Brief History Of The Laity Council

The Achievements of the Laity Council in the parish & beyond

The Laity Council has been able to harmonize the societies and groups by enhancing their roles in the parish.

The impact of the Laity Council in establishing out stations and initiating Caretakers in various Mass Centers through the Church Committee and Parish Pastoral Council.
Organizing society forums and society fairs and open mediums for societies and groups evangelism and induction of new members.
Liaising with Deanery and Archdiocesan counterpart in fulfilling the desire of the archbishop and other programmes in the parish.
St. Michael Laity Council is very vibrant in both Deanery and Archdiocese, produced a Deanery Chairman in the then old Ikeja deanery in the person of Mr. Charles Ugbeni.
Open an account where income and expenses of the Council is transferred.
Introduced Lay Leaders Workshop and Seminars in the parish.

It is worthy to note that some Members of the Parish had in recent past been recognized by the Archdiocesan Laity Council in recognition of their roles in Laity in St. Michael’s Ketu. They include 1. Otunba Thomas Adesanya (2009) 2. Sir Gabriel Sadgboje (KSM) (2011) 3. Mr. Itinuoye (2012) 4. Mr. Henry Tojunu (2013) 5. Mr. Albert Ude (2015) 6. Mr. Albert Ogunuga (Maryland Deanery) (2016) 7. Mrs. Veronica Orakwe (2016) 8. Mr. Aaron Obi (Maryland Deanery) (2016) 9. Chief EmekaAsoegwu (CMO ADC) (2016) 10. Rev. Fr. Sebastian Ngene (2016) 11.

Background History

With the Archbishop OlubunmiOkogie, who is now Cardinal OlubunmiOkogie, Emeritus letter’s to the Parish in January 1998 requesting for the parish’s representatives at the Archdiocesan Laity Council, a decision was reached in the following month, February 1998 during the Church Committee meeting and Mr. Emmanuel Omodia was appointed as the Laity Coordinator at the Archdiocese. Before now, the Parish has operated a structure that embodied Parish Life, Spiritual Life, and Worship, and Communal Life all reporting to the Parish Pastoral Council PPC, through the Church Committee. Mr. Emmanuel Omodia was the elected leader of Parish Life, where Mr. Moses Agbohense said as Secretary, every societies and groups in the Parish reported to this body. Though the parish entertained initial fear on how to entrench the Laity Council in the system, there was also a relief knowing that we had already an existing structure to accommodate such council. In 2001, the Archdiocesan Laity Council visited St. Michael’s, Ketu and demanded the establishment of a fully fledged Laity Council for the Parish. What obtained then was parish life (already discussed above), but the coordinator and secretary attend all Deanery and Archdiocesan Laity Council meetings in a representatives capacity, After the expiration of four years, two ten or in 2002 of Mr. E. Omodia as head of the parish Life Chief EmekaAsoegwu became the leader of Parish Life in 2002 by election and was appointed to represent Mr. Emmanuel Omodia as representative as parish Laity Coordinator by the Church Committee. He was assisted in the parish by Mr. John Agodi as his Vice and Mr. Ernest Akpan as Secretary. Chief EmekaAsoegwu handed over the leadership of Parish Life to Mr. John Agodi in 2004 after election who automatically became the coordinator of Parish Laity Council by virtue of his position; he was assisted in the parish by Mr. Ernest Akpan as his Vice. Mr. John Agodi handed over to his Vice Ernest Akpan before the completion of his four years tenure though by election when he received another higher appointment in the Parish and Mr. Ernest Akpan became the leader of Parish Life and coordinator of Parish Laity Council. In February, 2007 an official election was conducted for the Parish Laity Council Chairman in St. Michael and full Laity Council was entrenched and Mr. Charles Ugbeni became the first Parish Laity Chairman and Mr. Kuye Rufus as Vice Chairman and Mrs. Comfort Sofowora Secretary during his tenure. With the Church structure still maintained as the Council reporting to the PPC via the Church Committee. In April 2009, at the end of their first term, an election was conducted and some of the executives were re-elected, these as included Mr. Charles Ugbeni and Mrs. Comfort Sofowora who were re-elected as Chairman and Secretary respectively Mr. Charles Ugbeni handed over to Mr. Okodua on completion of his two tenure in June 2011. At the expiration of the tenure i.e. 4 years (2 terms) on April 30th, 2011, an election was conducted that gave birth to the executive which included among others. Mr. Martin Okodua Chairman Mrs. Comfort Sofowora Vice-Chairman Mrs. HenreittaNkpaji Gen. Secretary Mr. Thomas Obianisi Treasurer Mrs. Theresa Oni Fin. Sec. after an official laity executive election and he was afterwards re-elected as the then Old Ikeja Deanery Laity Chairman. At the expiration of the first tenure of two years of Mr. Okodua with his co-excos as Mrs. Sofowora as Vice and Henrietta Nkpaji the Archdiocese announced the increase of the parish executive tenure from two years term to three years terms of office. The second tenure of Mr. Okodua was due from three years having on board Mrs. Stella Ugbeh as Vice and retaining Mrs. Henrietta Nkpaji as Secretary but this term could not be concluded. Lagos Archdiocese introduced a new parish guideline at the middle of the second tenure which ordered the dissolution of all existing executives in all parishes including the Laity Council and immediate implementation of the New Archdiocesan Guideline to this effect, a fresh election was conducted in October 20,2015 to usher in the new Laity Council Executives that has Mr. Christopher Adoghe as Chairman, Mr. Andrew Enakhifo as Secretary and Mrs. Ugbeh Stella as Vice Chairman with other executives and members of the Council comprising of leaders and Secretaries of groups and organizations in St. Michael Catholic Church, Ketu. At the expiration of his tenure on 16th December, 2018 Mr. Christopher Adoghe handed over to Mr. Stanley Egware while Mr. Martins Nnebedum being the Secretary of the Council.
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