15 September, 2021

The three provinces of the Society of the Holy Child Jesus recently help their respective chapters in preparation for the Society’s General Chapter, which is scheduled for April 2022. Below are some images from those chapters, which take place every six years.

12 October, 2021

Jesuit Missions recently hosted a webinar with President of the Jesuit Conference in Africa and Madagascar Rev. Agbonkhianmeghe Orobator, S.J.  to discuss climate change.

Fr Orobator S.J. joined Jesuit Missions’ webinar for his talk, ‘How the world will come to an end’ – or how we can save ourselves and Our Common Home.

Click below to listen:

First Sunday of Lent

Therefore, I have now brought you the first fruits
of the products of the soil
which you, O LORD, have given me.’  Dt 26

Is beauty, flaming red or gold, for me?
Can transformation happen, invade me?
Can one small seed become a torch of fire?
Can night give way to brightness, dancing life? I hope!

From “Child of Night, Child of Light” by Kate Holmstrom, SHCJ
Please pray for the Society’s preparation for its general chapter, starting Easter Sunday

Ash Wednesday

Today let us pray and fast in solidarity with Ukraine
No moment is unscarred, there is no pause,
In every instant bloodied innocence
Falls to the weary earth, and whilst we stand
Quiescence ends again in acquiescence,
And Abel’s blood still cries in every land
One silence only might redeem that blood
Only the silence of a dying God.
Malcolm Guite

General Chapter         17 – 30 April

Please join us in praying for a fruitful outcome.

The general chapter represents all the members of the Society. Through it we acknowledge our accountability not only to each other, but also to the whole church. Through the general chapter we renew our understanding of what fidelity to the spirit and mission of the Society means in a constantly changing world …

As the members of the chapter pray and reflect together, to discern where the Spirit is leading us, they legislate and set policy for the Society, to direct and strengthen its spiritual and apostolic vitality.                  – SHCJ Constitutions

27 April, 2022

The Society of the Holy Child Jesus is delighted to announce that the Leadership Team for the years 2022-2028 has been elected at the Delegate Session of its 28^th General Chapter in Nemi, Italy.

Sr. Pauline Darby, a member of the European Province, was elected to a six-year term as Society Leader. She is currently completing a six-year term as a member of the Society Leadership Team, which is based in Rome.

Joining Sr. Pauline on the Society Leadership Team will be Sisters Susan Igelle and Oyidu Okwori from the African Province and Sister Carmen Torres of the American Province.

L to R: Oyidu Okwori, Pauline Darby, Susan Igelle, and Carmen Torres.

9 June, 2022

By Celia Capstick

Celia Capstick is an associate of the Society of the Holy Child Jesus, European Province, and co-convener of the Social Responsibility Committee of the National Board of Catholic Women (NBCW).

Prior to the feast of Pentecost our international SHCJ prayer group – Society of the Holy Child Jesus – zoomed together greeting those from Africa and America and Ireland with extra pleasure as we marvelled at the way distance has vanished through this new technology. We reflected together on Pope Francis’ musings on the Holy Spirit from ‘Let us Dream’:

“The Spirit shows us new things through what the Church calls the signs of the times. Discerning the signs of the times allows us to make sense of change……In every age people experience “hunger and thirst for righteousness”, a cry that goes up from the margins of society. If we discern in such a yearning a movement of God’s Spirit, it allows us to open up to that movement in thought and action, and so to create a new future ……allowing us to respond with the depth that only the Holy Spirit can give us.’ (#57)

Reflecting, we considered the current ‘signs of the times’: war in Ukraine, increasing poverty amid the cost of living crisis, climate change and, more hopefully, the way communities had come together during the pandemic. But the cry of the Poor and the cry of the Earth were the dominant themes. How are we to respond to problems of this magnitude?

CLICK HERE to continue reading on the Independent Catholic News website.

