jude in this area at that time, by both Roman Catholic and Orthodox Christians. This lasted until persecution drove Christians from the area in the 18th century. Devotion to Saint Jude began again in earnest in the 19th century, starting in Italy and Spain, spreading to South America, and finally to the United States (starting in the area around Chicago) owing to the influence of the Claretians and the Dominicans in the 1920s.

Saint Jude is the patron saint of the Chicago Police Department and of Clube de Regatas do Flamengo (a soccer team in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil). His other patronages include desperate situations and hospitals. One of his namesakes is St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee, which has helped many children with terminal illnesses and their families since its founding in 1962. His feast day is October 28 (Roman Catholic Church, the Anglican Communion and Lutheran Church) and June 19 (Eastern Orthodox Church).

A common Roman Catholic prayer to St Jude is:

An alternative prayer:

In some daily newspapers people will place classified ads seeking the aid of St. Jude or thanking him for his intercession. It is also common to post prayer requests to St Jude on Catholic prayer request websites.

[edit] Shrines

U.K.

• National Shrine in Faversham, Kent, UK

U.S.A.

• National Shrine of St. Jude, Chicago, IL
• Dominican Shrine of St. Jude, Chicago, IL
• Nationwide Center of St. Jude Devotions, Baltimore, MD
• Dominican Monastery of Saint Jude in Marbury, AL
• St. Jude Maronite Catholic Church in Orlando, FL
• Shrine Church of St. Jude, Brooklyn, New York

Australia

• St Jude's Catholic Church, Langwarrin, VIC, Australia

India

• St Jude's Shrine, Jhansi-284 001, India
• St. Jude Shrine, Thevara, Kerala,India - The first and oldest shrine in Kerala state
• St. Jude's Shrine, Yoodhapuram, Angamaly, Kerala,India
• St. Jude's Church, Ettekkar, Aluva, Kerala, India
• St. Jude Pilgrim Shrine, Killippalam, Trivandrum, Kerala, India
• St. Jude Shrine, Koothattukulam, Kerala,India
• St. Jude Shrine, Kureekad, Chottanikkara, Kerala, India
• St. Jude Church, S.L Puram, Cherthala, Alappuzha District, Kerala, India
• St. Jude Shrine, Maruthimoodu, Pathanapuram Road, Adoor, Pathanamthitta District, Kerala
• piligrim church,Snehagiri,Peringome,Kannur,Kerala

Sri Lanka

• St Jude's Church Indigolla, Gampaha, Sri Lanka^[12]

Philippines

• National Shrine of St. Jude Thaddeus,J.P. Laurel St. San Miguel,Manila
• Saint Jude Catholic School (one of the most prestige schools in the Philippines)^[13]
• Cathedral of Saint Jude Thaddeus, Veñegas St. Sibalom, Antique, Philippines (Philippine Independent Church)

Puerto Rico

• Santuario San Judas Tadeo (Sanctuary of St. Jude Thaddeus), Ponce, Puerto Rico

[edit] References

[edit] External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Saint Jude Thaddeus

• Catherine Fournier, Saint Simon and Saint Jude