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HISTORICAL BACKGROUND
In Africa, Nigeria became the first privileged country to experience the dividends of the trailblazing charism of Fr. Justin, when a group of Italian vocationist missionaries arrived the country in the year 1991 for the purpose of establishing the Nigerian mission of the Vocationist Fathers and Brothers. This mission was however initiated in the late 1980s by Fr. Louis M. Caputo, SDV, who through the help of then newly consecrated bishop of Ahiara diocese, His Excellency, Most Rev. Dr. Victor Chikwe formally established the congregation on October 4, 1991 in Ahiara diocese. www.ahiaradiocese.org
GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT
Since 1991, the Nigerian vocationist family has recorded a tremendous membership growth of about 165 members ranging from priests to postulants; the congregation presently has the membership capacity of about 80 professed brothers, 15 novices, 15 postulants, and 35 priests (working within and outside Nigeria).
“The Congregation of the Society of Divine Vocations and I, have placed faith and trust in you (the Nigerian Vocationist Fathers and Brothers), and have decided to raise the Nigerian mission to a Delegation,” said Fr. Caputo in a preliminary speech with which he formally declared the Nigerian mission a delegation while addressing a general council of the Nigerian vocationist family, during his visit to Nigeria in August 2007. {Culled from THE GUIDE Newspapers of the Catholic diocese of Ahiara, Sept. 9, 2007}.
The members of the Nigerian Delegation Council include; Fr. Jonathan Eburuche, SDV (Regional Delegate, who is also the present Novice Master of Nigeria), Fr. Emmanuel Chikwendu, SDV (Secretary, also the rector of Oparanadim community), and Fr. Anthony Ezeh, SDV (Treasurer, also the rector of Ibadan community). VOCATIONIST APOSTOLATE IN NIGERIA
Vocationary Work in Nigeria:
Presently, the
Nigerian fathers run two vocationaries (formation houses) in the
country. These houses – Our Lady of Divine Vocations Vocationary,
Oparandim and Fr. Justin Russolillo Vocationary, Ido – are situated
in the eastern and western parts of the country respectively. The
The Parish Ministry:
Religious Education: In recent times, the vocationist fathers in Nigeria have become peculiar for their work of religious education, especially those germane to vocations. The fathers teach novices of different religious congregations such as Vocationist Sisters (Nigeria), Daughters of the Precious Blood of Jesus Congregation, Daughters of Divine Providence for Deaf and Dumb, among others. They also preach and direct retreats in the dioceses where they are located. Media Evangelism (The Vocationists’ Search Magazine):
Furthermore, in December 2005, the Nigeria family, having recognized the veritable role of the print media in the charismatic work of the congregation, launched a magazine known as The Vocationists’ Search Magazine. This creative venture came as a pragmatic move to enhance the charism of the congregation in order to adequately address the ensuing problems of the vocation climate of Nigeria occasioned by vocation boom as well as vocation crisis in the country. The Vocationists’ Search Magazine, which (for now) is in circulation within the country, is further designed to propagate the charism of the congregation as well as edify its audience on different areas of life, especially those apropos to vocation. Vocation Counseling and Discernment: The Nigerian vocationist fathers are also renowned in the country as experts in vocation counseling and discernment. Since 1993, thousands of aspirants from different parts of Nigeria and beyond had thronged the various vocationaries of the congregation and parishes, as the case may be, where they always receive lectures and counseling on matters of vocation. Many of them always attend our monthly vocation conferences known ‘Vocation Discernment Programme’, which is organized by the fathers every first Saturday of the month for the purpose of educating aspirants on diverse areas of vocation ranging from vocation to priesthood/religious life to vocation to the lay life. PROSPECTS AND CHALLENGES
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The Congregation
of the Society of Divine Vocations (Vocationist Fathers and
Brothers) is a religious congregation of priests and brothers
founded by Venerable Father Justin Mary Russolillo with the
charismatic raison d'ętre of loving and caring for divine vocations.
During his lifetime, Fr. Justin in his religious zest and ineffable
love for vocations expressed strong desire to extend the tentacles
of the congregation to the different continents of the world,
including Africa. This dream of his, especially for Africa, was to
be materialized in Nigeria 36 years after his glorious call to
eternity. 
Nigeria is a
country geographically located in the western part of Africa. It is
a multi-religious country which predominantly comprises Christians
and Muslims, among others. Over the years, Nigeria has become
reputable in the Christian world for being blessed with vocations of
mammoth proportions, which is often referred to as “vocation boom”
in the country. Put differently, Nigeria is a country that is famous
for her numerous vocations; both vocations to priesthood and
religious life. 
Just like Fr.