13 August, 2022

The long-awaited day, Saturday 13th August 2022 opened with a very clement weather, though it had been raining in Jos. Our celebrants, their families, friends, Religious from other congregations, Priests from Jos and neighboring dioceses, invited guests and SHCJ Associates in their uniform joined a good number of SHCJ Sisters, the Province Leader and her Team, immediate past Society Leader, Sr. Veronica Openibo, immediate past Province Leader, Sr. Philomena Aidoo all in glowing colours at St. Murumba’s Parish, Jos.

Click here for more photos from the day; click here for video from the event.

Most Rev Dr. Matthew Ishaya Audu, the Archbishop of Jos who doubles as an Associate of SHCJ, was the principal celebrant and he concelebrated with a bevy of priests who filled up the sanctuary for the Mass. He gave a very compelling and soul-searching homily educating all about the true meaning of the vowed life. There was an invocation of the Holy Spirit as well as the entire company of the Saints led by the cantors and the choir.

The seven celebrants Vivian Iboi, Francisca Igwe, Maureen Odineze, Ifeoma Omeh, Lydia Alphonsus, Uchechukwu Diyoke, and Sylvaline Etoh.

This ushered us into the climax of the Mass which had each of sisters Lydia Alphonsus, Uchechukwu Diyoke, Sylvaline Etoh, Vivian Iboi, Francisca Igwe, Maureen Odineze and Ifeoma Omeh pronounce Perpetual Vows of Chastity, Poverty and Obedience to the Lord, promising to live and die in the SHCJ. The Province Leader, Sr. Helen Ebede, who represented the Society Leader, Sr. Pauline Darby received their Vows and commended them earnestly to God. The entire congregation which was agog to see this happen broke into joy and applause but more joyful were the SHCJs, especially the perpetually professed sisters who immediately made a lifelong covenant with the seven new perpetually professed sisters.

The Silver jubilarians; Sisters Patricia Duru, Stella Okpunor and Veronica Ufomba renewed their Vows after 25 years of a life of grace. Next was the renewal of Vows by our Golden Jubilarian, Sr. Cecilia Nya who thrilled all by her vitality and cheerfulness at fifty years of Religious life. The elated congregation especially the SHCJs could not stop clapping and praising God for these blessings.

Jubilarians Srs. Cecilia Nya, Stella Okpunor, Patricia Duru, Veronica Ufomba and Province Leader Helen Ebede, SHCJ.

The Society Leader, Sr. Pauline Darby, in a letter that was read to the Congregation by Sr. Oyidu Okwori, a member of the SLT, congratulated all of us and urged the seven new perpetually professed sisters to spend a long time into the future deepening their relationship with God and God’s people, continuing to grow in wisdom and grace as did Jesus. She reiterated that challenges lie ahead, as in any way of life – and reasons for gratitude and rejoicing. Sr. Pauline charged them to make each day a new opportunity to love and serve as Cornelia asked of us. Next, Sr. Justina Chikezie, gave a vote of thanks on behalf of the Province Leader. It was indeed a very uplifting worship experience.

The Sisters and all invitees returned to the Convent for the reception at the beautifully decorated Centre for Renewal Hall, Jos. Our celebrants, their families and invited guests were well entertained. During the reception, SHCJ History Book was unveiled by our Province Leader, Sr. Helen Ebede, supported by Sr. Henrietta Adindu, the Editor in Chief as well as the PLT members present; Sisters Gifty Abane, Margaret Akpan and Justina Chikezie. The History Book was presented by Professor David Jowitt and launched by families of celebrants, Associates, friends and well-wishers. We thank God for the joyful celebrations and thank the entire Society for the support and prayers all the way. A hearty congratulation to us all! God Alone!

Download PDF

October 21, 2022

Dan Dougherty, President, Cristo Rey New York High School

Cristo Rey NY is a co-sponsored ministry of the Society of the Holy Child Jesus.

