Rev. Fr. Gregory Ebalu Ogbenika is a Catholic priest, educator, philosopher, and author from Nigeria who currently serves as Parish Administrator of St. Polycarp Catholic Church in Carmi, Illinois, as well as St. Patrick Catholic Church in Enfield. Both parishes are part of the Catholic Diocese of Belleville.
Father Gregory is a priest of the Catholic Diocese of Auchi in Edo State, Nigeria, and was ordained to the priesthood on September 16, 1995. In addition to his pastoral ministry, he has devoted much of his career to education and scholarship. He earned a Ph.D. in Philosophy from the Pontifical Urban University in Rome and served at the Seminary of All Saints in Uhiele-Ekpoma, Edo State, where his roles have included lecturer, Head of the Department of Philosophy, registrar, and priestly formator.
His academic work focuses particularly on African philosophy, social and political philosophy, ethics, leadership, morality, and human development. Father Gregory has written and contributed to numerous scholarly publications and books, including The Catholic Man and the New Evangelization, A Discourse on Democracy: Western and African Perspective, and African Philosophy and the Quest for Development in Africa.
Through his work as both a priest and educator, Father Gregory brings together pastoral ministry, Catholic faith, education, and a longstanding interest in the moral and social questions facing communities in Africa and beyond. Today, he continues that ministry while serving the Catholic communities of White County in Southern Illinois.