Justin who after an aborted attempt at his father’s residence began
the congregation in the parish rectory (of St. George, Pianura), the
historical account of the Nigerian mission cannot be successfully
relayed without bringing to the fore, Christ the King Catholic
Parish (C.K.C.), Mpam-Owere in Ahiara diocese, where the first
vocationist missionaries settled temporarily and admitted the
pioneer set of candidates. Four of these candidates were ordained to
the priesthood as the pioneer Nigerian vocationist priests on August
18, 2001 at C.K.C. Parish, Mpam-Owere. However, these first Italian
vocationist missionaries to Nigeria namely;
Through the help
of divine providence, the congregation in 1992 erected her first
vocationary (formation house) in Nigeria known as “Our Lady of
Divine Vocations Vocationary” at Oparanadim in Ahiazu Mbaise Local
Government Area of Imo State, Nigeria (also in Ahiara diocese). This
house has continued to be recognized as the motherhouse of the
congregation in Nigeria. Again, in order to further extend her
tentacles to accommodate vocations from different parts of the
country, the Nigerian fathers in the year 1998 moved for the
establishment of another vocationary in the western part of the
country. This latter community, which was to serve as the students’
house of the congregation, was initially sited at Arigidi (close old
Bodija) in the archdiocese of Ibadan, and later at a permanent site
in Inu-Odi village of Ido Local Government Area of Oyo State (also
in Ibadan archdiocese). The Nigerian vocationist students formally
settled in this large community, known as “Fr. Justin Russolillo’s
Vocationary,” on October 5, 2004. This community presently houses
about 80 professed brothers, undergoing formation and studying
(Philosophy and Theology) for the priesthood at the diocesan major
seminary – Seminary of Saints Pater and Paul, Bodija in Ibadan.
The over 16 years
of the existence of the Vocationist Fathers in Nigeria has recorded
a profound simultaneous growth in her activities and membership. The
congregation had within this period produced and sent over 25
vocationist missionaries (priests) of Nigerian origin to
Philippines, Madagascar, India, Argentina, Ecuador, Colombia, Italy,
and United States. In Nigeria, the congregation is spread around
five dioceses of the country viz. Ahiara, Nnewi, Uromi, Ibadan, and
Lagos (arch)dioceses, where the fathers are found running formation
houses and parishes. 
Furthermore, on
Monday, August 27, 2007, the Nigerian mission of the Vocationist
Fathers and Brothers Congregation was formally elevated to the
status of a Regional Delegation by
“I love the
Nigerian Vocationists, and I want them to grow. Tremendous progress
has been made in Nigeria…. and I hope and pray that the government
of the new regional delegation will be more responsible in order to
continue on the path of its qualitative growth,” 
geographical placements of these houses are well orchestrated to
ensure that the congregation reasonably lives up to her charism in
the country by opening and making accessible, her doors to vocations
from different parts of the country. This arrangement has however
continued to yield the desired result, in line with the charismatic
goal of Fr. Justin, as the Nigerian vocationist family can today
boast of members from different ethnic backgrounds in the country.
The congregation also has among her members, people from other
countries like Cameroon and Democratic Republic of Congo (Congo DR).
Also, the doors of these vocationaries still remain open to members
from different parts of Nigeria and neighbouring countries in
Africa. .jpg)
The parish
ministry, in the spirit of Fr. Justin, has always been adjudged a
veritable and viable field of apostolate in the work of carrying out
the charismatic task of the congregation. The Nigerian fathers are
also fully engaged in the parish work and can boast of four parishes
where they function as parish priests and assistants. These parishes
include: St. Peter’s Catholic Parish, Isiala-Oparanadim (Ahiara
diocese), Our Lady of Fatima Parish, Uruagu (Nnewi diocese), St.
John the Evangelist Parish, Uromi (Uromi diocese), and St. Patrick’s
Parish, Owode-Ikorodu (Lagos archdiocese). 
During his
lifetime, Fr. Justin was revered as a great writer, whose
penetrating spiritual works immensely contributed to the enhancement
of the congregation’s charism and spirituality. The Nigerian fathers
also inherited this intellectual patrimony, as her members (both
fathers and brothers) had over the years, authored and published
over 70 books on diverse areas of spiritual, religious,
ecclesiastical, and social life, among others. 
To God be the
glory that the Vocationist Fathers and Brothers Congregation, with
her wonderful charism, has come stay in Nigeria. We are poised to
making the charismatic goal of Fr. Justin a consolidated reality in
Nigeria, and by so doing, continue to furnish the universal church
with more qualitative and holy vocations for the work of universal
sanctification. Though the work in Nigeria has always been attacked
and sometimes seemed to be discouraged by financial straits, we will
by the grace of God still remain undeterred, and as a matter of
charism, always optimize the merits of the vocation boom in Nigeria
to the greater glory of God and credit of Fr. Justin as well as his
congregation. We continue to depend on good spirited individuals who
have interest to cooperate with us in the work of universal
sanctification, by way of financial support for vocations in
Nigeria. Thousands of genuine vocations still lie un-harvested in
Nigeria, and it has always been our desire to attend to a good
number of these vocations, but we have often been limited on account
of inadequate financial wherewithal for this work. We can always
attain the apogee in our work of vocations only with the cooperative
assistance of the people God.