Annually, Cristo Rey New York High School welcomes its students with the Mass of the Holy Spirit. The goal of this mass is to guide our students into being both intentional and hopeful about the start of the new school year. We come together to ask for blessings as we remind our returning students of the importance of community and introduce our first-year students to their new family while acknowledging the accomplishments of their elder classmates. We close out this mass with an award ceremony, honoring the students who are both high achievers and those who have shown the most growth in their courses. Beginning the year with this ceremony is meant to show the upperclassmen how much they have matured and achieved while inspiring the younger classes to strive for their best in the coming year. The ceremony encourages all to keep moving forward and work towards becoming professionals for others.

As our community moves further away from the height of the pandemic, we have kept at our core the importance of being together and lifting each other up through the challenges the year might bring. We are fortunate to revisit traditions we have not been able to enjoy since the pandemic began. We are grateful to unite for holiday gatherings, school-wide clubs, events, and mass celebrated as a whole in our beloved St. Cecilia’s Church. This has led to a newfound excitement as we all remember the value of togetherness.

First Sunday of Advent

On this first Sunday of Advent the psalmist urges us,

“Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord”

– trusting we will find light for our path

if only we open our eyes in humble places.

Associates in the Dominican Republic renewed their commitment recently as Associates of the Holy Child Jesus, confirming the responsibility to continue the legacy and mission of the Society in the Caribbean country.

“May God in the divine and humble presence of the Holy Child Jesus continue to guide us on the path of good service according to the spirituality of our foundress Cornelia Connelly, performing the miracle of loving children and those most in need. Amen.”

Los Asociados y asociada del Santo Niños Jesus en Republica Dominicana, en la Misa del pasado domingo 15 de enero, aprovechando el aniversario del nacimiento de Cornelia, renovamos nuestro compromiso como Asociados y Asociadas del Santo Niño Jesus, confirmando la responsabilidad de continuar el legado y misión de la Hermanas del Santo Nino Jesus en Rep. Dom.

“Que Dios en la divina y humilde presencia del Santo Nino Jesus continue guiándonos por el camino del buen servicio conforme a la espiritualidad de nuestra fundadora Cornelia Connelly, realizando el milagro de amar a los niños y los más necesitados. Amen.”

Click here for a link to an article on ACI Africa.

From the European Province Archives

Thursday, 23rd February 2023 marked 53 years of the SHCJ’s residence in 14-16 Norham Gardens, Oxford. This is the last of several houses from which the Society carried out a variety of ministries, helping to serve the needs of students and residents of the city, interacting with both town and gown.

Sister Catherine Dunstan

The SHCJ Oxford Community began in St Clements, a district in the South East of the city, when they moved into Leslie House on 15th October 1902 to serve the elementary school and local community of St Ignatius Parish. Rev. Mother Angela Saunders was Mother Superior leading Mother Mary Anastasia O’Connor, Mother Mary Agnese Duckett, Mother Mary Bede O’Neill, Sister Stanislaus Long, Mother Francis Xavier Topham and Sister Catherine Dunstan, who had charge of the Kitchen and laundry.

Sister Agnese Duckett, who became headmistress of the Elementary school, described Leslie House as ‘our Nazareth & its environs were little better’. A neighbouring Protestant parson was ‘most hostile’ when the SHCJ sisters arrived. He seethed ‘what sins can I have committed in my life to bring such a curse upon me & my parish?’. Nevertheless, they received a ‘hearty welcome’ from the Catholic fathers of the city, including Father Strappini, the superior of the St Aloysius mission and manager of the parish schools. He was familiar with the SHCJ from his days in Preston.

Leslie House

Another member of the St Aloysius community, Father Scoles, curiously referred to the SHCJ as the ‘six waterpots’, a nickname that perhaps referred to the sisters’ secondary work of encouraging local Catholics to retain their faith. The fathers ‘became like brothers in friendship and confidence’. Despite the increase her to her work, M.M. Agnese saw the weekly lists of persons to visit as a sign of their trust in the SHCJ community.

