Bishop Julius Adelakun, Bishop Emeritus of the Catholic Diocese of Oyo, has returned to his Creator at the age of 91. According to the History of the Daughters of the Holy Spirit in Nigeria, it was Bishop Adelakun who, thanks to his attention to the inspirations of the Holy Spirit, expressed the wish that the Congregation should be established in Nigeria: this dates back to 1987.
According to his biography, Bishop Julius Babatunde Adelakun was born on 4 November 1934 in Onigambari, Ogun State, Nigeria. He studied at the Seminary of Saints Peter and Paul in Ibadan, was ordained a Catholic priest on 27 June 1965 and became bishop on 11 February 1973, at the age of 38
Bishop Adelakun, after his installation as bishop of the diocese of Old Oyo, encouraged the first Daughters of the Holy Spirit (missionaries) in Nigeria to train Nigerian heiresses before returning to their country. The great testimony of the Nigerian Daughters of the Holy Spirit today is therefore born from his humble call:
“I don’t claim credit, but I think the Spirit led me to speak to the FSE missionaries in Nigeria. After the sisters had finished their term, they came to me to say goodbye and I told them “How can you leave? What is the legacy you leave behind?” And they asked: “Do you mean we should form sisters? And I replied “Yes, of course!”. They said “It wasn’t in our mandate, we came to run an institution and we did for quite a few years”. Consequently and by its persistence, after reflection and discernment, the request was granted. “The newly trained Nigerian women began to grow in number, in apostolic and pastoral zeal” Bishop Adelakun later said.
Bishop Adelakun, who worked so zealously to take care of the flock in the diocese of Oyo, retired on 4 November 2009. He then spent his last years on earth in deep prayer, working with his ability to bring joy and a smile to the faces of so many people with whom he came into contact. An example: he created a foundation known as the “Bishop Adelakun Foundation” to care for the less privileged. He was also known for providing ardent moral support to priests, religious and other people who met him. He touched so many lives and attracted so many people closer to God through the sacraments of the Church, especially that of the Holy Eucharist “Bread of eternal life” with which he became more in love!.
After many years of service to God and humanity, Bishop Adelakun retired but never tired of the prayer and teachings of the Church. He responded to the call of his Creator on October 24, 2025.
He was led to his rest, on November 28, 2025, during a funeral ceremony at the Church of Saint Bernadine in Owode-Oyo, a ceremony attended by a good number of bishops across the nation, priests, religious including ourselves the Daughters of the Holy Spirit… and the lay faithful.
In his homily, Bishop John Oyejola, Catholic Bishop of the Diocese of Osogbo, described Bishop Adelakun as a builder and committed shepherd. He was known for his remarkable attitudes of humility, compassion, and altruism. His motto was ‘faith and culture’.
The preacher of the ceremony prayed for the words that Jesus spoke in the Gospel of Matthew to be addressed to Bishop Adelakun: “Come unto me, blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.” Mt 25, 31-46. He concluded by entrusting his soul to the hands of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
The bishop was buried in the chapel of the Notre-Dame de l’Assomption cathedral, Asogo Oyo.I
It was a glorious ceremony!
By Sister Patience EFFIONG, DHS. Published on 4 December 2025
