Welcome to the official website of the Seminary of Saints Peter & Paul, Bodija, Ibadan, Nigeria. The Seminary of Saints Peter & Paul is a regional seminary that trains candidates for the Roman Catholic Priesthood. The formation programme includes studies in Philosophy and Theology.
As a regional seminary, Great Bodija, as it is called by those who in one way or another have experienced her products, caters for the training needs of the Ecclesiastical Provinces of Lagos, Ibadan and Benin City.
However, the seminary also serves the training need of dioceses and congregations outside the aforementioned provinces upon request by local ordinaries or superiors who wish their candidates journey with and through us.
The Seminary of Saints Peter and Paul is the oldest and first Catholic Theologate in Nigeria. The idea of a Major Seminary to train young men for the Catholic Celibate Priesthood came into reality in the year 1908, when a major seminary was established in Ivianokpodi, a village close to Agenebode in Edo State.
The first name given to the seminary was St. Paul's Seminary, a name it retained while it was later moved to Benin City. It added the name 'Peter' when it got to Ibadan on the 31st of January 1957. Here, in Bodija, it assumed the permanent name: Saints Peter and Paul.
It became widely known as "Great Bodija" among its peers, that is, among the other major seminaries in the country. This name did not come by accident. It earned the name as a result of its hard-work and achievements, especially in the areas of excellence in education, sports, liturgy, and culture. Bodija always excelled, and her products (alumni) have made significant impact on the Catholic Church in Nigeria and beyond…