The ‘Reminiscences’ of M.M. Agnese offer valuable insights into the lives of the people living alongside the Oxford SHCJ and their daily struggles. Since there were so few SHCJ, the Superior General Mother Gonzaga Snow, allowed her to visit people who were ill and impoverished in their homes without a companion. M.M. Agnese felt this had the ‘one great advantage’ of allowing people to ‘more willingly [speak] out their troubles to one’.

Amongst the many stories she relates is that of Mrs Freeman, a mother of five daughters. She had been raised a Catholic in Ireland and wished to return to the Catholic Church despite marrying a Protestant and the threat of dismissal from her work at the Headington Hall Laundry on the Estate of the Morrells. She saw M.M. Agnese in the streets of Oxford and had followed her for half an hour, summoning her courage to share that she ‘was not in want but very unhappy’. Mrs Freeman and all five girls returned to her original faith under the SHCJ’s spiritual guidance but were dismissed from their positions at the laundry. The family were nonetheless grateful to the sisters and, until they had to leave their positions, gifted the sisters ‘choice vegetables and flowers’: a boon to the Oxford SHCJ who were ‘not too well off at that time’.

M.M. Agnese also visited an army pensioner living with his housekeeper in two rooms on Cowley Road. ‘A great talker’, he told M.M. Agnese about his remarkable life, his ‘hair breadth escapes & other feats of valour in different parts of the world’. M.M. Agnese was unperturbed by the soldier’s initial reluctance to discuss his faith. One week she left him with ‘a few home truths to digest’. She was more disconcerted by the ‘glaring’ of his housekeeper only to find that Mrs Preston had been intently listening and became determined to become a Roman Catholic herself.

When he was eventually persuaded to return to the Church, the soldier Duffy, told Father Blount that against ‘constant attacks from all sides the diplomacy of Napoleon and Wellington would be nowhere!’. Years later, the time came for Mr Duffy to join his brother in Ireland and the SHCJ ensured Mrs Preston ‘lived comfortably’ at the Nazareth Home in Oxford. M.M. Agnese’s ‘magnanimous soldier’ made a point of thanking her as they walked from the church together for the last time.

M.M. Agnese Duckett

The teaching of M.M. Agnese, Sister Stanislaus and M. Francis Xavier was successful and 69 pupils at the elementary school rose to 122 in 1904. The annals also celebrate 11 baptisms, 18 first communions and 15 confirmations as well as the reception of 10 former protestants into the Catholic church.

1904 also saw the Oxford community make their momentous move to Cherwell Edge once a grand private residence and now belonging to Merton College. In this peaceful yet central spot located South Parks Road, the Oxford community established St Frideswide’s. This hostel provided ‘Catholic surroundings and a Catholic atmosphere’ for young female Catholic Oxford students ‘while leading in every detail the life of the ordinary college-girl’.

The students bonded with each other and the SHCJ who guided them. In 1909, the students acted ‘Shades of Night’ for the workmen building the extensions being made to Cherwell Edge. A magazine produced by the St Frideswide’s English Club named ‘Clippings from the Edge’, describes competitions held for parodies and short stories judged by Reverend Mother as well as lively debates where ‘each member [was] convinced of the justice of her view and the impossibility of all others’. Winifred Marks, a student at Cherwell Edge during the war years, remembers how the SHCJ ensured the girls stayed well fed despite food rationing: ‘true to their vocation worked miracles in providing three cooked meals a day plus mid-morning coffee and afternoon tea.’

St Frideswide’s Students playing Tennis, c.1910

The SHCJ had an 80-year lease on Cherwell Edge and their time there seemed set to end in 1984 when it was likely that Merton College would not renew their lease. As a 1962 report by Mother Gerardine (Sr Elizabeth Swinburne) states, Oxford University wanted Cherwell Edge ‘badly’ while nearby chemistry laboratories expanded. Although it was known that St Frideswide’s was to eventually cease being a hostel for the Students of St Anne’s College – the college formed from the Society for Oxford Home Students which St Frideswide’s had previously belonged to – the SHCJ agreed to continue to fund two of the five scholarships once provided at Cherwell Edge, the Cornelia Connelly and Tolhurst scholarships.

