The late Rev. Monsignor Pedro Martins is to be buried on June 10, after a requiem mass at the Holy Cross Cathedral, Lagos.
This was contained in a statement by Archbishop Alfred Adewale Martins of the Catholic Archdiocese of Lagos.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that Martins died on May 16 at 103 years.
The statement described the monsignor, who was born on November 16, 1910, as a man of many firsts.
He was the first Lagosian to be ordained Catholic priest and the pioneer Nigerian Catholic Chaplain of the Nigerian Army.
The statement added that there would be a vigil mass on June 9 at St. Gregory’s College Obalende, Lagos.
The statement said Martins was also the first Nigerian Director of the Nigerian Army Chaplaincy Services (Catholic).
“He was also the oldest living Catholic cleric and oldest living retired military officer,” the statement said.
It urged Nigerians not to give in to despondency or become apathetic in the face of terror, stressing that prayers should be the watchword.
“As we speak to government and security operatives, we must not fail to continue to ask our people to be vigilant, to pay attention to events and people around them.
“We must also show interest in any strange object and person and take steps to challenge or at least report them to the authorities concerned,” the statement added.
