LAGOS State governor, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has commended the Catholic Archdiocese of Lagos for prioritising the welfare of elderly priests.
Governor Sanwo-Olu gave the commendation at the unveiling ceremony and inaugural dinner of St. John Mary Vianney Priest Home held in Victoria Island.
The governor commended the initiative of the Catholic Archdiocese of Lagos to build a home where priests who had devoted their lives to God and humanity would be cared for in old age.
He called on the Christian faithful to donate to the project which, according to him, is meant to provide quality living for elderly priests.
Secretary of the Archbishop of Lagos, Reverend Paul Ariole, said the Archdiocese was blessed with 163 indigenous priests and a few of them had attained the retirement age of 75.
Others, he said, have health issues which require special care.
Reverend Ariole said: “In time past, through the approval of the Archbishop, many elderly and frail priests resided with Reverend Raphael Adebayo at St. Agnes Catholic Church, Maryland, and this practice has also been maintained by the parish priest, Anthony Fadairo.
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“With the growing nature of the Archdiocese, we look forward to a future where our elderly priests will be specially catered for in their time of need and not simply be residents in any parish,” he said.
The chairman of the St. John Mary Vianney Priest Home (SJMVPH) project, Chief Yemi Ijamakinwa, thanked the Archbishop for naming the home after St. John Mary Vianney.
He described the life of a priest as one of sacrifice.
“Once ordained, a priest lives in the service of God and his people. He owns nothing of his own and everything belongs to the church.
“There is the need for the church to support the priests as they journey through this life of sacrifice that they have embraced. It is in line with this that we plan to embark on this project that will serve as a conducive living environment for the priests,” he said.
The chairman of the planning committee, Reverend Anthony Fadairo Fadairo thanked the governor and his wife for the warm reception when the group visited the governor.