Our Lady of Nigeria
Map of Nigeria
The statue of Our Lady was a gift from the proceeds of our Church Repository Shop on Easter Sunday 2014. This is St. Peter's only statue and they hope to create a grotto to house it in the future.
Project report from Bishop Stephen Dami Mamza (PDF)
Cost estimates for the construction of 2 classrooms in Jangbunu (PDF)
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Photos of the school in Jangbunu
Message from Bishop Stephen:
Greetings and best wishes to the parishioners and Twinning Team from Yola. I hope everybody is keeping safe. These are the updates regarding Jangbunu:
1) The extra donation given for the completion of the Convent was very helpful. The convent is fully completed and furnished.
2) I was able to purchase a car * for the nuns too.
3) 3 nuns are living in the convent and running the school. They are doing very well and everything about the school has greatly improved.
Bishop Stephen Dami Mamza,
Yola, Nigeria.
Photos of the car and the commissioning ceremony of the convent
We thank all those who have been supporting this Project all through the pandemic.
We are pleased to give you an update on our latest project - convent / teachers accommodation.
Bishop Stephen has informed us that the Sisters of Jesus the Good Shepherd have formally started their apostolate in the school in Jangbunu. Two nuns have been posted for now and hopefully more will be posted next year. See photos below of the opening of the convent and more photos can be seen at the Twinning Corner in the church.
Bishop Stephen tells us that there has been serious unrest in their country and particularly in his area. They were under a 24-hour curfew. He would like to thank the people of Ballinteer for their generosity to the project.
Donations can be made at the Twinning Corner.
Thank you for your continued support.
Ballinteer Parish Twinning Committee
The New Sisters of Jesus the Good Shepherd Convent/Accommodation
The Official Opening by Bishop Dami Mamza
Bishop Stephen and some of the nuns who will live and serve in the new Convent
The Parish Committe meet and greet Bishop Stephen before the WMOF Mass in our Church on Tuesday 21st August 2018.
Thanks to the continued support of parishioners for this project, through the 300 club and Cake Sales etc. the Parish of St. Peter's in Jangbunu in N.E. Nigeria have just completed the building of the extra classrooms and are now, again thanks to the people of Ballinteer, working on the interiors and they will be furnishing them shortly.
Fr. Charles and his parishioners pray for all those who have helped bring their parish into the 21st century.
Since the commencement of the Twinning Project and thanks to the generosity of the people of Ballinteer, particularly the 300 Club, we list the works achieved to date:-
We are also very grateful to the children and parents who support us by using the children's shopping trollies in Supervalu.
A huge thank you to those who support us by baking and knitting for our Christmas 2017 Craft Sale. - Barbara Flynn
"What the Ballinteer community in general and the Twinning Team have done for us in Jangbunu is akin to what Christ said in the gospel of Matthew 25:35 -
'for I was hungry, and you gave me food, I was thirsty, and you gave me something to drink ...'
Your kindness will never be forgotten by us. We really appreciate and will forever remain grateful to you all. Silver and gold, we have none, but we assure you of our continuous prayers and may God bless you all."
Please see the wonderful letter and photographs (links below) from Fr. Charles thanking us for our support that enabled the installation of solar panels which were of tremendous benefit to their parish.
Fr. Charles
Letter from Fr. Charles on 11th May 2017 (PDF)
Photographs of the installation of the Solar Panels in May 2017. (PDF)
Click on the link below to see the report on progress to the end of 2016:
Twinning Project Update for 2016 (PDF)
It was wonderful to see Bishop Stephen again when he visited us in Ballinteer Parish in July 2015. You will remember when Bishop Stephen of Yola in Nigeria visited us here in Ballinteer during May 2014 to thank the parishioners for their prayers and generosity. His photo above was taken in Ballinteer on 4th May 2014. Bishop Stephen, who worked and studied here in Ballinteer from September 2010 to March 2011, had previously asked Fr. Richard that our parish of St John the Evangelist, Ballinteer twin with a parish in his diocese of Yola - St Peter's Parish of Jangbunu in north eastern Nigeria.
Twinning means identifying as a parish in solidarity and empathy with our Christian brothers and sisters in
Jesus Christ. It enables fraternal ties of friendship and mutual support between dioceses and parishes. Fr. Richard has put together a voluntary team in the parish to work on this project.
St Peter's parish, Jangbunu is the most disadvantaged parish in Yola Diocese. The only school in the village is a ramshackle government primary school where the children still sit on stones during lessons.
The main challenge in Jangbunu is the fact that it is a remote village almost completely cut off from modern life. The poverty level is very high there and most people live in squalor with little water.
We are delighted to report that with our help a new well was dug and is now fully operational and it it has proved to be a huge benefit to the community.
The next big undertaking for Bishop Stephen and his community was to build a 3-class room block with an office complex. Our Twinning team with the wonderfull support and generosity of the parishioners of Ballinteer made it their task to see that this important project had the funds available to completee it on time.
As you will see from the letters and photographs from Bishop Stephen to The Twinning Team (links below)
the project of the class room block for the people of Jangbunu became a reality and it was opened on 7th June 2015 and the people of Jangbunu community thanked our parishioners for their wonderful support.
Bishop Stephen's Letter of 4th Feb 2015 (PDF)
Bishop Stephen's Letter of 23rd April 2015 (PDF)
Bishop Stephen's Letter of 9th June 2015 (PDF)
Some photos of the School during construction and after completion:
Late in 2013 a well, funded by our Parish, was bored to supply water to the people of Jangbunu, Nigeria. The following is an extract from a letter of December 2013 from their Parish Council:
"We write on behalf of the entire community of St. Peter's Parish to show our appreciation for all that you are
doing for us. The twinning (of our parishes) has touched and transformed our lives in so many ways, both physically
and spiritually. Before now we had so many challenges which made us feel rejected but now we see a ray of light
at the end of a dark tunnel. We now have access to good drinking water thanks to the borehole drilled by you and
we enjoy many other good things, being the fruits of the sacrifices made by you, our beloved brothers and sisters
in Christ".
As mentioned in a Sunday Message issue a few months ago, the next project, selected by the community and backed by their Bishop, which our Parish Twinning Committee has agreed to support, is the provision of a Nursery School for 4-8 year olds at a cost of €39,000, fully equipped. To generate steady income for this project the Committee launched a 300 Club in February 2014 which, if it continues to be fully subscribed, will generate a profit of €2,000 every ten weeks. With this and an occasional special fundraiser plus other donations, the Committee is hopeful that the building of the Nursery School (for which drawings and a bill of quantities have been submitted) could commence in about two years' time. In April 2014 approximately €10,000 was already on hand for the project.
We are delighted to report that with our help a new well was dug and is now fully operational, and it it has proved to be a huge benefit to the community.
Bishop Stephen with the Twinning Group Committee
Jangbunu Parish Group
Click here (PDF) to read about the visit by our late Chairperson Iris Byrne to Jangbunu.
Gifts from Jangbunu to Ballinteer parish - Come along and have a look at them.
Parishioners can participate by donating in the wall box which is located beside the Twinning Display and photographs beside the Padre Pio statue in the corner of the Church.
It is important to state that there will be no administration fees of any kind.
Parishioners can also participate by attending any of the fund raising events or by helping the organisers with the running of events. All monies collected will go directly to St Peter's Parish, Jangbunu in the Diocese of Yola.
Barbara Flynn, Chairperson, Tel: 087-2840618
or e-mail the Parish Office at :ballinteeroffice@gmail.com
Address: Parish Office, St. John the Evangelist Church, Presbytery No. 2, Ballinteer Avenue, Dublin 16.