“This occasion fills us with a deep sense of gratitude to God,” he said and invited MSHR members to consider taking the centenary celebrations as “a time for deep reflection, prayer, and evaluation” as they embrace the future with hope.
Bishop Joseph Shanahan founded the Congregation of the MSHR in 1924 in Ireland, his native country.
The member of the Congregation of the Holy Spirit (CSSp./Holy Ghost Fathers/Spiritans), who is considered the apostle of Nigeria founded MSHR to spread the word of God and uplift the lives of women across the globe, the focus being to enhance “the quality of life for the disadvantaged,” the Congregation indicates on its website.
The mission has been realized “through the establishment of more than 200 primary schools, 40 secondary schools, and 32 hospitals,” the missionary Congregation further indicates.
Dedicated to bringing the compassion and love of Christ to the needy in society, the MSHR mission in Nigeria started in 1928 and realized in the members’ facilitation of formal education at all levels, healthcare in all its dimensions, social development and pastoral care.
With current membership predominantly from African countries, which were recognized as mission countries’ one hundred years ago, the MSHR Novitiate is in Southern Nigeria; the Candidacy phase of formation is being realized in Cameroon and Kenya.
In these formation houses, young women from Nigeria, Cameroon, Ghana, Benin, Togo, Sierra Leone, Kenya, Zambia, Ethiopia, and Uganda are trained as Holy Rosary Sisters and commissioned to various administrative regions of the Congregation.
In his homily during the October 5 centenary celebration of MSHR at St. Francis Xavier Cathedral of the Apostolic Vicariate of Donkorkrom, Bishop Asiedu drew parallels between the mission of Jesus and that of the Holy Rosary Sisters.
He said, “Your life and missionary activities have drawn many people to God, helping them develop a closer and more intimate relationship of love and care.”
Alluding to the theme of the multi-year Synod on Synodality, which Pope Francis extended to 2024, the Ghanaian Catholic Bishop lauded MSHR members for their role in fostering universal love and mercy of God through their services, which he said foster inclusivity and dignity among all people.