As the needs of the young women of 1960s Britain changed and the University eyed Cherwell Edge ever more hungrily, preparations were made to locate a site more suited to the SHCJ’s future in Oxford. On 19th March 1962, Merton College estate Bursar informed Mother Gerardine that he and the finance committee could not agree to selling the SHCJ the freehold to Cherwell Edge. The SHCJ began to correspond frequently with University authorities, including the Vice-Chancellor, who wrote to Reverend Mother Provincial to express his ‘personal’ gratitude for the decision to leave and free up Cherwell Edge which would ‘make an enormous difference to the University’. Initially Cherwell House, a property on Linton Road, was suggested but the short lease and poor repair of the house rendered it unsuitable.

There is a gap in the records relating to the obtaining 14 and 16 Norham Gardens, but we know from the invitation to the Farewell Gaudy (Party) of 21st June 1969 that this was to be the Oxford Community’s new home by that date. The invitation communicates that ‘old students will always be welcome there’. 120 women, including 12 SHCJ sisters, attended the Gaudy to represent the 702 students who attended Cherwell Edge since St Frideswide’s hostel for students opened its doors to them. There were representatives from every generation of students.

SHCJ, Old girls and their children assembled during the 1969 Farewell Gaudy

The celebrations included a midday Mass, followed by a luncheon and after that ‘just talk, talk and talk’. Letters of thanks sent later expressed gratitude and the emotions felt that day, as summed up by the SHCJ account of it ‘a wonderfully happy one despite the sadness of the occasion’. The day had ‘united in a common bond of friendship the Edgers of all generations’ and the SHCJ hoped that ‘they went out with renewed courage and hope, and that the spirit of Cherwell Edge will live on, even though the place must change hands’.

During this time of transition, in August 1966, after many years as headmistress there, Mother M. Teresa was forced to resign from her position as headmistress of St Aloysius school which had been managed by SHCJ sisters for 64 years. The Provincial, Mother Mary Declan had to warn Fr J. Smalley S.J. that the SHCJ was now unlikely to have a suitable candidate for the role but would be ‘happy to work under the person who is appointed.’ She reflected that it was perhaps ‘a good thing’ for a lay person to take over given the emphasis placed on the role of lay people in the Church at the time. She believed that the presence of an SHCJ on the school staff would maintain the Society’s bond with the school.

Sister Lydia Gabler

At St Joseph’s school, a lay head had already been appointed after Sister M. Honoria’s retirement in 1953. However, his resignation after two months and a further headmaster moving to a role in the Secondary department in 1958 meant that Sr Lydia Gabler, who had been Sr M. Honoria’s assistant, took on the headship of St Joseph’s Primary department. She worked there with ‘four or five yoke- companions as SHCJ assistants’ – these being Sr M. McEntree, Sr M. Constance, Sr Jane Bennet and Sr Oonagh Barry – until 1977 when she reached retirement age.

In November 1969, Sister Mary Matthew wrote to her Provincial sending the architect’s plans for number 16 and details the slow but sure progress in number 14 as upstairs rooms were plastered and the wash basins were installed. She warns that the basement ‘still looks a shambles’ but states she will insist that such areas are completed in January to ensure that the community could move in February 1970. She worried about ‘the Province’s reaction to our carrying on with the University work here’ but hoped ‘it will be for God’s greater Glory in the long run’ with an ‘indirect apostolate, i.e. training others for the apostolate’ realised.

