In what was a first for El Dorado Comprehensive Secondary, Mass was celebrated on November 26 at the school. And, it is the intention of organiser Dr Rose Osuji to have a Mass monthly.

Dr Osuji, a Nigerian native, has been teaching at El Dorado Comprehensive Secondary School for the past 28 years and was high in praise of the behaviour of the students during the Mass.

She said afterwards: “I want to cry, I want to shout out, I want to sing for joy, you children have made me so happy today. In all my years here I have never seen you like this. Mass went into your lunch hour and no complaints!”

Visiting priest from Jamaica, Fr Tom Frink SJ celebrated the Eucharist, delivering a powerful homily imploring the young people to “get up and go” to attain their goals in life. He shared his own faith story with the students and asked them, “How many of you are going to trust God and let Him bless you?”

Daniella Millete does the First Reading. Fr Frink is in background

Dr Rose Osuji addresses the students

Students lead Prayer of the Faithful

The students seemed to quite enjoy Fr Frink’s homily, as it was punctuated with peals of laughter from them and Fr Frink.

The choir was made up of students and even the altar server was a student of the school. Daniella Millette did the first reading and the Responsorial Psalm was led by Tamika Birmingham. Students also led the Prayers of the Faithful.

The Mass began at 10.45 a.m. and finished at 12.30 p.m., after which lunch was served to those who had attended.

Dr Osuji explained to the Catholic News what motivated her to organise the Mass, “I just cannot take it anymore - this bloody mess. We cannot let things continue like this. The Government has tried, the Police Force has tried, but this problem is too big for any one institution. We need someone bigger than this - we need God.”

She views the school Mass as just part of a bigger initiative aimed at healing the nation and the world. This was a time of new beginnings, she said, including for the many Catholic students who might not have attended Mass for a long time. She told them that this was their opportunity to learn more about their faith and to share it with others.

“Youth In Focus Through Prayer & Example” is the title of Dr Osuji’s programme. She said: “It is a way for elders and teachers to say to students, ‘We love you, we are not happy with the way things are going so we are joining with you to ask God’s grace and mercy’. I have used the theme from Michael Jackson, ‘We are the world, we are the children, we are the ones to make a brighter day’.”

Dr Osuji shared with the students her plan to try and spread the initiative to other schools across the country and, hopefully, the world, saying, “We are here to celebrate Mass and ask God for His grace and mercy.

Too many people are being killed, too much crime. We are telling the country we are young people and we are strong. You are a privileged set; we are inspiring you here today and motivating you to change your behaviour... We are planting a mustard seed here in this school and you will nurture that seed and cause it to grow I’m sure.”

Parents of students will be invited to attend the monthly Masses at El Dorado and efforts will be made to have Masses held at other government schools.