Dominicans in the Lagos Archdiocese by Fr. Ambrose Windbacher Archbishop David Mathew, Apostolic Delegate of English-speaking East and West Africa, instigated the invitation to the Dominicans to come to Nigeria. A formal letter was then received from the Archbishop of Lagos, Leo H. Taylor, asking the Dominicans to take up the responsibility of the then new Yaba mission which was not yet a parish. On March 4, 1 951 , three Dominican Fathers of the American Province of St. Albert the Great arrived in Lagos to take up that responsibility. They were: Fr. J.M. Dempsey OP (later Bishop of Sokoto), Fr. E.T Lawton (also later Bishop of Sokoto), and Fr. A. Kinsella OP. At this time the new Yaba mission, St. Patrick's Church and School, was an outstation of St. Paul's Church, Ebute-Metta. On January 1, 1954, St. Patrick's Church was canonically erected as a parish. On January 24, 1954, Archbishop Taylor presided at the ceremony when the name was changed to St. Dominic's Church. the school, however, retained the name St. Patrick's. Fr., Dempsey was made the pastor of St. Dominic's Parish.
The prefecture of Sokoto was established in July 1953 and placed under the care of the Dominican Fathers. In 1954 Fr. Lawton was named Vicar Apostolic of Sokoto and later became its first Bishop.
Because of ill health, Fr. Kinsella returned to the U.S.A. and in 1955 was replaced by Fr. Ambrose Windbacher OP. As the years went by, more and more Dominican priests and brothers arrived in Nigeria from America to take up the responsibilities in St. Dominic's Parish and other parts of Nigeria which had been placed under the care of the Dominicans.
Because of the rapidly increasing numbers at St Dominic's, a new church was necessary. On August 4, 1956, the first new St. Dominic's Church was blessed by the Apostolic Delegate, Msgr. J.R. Knox. When the Dominicans were asked to take up St. Dominic's, the area placed under their jurisdiction comprised all of the area north of St. Paul's Church, Ebute-metta, and west of St. Dominic's. This included all of Surulere, Ikeja, Ikorodu, Shomolu, Mushin, and Akoka/Bariga.
Initially, the Dominican Fathers, besides having mass at St. Dominic's, also celebrated daily and Sunday masses in the Sisters' Chapel at St. Agnes Teachers Training College in Maryland, Ikeja and would also teach there during the week. There was no parish as at then at Maryland. On the third Sunday of every month, after celebrating Mass at the Sisters' convent chapel, to which a large number of lay people came from the surrounding area, the Fathers would go to Ikorodu to celebrate Mass in a school. Years later St. Augustine's Church, Ikorodu, and St. Agnes Church, Maryland, were started.
The Dominican fathers would also go to the Southern Police College, Ikeja,, to hear confessions every Saturday afternoon and also on Sunday mornings for Mass. After Mass, the sacrament of Baptism was; administered. Eventually St. Leo's Church was established in the area.
The Dominican fathers also began celebrating Mass at St. Thomas Aquinas primary Boys School, Surulere. Fr. Dempsey OP celebrated the first Mass there. Eventually Fr. Branif constructed a church called St. Anthony's and in 1962 the SMA Fathers were assigned to take over the parish.
The Dominicans were celebrating Mass at St. Mary's, Aiegunle, until Fr. Sadiku was assigned as priest. Because there was no Father's House, he had to live and work out of the sacristy of the church.
Catholics in the Mushin area were coming to St. Dominic's to attend mass. Fr. Dempsey OP was in charge of St. Michael's Primary School, Mushin. Eventually a church was constructed in Mushin under the supervision of a contractor named Peter Ebigbo, a member of St. Dominic's Parish. The name of the church was established as Regina Mundi at the request of the contractor who had donated money and services.
The Dominican Fathers established the Thomistic Institute in which lectures were given in Yaba and Lagos Island or, the doctrine of St. Thomas Aquinas for lay people interested in knowing more about their faith. Certificates were awarded. The Dominican Fathers were also active in the giving of annual retreats for priests and sisters throughout southern and western Nigeria.
The Dominican Fathers also celebrated mass for many years of St. Robert's Church at the Military Hospital in Yaba. Eventually a full-time chaplain of the Armed Forces was assigned to take over St. Robert's.
Meanwhile, St. Dominic's parish was growing in leaps and bounds, By the 1970's, six masses were celebrated every Sunday at St. Dominic's. As at 1998, more than 13,000 families were registered in the parish with an estimated attendance at all six masses on Sunday of 25,000 people. The new St. Dominic's Church was solemnly dedicated by Archbishop A. O. Okogie on January 21, 1996. The Provincial office for the Dominican Province of St. Joseph the Worker (Nigeria and Ghana) is located at St. Dominic's. At present sixteen priests and brothers live at St. Dominic's. Confessions are heard daily and on Saturday from 9:30-12:00 and 4:30 to 6:30 by as many as ten priests at a time. Hundreds of people come from all over Lagos to have their confessions heard, and sometimes even ten priests are not enough.
A priest or brother is always on duty during office hours weekdays as St. Dominic's. Hundreds of people come for prayers, confession, advice, and for bookings for weddings, funerals, and baptisms.
The Dominicans also have an outstation at Makoko under the name "St. Andre du Lac" for the Egun fishermen where Mass is celebrated every Sunday. Another outstation was recently established at Tarkwa Bay Island, and a Dominican Father goes there by boat every Sunday. Yet another outstation is planned for the near future in the Iwaya and Abule Oja areas.
St. Jude Catholic church, Mafoluku, near the international airport, is administered by the Dominican Fathers and Brothers, four of who live at Mafoluku. They also administer St. Peter Claver Church in the Ajao Estate and are in charge of the yet-to-be-opened airport chapel. The Dominican Fathers and Brothers own the Dominican Nursery and Primary School, Mafoluku, which has approximately 1000 students. The school is administered by the Dominican Sisters.
Dominican Arts, a liturgical arts shop which produces vestments and other items, is directed by Bro. Paul Keteh, OP and also located at Mafoluku.
The Dominican Fathers and Brothers also have three clinics to serve the poor: St. Catherine of Siena medical Centre, Mafoluku (staffed by the Medical Missionaries of Mary), St. Dominic's Clinic, Yaba, and a smaller clinic in Makoko to St. Andre du Lac Church.
St. Dominic's Bookcentre, Dominican publications, and nation-wide St. Jude Apostolate, all started by Bro. Stephen Lucas OP, are located at St. Dominic's, Yaba.
For many years Dominican fathers such as Fr. Ambrose Windbacher OP, Fr. Martin Aitsebaomo OP, Fr. Peter Otilio OP, and Fr. Thomas McDermott OP, have been chaplains to the Knights of St. Mulumba and the Knights of St. John.
At present, approximately twenty Dominican Fathers, Brothers, students and brothers reside in the Archdiocese of Lagos, either at St. Dominic's, Yaba, or St. Jude, Mafoluku.
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