In 2024, Phase IV of our Project Development was completed. This SSB Center accommodates various needs, serving as a residential facility for those in need and for the nuns serving the people. Included in the building are resident rooms, gathering space, a chapel and clinic/health unit space.
SSB earned certification from the state to operate to serve those in need, allowing SSB to care for those who would otherwise not have access to nutrition, medical services & housing.
On November 16, 2023, the Society of St. Bartimaeus formally dedicated and opened the Village Center, known by the local villagers as Ala-Nso, meaning “Holy Ground”. This was a major milestone in a three-year long journey.
Our spiritual advisor, Fr. Martin Ibeh, went to Nigeria to celebrate this significant event. The ceremony marked a new phase of our mission, moving from planning to execution. An exuberant crowd of villagers celebrated the event, that included blessing of the land and the building, the unveiling of the large crucifix, the blessing of Our Lady’s statue of Perpetual Help, an inaugural Mass, exposition of the Blessed Sacrament as well as a banquet of local food. The villagers, attired in colorful dresses with matching head wraps, expressed their gratitude and joy with dancing to the cultural lively rhythms and traditional drumbeats.
As background, we started to break ground for our residential center in May 2022. In preparing to build the residential center, local artisans in Nigeria had to create the building blocks – the bricks from the literal dust of the earth. The process involved using local sand, a small amount of concrete compacted into blocks in forms and letting the sun do the rest. Using Christ as the cornerstone, our capital campaign, “The Living Stones” project, helped subsidize this incredible endeavor.