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History of St Dominic's Church
ST PATRICK’S SCHOOL
In 1935, there were only 15 students and two teachers in St. Patrick’s school an arm of the church/school development. The following year, Fr. Fitzgerald and two teachers went from house to house in order increase the number of pupils in the school.
This they did by appealing to parents to send their children to school and they were able to get about 20 pupils. In January 1951 (about fifteen years later), there were 860 students in the school, which was running the prescribed eight-year primary school program. The final primary school year (standard VI) was approved for the school in 1949. By this time, the church/school building had become inadequate to accommodate the growing size of the congregation and the pupils. Therefore, a need for an expansion was expedite. Between December 1941 and January 1942 minor extension works were carried out, but these soon became inadequate. Due to inadequacy, the construction of a new school and a new church became inevitable and plans for these were initiated. The sum of 6,000pounds sterling was borrowed from the Bishop of Lagos for the construction of the school. This loan was to be repaid at the rate of 500 pounds sterling annually. Thus in 1949 the foundation of a 20 classroom school block was laid by Rev. Fr. MacCarthy.
CHURCH OUT-STATIONS
The St. Patrick’s church/school was not the only responsibility of the resident priest in Yaba Mission. He also had to work in a number of scattered out-stations thst included Ijoko, Iju, Ikeja, Isheri, Mafoluku, Kajola, Ilagbo, Ajibode, Lako, Lapenkele, Oworonshoki and the Ifo Mission Station. The Priest had a lot to attend to in these outstations. For instance, in the afternoon, after school to celebrate Mass. Occasionally, when he visited, at most twice a month, the faithful in each location would gathering their numbers for instructions and to receive the Blessed Sacrament. Members of the Yaba laity, particularly members of the Legion of Mary, soon involved themselves in work at the out-stations. They taught the bible to the illiterate and prepared catechumens for baptism. S. S. Ogundipe, S. W. Oshilaja, A. O. Oresanya, G. M. Campbell, C. A. A. Titcombe, G. S. Nicholas and M.O. Akindele were said to have been active in building up the mission. For this reason, they were cited in the mission’s record as “members of real and sincere integrity”.
ARRIVAL OF THE ORDER OF PREACHERS IN NIGERIA
In 1946 the Apostolic Delegate to English speaking East and West Africa, Archbishop David Matthew, whose headquarters was at Mombasa, invited the Dominicans to West Africa. His brother was an English Dominican. In 1949, he followed up his earlier 1946 invitation to the Dominicans with a more specific request. He wrote to the Provincial of St. Albert’s Province in Chicago, Fr. Edward Hughes OP, requesting for Dominicans to come and serve in the mission field in Nigeria. Fr. Hughes made exploratory visits to Nigeria in 1949and 1950. In January 1950, the Provincial Council unanimously approved the Lagos foundation.
The archbishop of Lagos, His Grace Leo H. Taylor, through a formal letter invited them to take the responsibility of the then new Yaba mission that was not a parish yet. On March 4, 1951 at 4.00pm, three priests of the Order of Preachers (OP) of the American Province of St. Albert the great, accompanied by their Provincial, Fr. Hughes arrived in Lagos to assume responsility of Dominicans in the Archdiocese of Lagos. They were Fr. J.M Dempsey, OP, Fr. A Kinsella, OP and Fr. E.T. Lawton, OP. Rev. Fr. J.M. Dempsey, OP, was appointed Vicar and Superior of St. Patrick’s Yaba Mission with Rev. Fr. Kinsella OP as his assistant in the work of the Church and the School. Fr. E. T. Lawton OP, who was appointed Procurator and the Director of the proposed Thomistic Institute, was in the meantime made Chaplain of the Armed Forces in the area.
There was so much work to be done in the fast growing Yaba Mission and its out-stations with only three priests to do it. Nevertheless, they worked together to increase the general devotion in the Church and instituted a high level of sanctity. Permission was obtained from the Archdiocese to institute weekly Holy Hour, daily novena prayers in honour of the Dominican Brother, Blessed Martin Porres. The formation of a society in his name was meant to foster devotion to him and to promote the cause of his canonization and the institution of devotion, every Friday, to St. Jude Thaddeus, “patron of hopeless cases”. The latter devotion has become associated with the Dominican Order in Nigeria. In May 1952, the rosary Confraternity was canonically erected in the Yaba Mission to seek the intercession of the Mother of Christ. Indeed, the first three Dominicans in Lagos had a good time popularizing the Rosary. Fathers Dempsey and Kinsella even gave talks on it on the local radio. The Legion Of Mary came under the supervision of a priest, Fr. Kinsella, who also took charge of the Altar Boys.