Part of plan of alterations of changes to No. 14- 16 Norham Gardens, 1979

The Oxford house diaries record the removal of the first half of the Cherwell Edge SHCJ household to Norham Gardens on 23rd February 1970. The upheaval must have been eased by the ‘many kind welcoming letters, messages and gifts’ received from friends and well-wishers. Nine more SHCJ came to Norham Gardens the following day, the rest were to stay at Cherwell Edge until 18th March when they would leave to join the SHCJ’s other Oxford property at the time in Park Town. Masses were alternated between the two houses until March, with the first two masses being celebrated at Norham Gardens on 25th and 26th February when the Blessed Sacrament had been reserved. Plans for the adaptation of 14 to 16 Norham Gardens continued into the summer of 1970, with Sister Mary Michael keeping Reverend Mother Provincial informed of progress. On 2nd February 1971, a formal letter of support was received from Bishop Anthony Emery, representing the Archbishop of Birmingham’s Office, for the establishment of a Pastoral Centre by the SHCJ.

Bishop Anthony stated that the Oxford based priests he had met with were ‘enthusiastic and readily agreed with me about the urgent need for such a Centre in Oxford’.

Following this, an SHCJ working party was held in Norham Gardens on 24th April 1971 to ‘discuss plans for the pastoral centre and formulate a policy’. By June 1971, with the Centre’s direction outlined in this way, Sister Mary Lalor wrote to local schools offering the centre as a venue for residential courses with a conference room to seat 50 and residential accommodation for 25. From this early period onwards, organisations of diverse religions and purposes benefitted from the hospitality made available.

These included groups from the charities Oxfam, NSPCC and Oxford Mind, Catholic organisations such as the Catholic Education Service as well as the Buddhist Aukana Trust, the Reform Synagogue Retreat, the London School of Counselling and the Oxford Theatre Group.

The Cherwell Centre has also long provided a gathering place for SHCJ meetings and celebrations of feasts and Jubilees. In 1997, the SHCJ Community of Hastings moved to Rose Hill in East Oxford and the neighbouring communities would often share celebrations together.

For over 50 years the Cherwell Centre has carried out its mission to be ‘a place of Christ centred hospitality where, in an atmosphere of freedom and peace, people are supported in their search for God’. The SHCJ sisters had long strived to provide such ‘freedom and peace’ not only to the students whose learning they nurtured but also the parish, primary and secondary school children they taught. This gift was also received from SHCJ sisters by individuals such as Mrs Freeman who simply wished to return to the faith she had grown up practicing in an Edwardian Oxford where wealthy employers still held an attitude of religious intolerance against their workers.

In a year where many European Province sisters face great changes ahead, may they feel as those celebrating at Cherwell Edge for the last time did, despite the sadness of leaving, a ‘renewed courage and hope’ that the spirit of their community will live on.

Holy Child Sister Gifty Abane is a panelist on The Life, a monthly feature from Global Sisters Report about the unique, challenging and very specific lives of women religious around the world.

In honor of Earth Day on April 22, the columnists responded to the following question:

What is your personal and congregational response to the climate crisis? Have you or your community been involved with action steps around the Laudato Si’ platform?

Gifty Atampoka Abane is a member of the Society of the Holy Child Jesus from Ghana. She is a teacher in a Catholic girls’ high school in Ghana and serves their province in leadership.

The creation story from the book of Genesis places a huge responsibility on humans as co-creators and caretakers of all creatures. However, beyond our quest for survival, our innate desire for accumulation and our wasteful culture has led humanity to a gross abuse of creation. Laudato Si’ challenges our behavior and attitude toward creation and is a call of conscience to “care for our common home,” a noble call for introspection on how much we have contributed in the rape of Earth, our mother.

The extreme climate-related disasters throughout the world increase in severity and frequency, loud enough for us to begin earnestly to salvage the future. But world leaders continue to contribute to the destruction of the Earth by their silence and ineffective laws and policies and skewed, hypocritical regulations.

