…As St. Leo, Ikeja clocks 50
There was great joy and happiness among the clergy, religious and parishioners of St. Leo Catholic Church, Ikeja, Lagos, Sunday, September 4, 2022, when the people celebrated the grand finale of the 50th anniversary of the parish in grand style. The event tagged, “Celebrating 50 years of witnessing to God’s infinite love”, kicked off with Mass which was concelebrated by Most Rev. (Dr.) Alfred Adewale Martins, Catholic Archbishop of Lagos and a host of priests present on the occasion. Delivering his Homily at the Mass, Archbishop Martins congratulated the clergy and parishioners as they celebrate the golden jubilee of their parish, even as he prayed that priests and people will continue to grow together in the love of God and one another unto eternal life. He paid tribute to those who have allowed themselves to be used as instruments in the hands of God for bringing the parish into existence and all those who have allowed themselves to be used for making her the fruitful mother church that she is.
He said: “We pay tribute to my predecessor, Archbishop Leo H. Taylor whom the parish was named after, Fr. Dennis J. Slattery, the SMA Priest, who did all the work that was involved with purchasing the land on which the Church stands today.” He further paid tribute to SMA and Vincentia priests who worked from the early years of the parish and others that have laboured to bring the parish to where it is now, especially Rt. Rev. Msgr. John Aniagwu who for over two decades has seen the parish give birth to other station churches that have become parishes. He commended the lay faithful of the parish, the leaders in particular for their commitment and resilience to work for the growth of the parish, making the finances available, being faithful to the teachings of the Church and in constant cooperation with their priests. He urged the people to obey Christ’s teachings and not stop in creating new initiatives for evangelisation, which is the mission that Christ entrusted to the Church. “Where there is no mission, there’s no Church, and where there’s no Church, there’s no faith.
Faith, the Church and mission go together and must be at the forefront of all that you do”, he said. In his golden jubilee message, Rt. Msgr. (Dr.) John Aniagwu, speaking on the future of St. Leo, Ikeja, prayed that God will continue to make men and women of great faith out of His sons and daughters who pass through the parish. “In that way, the greatness of the parish is assured for all the years to come”, he said. Msgr. Aniagwu appealed to the parishioners to always remember to invest in the future generation; the children and youths, who he said are the greatest asset of the parish. “If we invest in their spiritual, moral, social and material wellbeing, to the level that we ought, the future greatness of the parish will be more than guaranteed’, he said. The highpoints of the event include administering of the sacrament of confirmation to over 100 confirmands and thanksgiving for parishioners who attained the age of 50, couples marking 50th wedding anniversary and those that have spent 50 years as parishioners.