At the arrival of the Dominicans, Pa Alfred F. Hooper was then the chairman of the committee. Chief G.A. Chukelu was the general secretary, other outstanding and distinguished parishioners included, Chief Shodimu, Chief M. O. Akindele; veteran teacher M. B, Odedeyi; Choir-master and the reputable Organist, John O. Faneye, S. S. Ogundipe, S.S. Ogundipe, S.W. Oshilaja, G.M. Campbell, A.O. Oresanya, C.A.A. Titcombe, P.T. Odulana, Pa G. S. Nicholas, L.A. Onojobi, Chief Lawrence O Kehinde, Papal Knight C.S. Adewunmi, [Sr.], Chief Rufus Onyeje, [The Orumili of Nnewi], P.K. Delima and Isaac Ogoegbunam.
The laity continued to make significant contributions to the work of the mission. Alfred Hooper presented a group of young men who had drawn up a constitution for the information of the Christian Youth Organization was inaugurated. The Yaba Mission continues to grow as more people moved to the area. Mr. Akindele and Mr. C. Adewunmi were two of such new residents who soon made their presence felt.
They requested that a building committee, which fist met in 1941, be revived. They were interested in finding innovative ways of raising more fore the building of the new Church. For this cause, levies were increased and harvest proceeds also increased from 183 pounds sterling in 1944 to 350 pounds sterling on 1951 and 465 pounds sterling in 1953. Mr. Adewunmi was commended for his “excellent job for organizing the event in 1953 when Mr. Alfred Hooper was the Chairman. The Dominicans must have been encouraged by the efforts of the parishioners because after an estimate fir the efforts of the new Church Had been obtained, the sacred Congregation of Religious, through the master General of the Dominican Order Granted permission to the Yaba parish to borrow 13,500 pounds sterling for the project.
FORMATION OF ST. DOMINIC’S PARISH
In February 1952, St. Paul’s Ebute-Metta, became a canonical parish, and with the southern boundary at Hughes Avenue became the boundary between the two. The latter continued its rapid growth, and on 1st January 1954, the St. Patrick’s Mission was canonically erected as a parish, an event that was joyously celebrated on the 24th of the month, with Archbishop Taylor presiding. It was at this ceremony that the name of the old mission was changed to St. Dominic’s although the school retained the name, St. Patrick’s.
His Grace, at the ceremony, changed the name of the mission from St. Patrick’s to St. Dominic’s with these words:
“I am proud to have the first St. Dominic’s Church and parish in West Africa and to draw the special patronage of this powerful Saint to our people”.
ARRIVAL OF FR. AMBROSE WINDBACHER OP
The Rev. James M. Dempsey OP, was inducted as Pastor of the new St. Dominic’s Parish. At a reception held in his honour, he was given a purse of 5 guineas, seed money that was to later yield a thousand fold. From time to time, fathers Dempsey OP, Lawton OP and Kinsella OP, made the time to extend their apostolic operations outside Lagos. They gave retreats in centers like Benin, Kaduna, Kano and Akure. In 1955, Fr. Kinsella OP had to return to the US due to ill health. He was replaced by Fr. Ambrose Windbacher OP.
In the same year, two more Dominican Fathers, James S. McHatton and Louis V. Nadeau arrived Yaba. With more priests in the parish, the number of Sunday Masses at Yaba increased. As a result of this, Masses were celebrated at 6:30a.m, 7:30a.m and 9:00a.m.
CHURCH BULLETIN
On Easter morning in 1955, the Parish Bulletin was printed and circulated, for the first time, to all parishioners at Mass. One thousand and five hundred bulletins were then being printed for distribution every Sunday free of charge. The bulletin has since evolved and is self-sustaining.
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TODAY
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
- 6:15am - Morning Mass
- 12pm - Mid-day Mass
- 6:30pm - Evening Mass
Today's Reading
ST. TURIBIUS OF MONGROVEJO, B.(Opt. Mem)
Liturgical Colour:Violet
Reading 1 Jer 18:18-20
Ps 30:5-6. 14-16.(R.v.17); Accl Jn 8:12
Gosp Mt 20:17-28
THIS WEEK
UPCOMING
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