AFRICA/NIGERIA - The first Community of the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians in Ikorodu born with the support of children, young people, parishioners and benefactors

Ikorodu (Agenzia Fides) - A pastry school, sewing courses, computer science for young people, accompaniment of youth group movements, catechesis, are some of the areas in which the missionary Daughters of Mary Help of Christians (FMA) offer their service in Ikorodu (Immole kekele).
It is a suburb of Lagos, Nigeria, where the first community of the FMA was inaugurated on December 8, 2022. Everyone, children, young people, parishioners, benefactors, according to their abilities and availability, have contributed to the realization of this much desired reality.
In a conversation with Agenzia Fides, the sisters reported that the three nuns currently present work together with the local lay community, in the parish and with the people of the neighborhood.
The presence of the missionaries in this suburb on the outskirts of the capital dates back to November 15, 2019, when they were sent as a simple presence among the youth for service in the parish. In those years, they had been welcomed by the Salesians of Don Bosco (SDB) of the Province of Saint Artemide Zatti (AFW), present in Nigeria since 2011. Three years after the arrival of the FMA, on the day of the Immaculate celebrated the canonical establishment of the first FMA Community in Nigeria, made up of Sr. Dieudonne Jean Louis, the Director, Sr. Jacqueline George and Sr. Dagba Vida.
"We cannot stop giving thanks to God for the marvels accomplished in the life of our first Community in Nigeria", reads the message sent by the Mother General of the FMA Institute, Sister Chiara Cazzuola. "Three years after our arrival in the country and at a time of crisis for the world and for Nigeria itself (see Fides, 12/9/2022), the Lord, through the Virgin Help of Christians, has granted us the grace to be able to build this building that we are inaugurating today”.
Some 70 faithful from the parishes of Divine Mercy and Blessed Virgin Mary of Ikorodu
took part in the inaugural Eucharistic celebration. During the welcoming ceremony there was the blessing of the altar, the tabernacle and the pulpit of the new community chapel, followed by Mass. Seven priests concelebrated with Fr. Joe Ben, parish priest of the Divine Mercy Parish, including two SDBs. In his homily, Fr. Ben recalled the dream of John Bosco when he was 9 years old and the Saint's meeting with Bartolomeo Garelli, as significant events at the beginning of the Salesian work. (AP) (Agenzia Fides, 21/12/2022)

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