On April 4, 2006, our Nigerian Mission began with the arrival of two Sisters, Sr. Nkechi Iwuoha, a young professed, and Sr. Christeta Hess, from Germany. They had been invited by Archbishop Obinna from Owerri to start some project for street children. The Sisters rented a house in Prefab and established some contacts to the Ministry of Women Affairs as well as to parishes in Owerri. Soon they started a survey among the beggars and street children in Owerri, and also were asked by the Ministry to look into the Government Remand Home in Logara.

In June, we found the family of one of the small children. The other two are still with us. The boys who could speak, were prepared for school and started school in September 2006.

The rented house for our children

in Mgbele, Oguta II

Also in September 2006, we accepted the first group of candidates who had applied to join the congregation, some already for Germany, others who heard about us.

In the same year, two of the Nigerian Sisters who had been trained in Germany, came back to Nigeria and started working with us.

We tried to find a building site to build our formation house. As this was difficult in Imo State, we looked around and found a site in Niger State, with the help of the Bishop of Minna in whose diocese we then started our building. This is in Garam, Tafa LGA. The building was finished in February 2008 when the formation groups moved there.

For four years, we had a project for young men whom we helped to get a training as craftsmen. This needed to have trained men which we do not have, and we now help two boys, but will not accept new members after them.

In October 2008, we started work in Ifetedo, having been invited by the Bishop of Oshogbo to work in his diocese. At first the Sisters lived in a rented house and started mobile clinics in Area 4, Meforowade and many other villages in the rural area at the border of Osun and Ondo State. Next to the Catholic Church we are building a Convent which will have room for a larger number of sisters as both clinic and school are growing fast.

So between 2006 and 2009, three convent areas have been built up: Imo State, Niger State, Osun State. The Sisters work in health care and education and help in the parishes with catechism. The children we took from the streets, are taken care of and they can go to school.

And formation of new members keeps going on. After the first group of September 2006 four new groups were accepted. The entrance date is now March 1st of every year.

Dining room and kitchen in Garam

Presently in April of 2011, we have 5 postulants, seven novices at the beginning of their novitiate, six novices who have just finished their canonical year, two novices who will hopefully take vows in January of 2012 and four novices who are getting ready for profession in June of 2011. Then there are 13 junior sisters here and 2 in the US, and two finally professed German sisters.