Related

Some consider the vow of obedience the most difficult. How do you or your community balance the demands of communal discernment with your personal preferences for ministry and living situations?

https://www.globalsistersreport.org/news/our-vow-obedience-we-make-decisions-light-christ

Holy Child Sister Gifty Abane is a panelist on The Life, a monthly feature from Global Sisters Report (GSR) about the unique, challenging and very specific lives of women religious around the world.

GSR asked this month’s panel to share their reflections on the following question, and their responses were deeply personal, poetic and moving:

What is your favorite time/place to pray? How has your prayer “evolved” in your lifetime?

Gifty Atampoka Abane is a member of the Society of the Holy Child Jesus from Ghana. She is a teacher in a Catholic girls’ high school in Ghana and serves their province in leadership.

Prayer as an integral part of the Christian life is a continuous encounter that evolves and grows over time, and results in a kind of spontaneity. Structured time and space might provide the ambience and still our interior feelings, which greatly enhances the experience. The church’s typical structured prayers and situations of the Christian’s life — coupled with routine family prayer patterns — formed the faith foundation of my earlier years.

In practicing self-discipline to grow deeper in prayer, the early morning hours of the day and late evenings before bed are part of my best daily routines. The Spirit blows where she wills and helps to embody God in my life as an incarnational-oriented member of the Society of the Holy Child Jesus.

With time, I began to realize that the Spirit of God is fluid and cannot be contained in a rigid space, restricted to the precincts of a church, or bounded by time. During my initial years of religious formation, I was helped to gradually seek for more profound and versatile ways of communing with God as a religious — beyond physical space, materials and time.

In a congregation whose main charism is the Incarnation and which embraces Ignatian spirituality, one cannot be bounded by routines but seeks and finds God in all creatures in all forms.

14 August, 2023

Sisters Theresa, Victoria and Atochi.

“The love of God towards us is the propelling force of our choice to the religious life.” This was the core of the homily delivered by the Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Lagos, Most Rev. Dr. Adewale Martins, the presiding Bishop of the two-fold celebration of the Profession of Perpetual vows of Sisters Atochi Foby, Victoria Ikwen and Theresa Nwaigwe as well as the Silver Jubilee of Sisters Oyidu Okwori, Florence Owuamanam and Patricia Oyeocha, all SHCJ. The ceremony took place at the Catholic Church of the Assumption, Falomo, Lagos State, Nigeria on Saturday, the 5th of August, 2023.

Sr. Pauline Darby receiving the vows.

The ceremony was co-celebrated with some Priests from Lagos and those from the various Parishes the Sisters celebrant work or had worked, including Ghana, Benue and Calabar. Emphasizing on the need to respond positively to the call of God as a token of our expression of love for Him, the Bishop stated that we should always remember that it is God who loves us and makes choice of us and He demands that we remain in His love as a sign of our faithfulness to His covenant and to the vows we have made. This faithfulness is binding to everyone irrespective of the state of life we are called to.

Congratulations to the 2023 SHCJ Silver Jubilarians!

The rites of Profession and Jubilee were observed solemnly and our Society Leader Rev. Sr. Pauline Darby, SHCJ, received the Perpetual Vows of our Sisters and the renewal of Vows of our Jubilarians. It was a source of inspiration for all present and everyone participated keenly and internalized all the rites that accompanied each stages of the ceremony. The Eucharistic celebration was concluded with a proposal of appreciation to all who were in attendance by our Province Leader, Rev. Sr. Helen Ebede, SHCJ.

The reception ceremony was another remarkable moment. The families of our Sisters celebrants, friends, well-wishers, associates as well as all SHCJ family converged at the Holy Child College Hall, Obalende to continue the festivity in a social atmosphere. All were well fed and had enough to drink. The Parish entertainment groups had a variety of presentations to “spice” up to the occasion and cheer all present. It was indeed a day that we would not forget in a hurry. It was soul-lifting, glamorous, exceptional, auspicious, and amazing.

TO GOD BE THE GLORY AND BLESSED BE THE HOLY CHILD JESUS, NOW AND FOREVERMORE, AMEN!