Eucharistic Heart of Jesus Sisters

Founded, Date/Place	18th Jan 1943, Lagos Archdiocese
Founder	Archbishop Leo Hale Taylor, SMA
Canonical Status	Pontifical, 2008
Motto	Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam
Charism	Sharing the sentiments of Christ when he gave the Eucharist
Mission Statement	To be educated African Sisters with great missionary power dedicated to the love of God, service of humanity through deep personal striving.
Purpose	To have educated African Sisters who can be a great missionary power with the aim of promoting the glory of God.
Spirituality	The spirituality of the Congregation is Eucharistic.

Foundation:
The Congregation of the Sisters of the Eucharistic Heart of Jesus is an Institute of Pontifical Right. In response to the observation of Cardinal Riberi (the Papal Delegate to British East and West African Colonies) about the absence of African girls in the rank and file of the Religious in Lagos, the then Archbishop of Lagos, Archbishop Leo Hale Taylor, SMA, took up the challenge to start the Congregation of the Sisters of the Eucharistic Heart of Jesus. It was founded in January 1943 in the Archdiocese of Lagos with five young ladies. The Congregation is the first indigenous Institute in the Archdiocese of Lagos. The Congregation started at Abeokuta with five Postulants, having as its first Novice Mistress and Superior General the late Mother Enda Barrett O.L.A. Later in 1946 the Congregation moved its Novitiateand Mother House to Ibonwon.

In the beginning, the Congregation was successfully ruled by the following Sisters of Our Lady of Apostles: Mother Bernardine, Mother Eli, Mother Patrick, Mother Benedict and Mother Columcile. In 1966, the Congregation got its autonomy and elected its first Nigerian Superior General in the person of Mary Veronica Odusanya. Other indigenous Superiors General, were Mother Mary John Baptista of blessed memory, Mother Mary Catherine Omoaka and Mother Mary Clare Idahosa. Others were Mother Anthonia Adebowale, Sr. Kizito Iyamabo and Sr. Mary Henrietta Domingo. The current Superior General of the Congregation is Sr. Mary Agatha Osarenkhoe.

The Purpose:
The purpose of the Institute is to have educated African Sisters who can be a great missionary power with the aim of promoting the glory of God and the sanctification of her members. Our apostolate in the medical, educational, social, pastoral fields give concrete expression to the purpose of our Institute.

Charism:
The charism of the Congregation is one of sharing the sentiment of Christ when he gave us the Eucharist. Christ gave us the Eucharist in a spirit of love, thanksgiving, praise and sacrifice to God.

The Mission of EHJ Congregation:
The mission (apostolate) of the EHJ sisters is to be a great missionary power, ministering to Jesus in the person of our neighbour, especially the poor, thereby making Christ presence in the world meaningful to the people by being engaged in educational, medical, social and pastoral apostolic activities. This mission is borne out of the response to Christ's invitation not only to be "with Him" but that He may send us out to preach. The Sisters work eagerly and tirelessly to bring to the men and women of our day, the saving truth which Jesus revealed to us and the saving grace which He won for us.

The Sisters carry out mission of grass root evangelization among the poor and disadvantaged in many dioceses within Nigeria (Lagos, Ibadan, Lokoja, Abuja, Ilorin, Ijebu-Ode, Warri, Auchi, Abeokuta, Ilorin, Minna, PortHarcourt, Jos, Kotangora. The Sisters are also working in Canada, USA (Archdiocese of Boston, Chicago and Seattle). To further the evangelizing mission of the Church, the Sisters are engaged in the following apostolate: medical, teaching, pastoral and social. They render services to everyone, especially the poor and indigent.

EHJ Vision Statement:
To be great missionaries making the world more aware of Jesus' presence in the Eucharist by our manner of life and service to humanity.

Mission Statement:
The Congregation of the Sisters of the Eucharistic Heart of Jesus is a Religious Institute of educated African Sisters with great missionary spirit; dedicated to the love of God and service of humanity.

We devote ourselves to the daily adoration of the Euchar ist , making sacrifices and reparation for sins. By sharing in the sentiments of Christ - love - when He gave us the Eucharist, we reach out to all classes of people through our various apostolate.

We commit ourselves to:
• Deep personal striving for holiness
• Respect for all
• Giving qualitative education and holistic formation to all classes of people
• Providing health care and social services
• Promoting justice and equality in all ramifications to the Greater Glory of God.

EHJ Core Value Statement:
EHJ Sisters place great value on thanksgiving, reparation, simplicity, respect, continence, loving service, togetherness and prayerfulness.

Prayer:
We pray constantly, as religious life cannot be sustained without a deep life of Prayer (individual, communal and liturgical). Our apostolic spirit results from our intimate union with Christ, brought about by our daily devout Eucharistic celebration, our adoration of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament and other quiet contemplation of our Euchar i s t ic King. Seeing the world through the eyes of Christ, we are more eager to share in Christ's redemptive work and the spread of God's Kingdom.

Reparation:
The chief distinguishing trait of our Congregation is the spirit of reparation. We the Sisters of the Eucharistic Heart of Jesus, as Angels of consolation, make up for the miserable shame suffered by our Lord in the Eucharist through our constant loving atonement both in our hours of prayer and action.

Association of Friends of the Sisters of the Eucharistic Heart of Jesus:
These are some individuals who are the associates of the Congregation. They are members of the lay faithful who have accepted the spirituality of the Sisters, and very often come together to take part in some activities with the Sisters, such as adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, at least, once in a week. They are encouraged to participate actively in the daily celebration of the Eucharist and live it in their families and in the world, were ever they may find themselves.

They are in the various parts of the world were the Congregation has sisters working for dioceses. They are very much appreciated because they are helpful in our bid to make Jesus Christ known to the world as present in the Holy Eucharist.

Adorers of the Holy Eucharist
In 1985, one of our Sisters, Sister Augustina Awoyale, started a pious society called "Adorers of the Holy Eucharist." It has members all over Nigeria. Some of the aims are:
1. To make the presence of Jesus in the Eucharist known and loved;
2. To encourage members of the association to attend Holy Mass regularly;
3. To promote vocations to priestly and religious life

Our Sisters

Number of Sisters in Temporary Vows – 31

Golden Jubilee

Necrology