Wife of Suspended Catholic Priest Shares How They Met

Dora Chichah, wife of Rev. Fr. Daniel Okanatotor Oghenerukevwe, a suspended Catholic priest from the Diocese of Warri, has shared the story of how she met and married her husband.

The Diocese of Warri had suspended Oghenerukevwe after he allegedly contracted a secret marriage in the United States without completing the formal process of being released from his priestly vows. According to the Diocese, he had requested on November 30, 2024, to be relieved of his canonical obligations, but the necessary documents for the process were not submitted before he proceeded with the marriage.

Photos from their wedding, which took place in Dallas, Texas, quickly went viral. Speaking at a live testimony session at Pastor Jerry Eze’s Streams of Joy International Church in Dallas, Dora recounted her journey to marriage.

Introducing herself as a single mother of three, Dora said she had been praying for a husband for over nine years. She shared how, since 2020, she had actively sought divine intervention at the church’s altar, believing in God’s plan for her.

“In July 2021, Pastor Jerry said the Lord has heard you. He allowed everything to happen to take you to your wealthy place. He is your salvation,” she recalled.

By 2024, Dora said she felt led to relocate to Dallas, Texas, where she reconnected with Daniel, someone she had known from her childhood. The two quickly exchanged contact information and began discussing their faith journeys.

“He told me he had been praying for four years for discernment in his vocation. He had fasted for three months, asking God to reveal his wife to him,” Dora revealed.

Their relationship moved quickly, and within three months, they had completed marriage classes, followed by a traditional wedding, a court wedding, and a white wedding at Streams of Joy, Dallas.

Although Dora did not directly address Daniel’s status as a Catholic priest during her testimony, the video package included images from their wedding.

Meanwhile, a woman identifying herself as Daniel’s biological sister, Mary Okanatotor, defended his decision, stating in a social media post that he had informed the Diocese of his intentions and had not acted in secret.