The Catholic Institute of West Africa (CIWA) in Port Harcourt, this week, held a graduation ceremony for women religious from various English-speaking African countries.
Fr. Okhueleigbe Osemhantie and Sr Titilayo Aduloju, SSMA – Port Harcourt
The Hilton-CIWA Theological Formation for Women Religious, which combined virtual and in-person participation, began with Holy Mass presided over by Fr. Professor Luke Ijezie, Dean of the Theology Department at CIWA, who represented the Rector of the Institute.
According to Sr. Dr. Mary Jane Aririguzo, IHM, Coordinator of the Hilton-CIWA Theological Formation for Women Religious, the course has been a success. Its aim is to enhance the theological and spiritual formation of religious sisters in West Africa.
“The program is designed to run concurrently with the ordinary academic session of the Catholic Institute of West Africa. It is fully sponsored by the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation and is hosted by CIWA. The latter also provides the necessary human resources to support the programme.
Sr Mary Jane Aririgouzo, IHM, Coordinator Hilton-CIWA Theological Formation for Women Religious
A transformative and impactful experience
Over the past two years, the programme has trained 157 women religious from Nigeria, Uganda, Cameroon, Sierra Leone, as well as religious women who reside in the USA and Italy -all seeking knowledge rooted in African contexts and experiences. This year, there were 66 religious graduates, Sr. Aririguzo explained.
Sr. Jane Frances Okeke, a secular religious who also serves as one of CIWA’s librarians, shared her thoughts: “My experience in liturgy, the social doctrine of the Church, and journalism was transformative,” she explained. For her part, Sr. Callista Tetteh, a lawyer by training, also added her perspective and said the she found the formation, “a most impactful experience.”
The ceremony highlighted the transformative power of education in equipping women religious to engage actively in theological, social, and cultural discourse matters, thereby shaping the Church and society in Africa and beyond.
