HISTORY

HISTORY OF THE ALTAR SERVERS MINISTRY OF OUR MOTHER OF PERPETUAL HELP CATHOLIC CHURCH, IJEGUN - IMORE, LAGOS, NIGERIA.

After Our Mother of Perpetual Help Mass Center was created, there was need for the Altar Servers to assist the priest at Holy Mass. The Mother parish Sts. Michael, Raphael and Gabriel Catholic Church (Arch Angel’s Parish) saw it as a point of duty to send at least two Altar Servers every Sunday to serve at the Mass center in Imore. Not until may 2008 when the Chaplin of the Altar Servers Ministry (Arch Angel’s Parish) at that time Rv. Fr. Shola Alabi (CSsR) gave orders that the Altar Servers Ministry should be formed in Imore Mass Center. The Chaplin ordered about ten Altar Servers at the Arch Angel’s Parish who resides within the Imore area to go and start up the Altar Servers Ministry in Imore Mass Center.

With the help of Bro. Ike Mbakwe (a lay reader) in June 2008 announcement were being made on the pulpit in Imore Mass Center for young boys who are willingly to join the Altar Servers Ministry to come forward after the Mass.

On June 10^th 2008 the first set of Altar Servers of Our Mother of Perpetual Help Mass Center were registered by Bro. Ike Mbakwe and Bro. Ezenwafor Onyebuchi (one of the Arch Angel’s Altar Server). The first sets of Altar Servers were: Amadi Precious, Azubuike Richard, Anyaegbu Nnemeka, Ehinze Fortune, Ohaegbu Louis and later Ifejianyi Henry, Osuchukwu Nelson, Osumuo Ekene, Ifejianyi Emmanuel, Ezenwafor Tochukwu and Ezenwafor Emeka. These made up the first set of the Imore Altar Servers Ministry.

Bro. Ezenwafor Onyebuchi became the first president and lecturer by appointment from the Parish president of Arch Angel's at that time Bro. Francis Enahoro. And later he was joined by Bro. Peter Fabian who assisted him in teaching / lecturing the new members. They were later joined by Bro. Thomas Imonige (Treasurer), Bro. Odimegwe Nnamdi (Secretary), Bro. Stephen Nwokobia and later Bro. Matthew Ogbodo.

Bro. Ezenwafor Onyebuchi with the assistant Arch Angle’s parish Lecturer at that time Bro. Peter Chima conducted the first interview for the new members and also the first members’ parent’s home to home visitation.

At that time practice/lectures were being done on Saturday’s from 4pm – 6pm. New members were to write test before they start serving the Mass. The maximum number of servers at the Altar was four. Thurible, Processional Cross and Acolyte were not in use. Vestments were being kept in the house of Bro. Ezenwafor Onyebuchi.

In 2009 the first election of the Altar Servers Ministry of Our Mother of Perpetual Help Catholic Church, Ijegun – Imore was held at the Arch Angel’s Parish and was organized by the Arch Angel’s Parish executives. For some reasons the members of the Altar Servers Ministry Imore were not allowed to vote for the office of the president, but were later allowed to vote for other offices. At the end of the election the results were as follows:

Bro. Thomas Imonige             - President

Bro. Ezenwafor Onyebuchi     - Vice President

Bro. Fabian Peter                    - Secretary

Bro. Odimegwe Nnamdi         - Lecturer

Bro. Matthew Ogbodo            - Treasurer

These five made up the executives of Altar Servers Ministry of Our Mother of Perpetual Help Catholic Church, Ijegun – Imore in 2009. As the church progresses into being an outstation they moved from their temporally site (at Mr. Christopher Okoye’s compound of No. 3, Obodozie Street, New - Site, Ijegun - Imore, Lagos.) to their permanent site in November 1^st 2009.

In the early months of 2010 the executives of the Altar Servers Ministry of Our Mother of Perpetual Help Catholic Church, Ijegun – Imore were dissolved after series of meeting by the Chaplin Rev. Fr. Shola Alabi (CSsR) due to the problems they had with the Church Counsel at that time.

In June 2010 a fresh appointment of the Altar Servers Ministry of Our Mother of Perpetual Help Catholic Church, Ijegun – Imore executives were arranged by Bro. Joseph Onifade (Arch Angel’s Altar Server who joined the Imore Ministry) and Bro. Ezenwafor Onyebuchi (in secret) and the list was handed to the Parish Prsident at that time Bro. David Ukwu. The appointment was as follows:

Bro. Matthew Ogbodo            - President

Bro. Ezenwafor Emeka           - Secretary and acting Vice President

Bro. Ezenwafor Onyebuchi     - Lecturer and acting Provost

Bro. Odimegwe Nnamdi         - Provost and acting Lecturer

Bro. Thomas Imonige             - Treasurer

These five made up the newly appointed executives. These gave to the birth of a stronger, bigger and better Altar Servers Ministry as they produced for the first time the Arch Angel’s Parish Vice President in an election held at the Arch Angel’s Parish, comprising of all the stations under the Arch Angel’s Parish. The election was conducted by a Seminarian at that time Bro. Simon Madu in which Bro. Ezenwafor Onyebuchi emerged the Vice President of the Parish Executives in 2010.

In 2011 September the Altar Servers Ministry of Our Mother of Perpetual Help Catholic Church, Ijegun – Imore won the arch angels’ quiz competition organized for the parish and hosted by the Altar Servers Ministry of Our Mother of Perpetual Help Catholic Church, Ijegun – Imore in the presence of the Parish executives and witnessed by Our Mother of Perpetual Help Catholic Church, Ijegun – Imore Church Councel secretary Mr. Cyprian Ariwaodo. The Imore Altar Servers were represented by Bro. Ezenwafor Peter and Bro. Ebodaghe Bonaventure.

In 2011 Bro. Ezenwafor Onyebuchi formed the lecturer’s forum comprising of all the lecturers under the Arch Angel’s Parish and he became the chairman and also the assistant lecturer to the parish Chief Lecturer Bro. Peter Chima in the Arch Angel’s Parish. In October 2011 Bro. Ezenwafor Onyebuchi later published the first ever Mass Servers Handbook.

The Altar Servers executives of Imore was later joined by Bro. Anthony Maris Onyekaba when the treasurer at that time Bro. Thomas Imonige got admitted into the University. Bro. Anthony Onyekaba became the financial secretary and the acting treasurer.

In August 2012 the president at that time Bro. Matthew Ogbodo due to some un-avoidable circumstances had to relocate to Onitsha and handed his office to the secretary/acting vice president Bro. Ezenwafor Emeka who became the acting president and Bro. Precious Amadi stepped into the office of a secretary.

So-far, so-good by the special grace of God things has being going well with the Altar Servers Ministry of Our Mother of Perpetual Help Catholic Church, Ijegun – Imore, which now have over 35 members. They schedule their next election to be in January 2013 when new executives will emerge. Till then stay tuned!

Ezenwafor Patrick Onyebuchi