On Saturday, 3 October, we will celebrate a special milestone with three Missionary Sisters of the Holy Rosary — Sr Ngozi Okoli, Sr Mary Kemjei, and Sr Angela Akeje, as they mark 25 years of religious profession of vows.
The Silver Jubilee Mass will be celebrated at the Cathedral of Saints Patrick and Felim in Cavan, Kilmore Diocese, a place deeply connected with the story of our Congregation. It was here, in 1924, that Bishop Joseph Shanahan founded the Missionary Sisters of Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary. The three sisters, who come from Africa, are now serving in Ireland as part of our Congregation’s international missionary presence.
Bishop Martins Hayes of Kilmore Diocese, who will celebrate the Jubilee Mass, reflects on the continuing significance of their missionary journey: “Their 25 years of dedicated missionary service of Sr Ngozi, Mary and Angela among us is a reminder to us that the Gospel mission of Jesus Christ continues. The call to mission is a constant.”
For Sr. Mary, one of the Jubilarians, her 25-year journey has been one of discovering vocation as a gift and remaining open to where God is leading: “I have come to learn that my vocation is a gift of a generous God to an undeserving soul. The Lord, for reasons known to him, called me and still calls me, enabling me to answer through the ministry he entrusts to me.
Looking to the future, she said, “The God who initiated this journey has stayed with me and assures me that he will never leave me alone.”
Bishop Martins also speaks of the witness of the three Sisters as an invitation to others: “The faithful witness of the Silver Jubilarians among us here in Ireland in their MSHR mission to the world inspires us to discover our calling to mission.”
We look forward to gathering in Cavan to give thanks for Sr Ngozi, Sr Mary and Sr Angela, and their families who gave them generously to the service of the church and humanity.
“Then and Now”
Sr Ngozi Okoli
Sr Angela Akeje
“It is really true what philosophy tells us: that life must be understood backwards. But with this, one forgets the second proposition, that it must be lived forwards.” – Søren Kierkegaard
Author: Sr. Linda Ugwu, MSHR.
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