About
Us
Welcome to St. Gregory’s
College
PROPRIETOR’S MESSAGE
The Catholic Church believes education is an integral part of her God-given mission on earth and in faithfulness to this
mission has worked determinedly over the centuries to establish educational institutions across the world. The Church,
in her wisdom, views education as essential in preparing her children for what they must be and for what they must do to
fully realize the will of God as they work to care for God’s creation- the sublime purpose for which they were created.
In following the same path, the Catholic Archdiocese of Lagos has over the years established different formal
educational institutions ranging from primary to secondary schools, college of education and university. Currently the
Archdiocese boasts of a total of over thirty nursery and primary schools, fourteen secondary schools, three skill
acquisition centres and two tertiary institutions (a College of Education and a University).
Some of these institutions are coeducational while others are not; and to the glory of God, St. Gregory’s College,
founded 27th January, 1928 (92 years ago) is the oldest of all the schools in the Archdiocese.
We are grateful to God for the life of the College and all those who have, at different times, managed the affairs of
the College and for the beautiful crop of “Gregorians” who have graduated from it. We pray to God to continuously bless
the College and all those associated with it. Amen.
Most Rev. Alfred Adewale Martin
Metropolitan Archbishop of Lagos and College Proprietor.
WELCOME MESSAGE
St. Gregory’s College was originally established as St Gregory’s Grammar School by the
Catholic Church on 12th March, 1882 at Igbosere Road, Lagos. The school shared the same site with St. John’s
Evangelist Catholic Infant School and
St.Francis Xavier Primary School (now Holy Cross). These two were established in 1871. The establishment of St.
Gregory’s Grammar School was to create a desired alternative to CMS Grammar School and Methodist Boys High School.
It became
the third secondary school of the 1880s.
At its establishment, St. Gregory’s Grammar School had the teachers’ training wing and
the Grammar School wing. At the former, teachers were prepared for the examination of the College of Preceptors and
teachers’ certificate.
In September 1909, King’s College was established by an Act of the British Parliament to provide for the youth of the colony a higher general education than that provided by the existing
mission schools, and to prepare them for matriculation examination of the University of London and to give a useful course of study to qualify for
professional life or to enter government or mercantile service. Some students of the existing schools took examinations into King’s College to partake in the new curriculum. After the Education Code of 1926, there was an agitation by
Catholics in Lagos to have a full-fledged secondary school where their children would be prepared for matriculation like King’s College. They had fears about King’s
College with regard to Catholic religious instruction being that it was a Colonial Government school. Bishop Ferdinand Terrien, then Catholic Bishop, listened to their agitations and in 1923 obtained 5.5 acres of
land at Ikoyi plains from His Excellency, Sir Donald Cameroon and started to build this citadel of learning. In 1928, St. Gregory’s Grammar School was renamed St Gregory’s College by Bishop Ferdinand Terrien. The College,
thus officially has two foundation dates: 12th March, 1882 and 27th January, 1928 as St. Gregory’s Grammar School and St.Gregory’s College, respectively. Until now, the latter date was celebrated but with the recent
update of the College’s initial year of establishment, the former date would be celebrated as the official Founder’s Day.
The establishment of St. Gregory’s College by the Catholic Archdiocese of Lagos was for the purpose of giving young boys a holistic education that is built on two pillars – fear of God and sound knowledge of all there is to know.
This explains the motto of our beloved College Pro Fide et Scientia (For faith and knowledge). In faithfulness to the vision of the Catholic Archdiocese of Lagos, the Management of the College since its
inception has constantly placed the highest premium on these core values. On these pillars rest the source and summit of our College and of all who are associated with it.
In St. Gregory’s College, we hold dear the words of Francois Rabelais that “A child is not a vessel to be filled, but a fire to be lit”. In order to effectively achieve this goal, our daily quests and undertakings include giving our
students a solid spiritual foundation, developing their potential, helping them to be competitive and bold, creating an exciting environment for them, encouraging them to be independent thinkers, building their sense of self-esteem,
ensuring their voices are heard and guaranteeing their health and wellbeing. Our curriculum serves as a bedrock for this goal because it offers our students opportunities to soar in any
sphere of life that they choose and wherever they choose. We equip students to study anywhere in the world after their graduation by preparing and offering them opportunities to sit for local and international examinations. And in a world
where computer technology has taken the center stage, our students are well grounded in the prerequisite knowledge that puts them ahead of their peers in the world of computer technology. They graduate from St. Gregory’s College with exceptional knowledge and ability in Coding and Robotics. After more than one hundred and forty (140) years of fruitful existence, St. Gregory’s College has come to be
known globally as one of the foremost formation grounds for young men who are destined to make the world a better place. Our holistic formation gives our students the added advantage that makes them outliers. Their practically enriched
academic curriculum is driven by the moral formation that makes it integral. Our enviable landscape makes learning, acquisition of skills, and sporting activities worthwhile.
We welcome all who visit our College website. We are sure you will find helpful and important information about this
great institution of learning. This site will give you a glimpse of what St. Gregory’s College is all about and how
you can be a part of our success story.
Thank you.
Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Ayeni
Administrator.