A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE RELIGIOUS INSTITUTE OF THE SISTERS OF THE IMMACULATE HEART OF MARY, MOTHER OF CHRIST, NIGERIA

FOUNDATION: The Compassionate Response of a Great Missionary.
The Religious Institute of the Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Mother of Christ was founded on October 7, 1937.

This Religious Institute was founded by His Grace, Most Rev. Dr. Charles Heerey, C.S.Sp. of revered memory, when he was the Vicar Apostolic of Onitsha — Owerri. As a missionary priest and bishop, he witnessed the havoc that lack of health and medical services, combined with the oppressive effects of ignorance, inflicted on his flock especially the underprivileged in the 1930s. Women and children were the greatest victims.

Part of his loving and compassionate response to the situation was to found an indigenous women Religious Institute for a better promotion of the Christian education of women and children, of works of charity and mercy among the poor and their own people. This Institute born out of the prayerful reflections of this great Herald of Christ, was the first Religious Institute of Women in Igboland.

EARLY DAYS: Some Experiences and Challenges

As God would have it, an opportunity for Bishop Heerey to actualize his dream of founding a women religious institute presented itself when two young ladies: MARIA ANYOGU (Late Mother Mary Bernadette Anyogu) and CLARA ORANU (Late Mother Mary Magdalene Oranu) both trained teachers and Onitsha indigenes, with courage and determination, indicated their desires to give themselves up to follow Christ.

Exactly on October 7, 1937, the mustard seed was planted at Ihiala with these two young women. Following an inspiration during his pilgrimage to Lourdes, he named the new foundation “Congregation of the Sisters of the Most Pure Heart of Mary.” In the course of history this religious institute came to be known as the Religious Institute of the Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Mother of Christ.

The two candidates started their religious formation at Ihiala under the direction of SR. MARY ROSE Maquire, one of the Missionary Sisters of the Holy Rosary then working in the Vicariate. For seven good years, this mustard seed grew in very humble circumstances. Between 1940 and 1943, six more girls had joined them. Their life revolved around prayer and participation in the Holy Eucharist, sessions with formators, visits to and care of lepers in leper settlements, visits to and works of compassion in the hospital, maternity homes, dispensaries, catechesis in schools and home visitations in the vicinity. They also alternated their work experiences with in-service training as teachers, nurses and midwives under the care of the Holy Rosary Sisters. Their humble and charity-filled lifestyle attracted other girls and became a challenge to many.

As the number of candidates slowly but steadily increased, Bishop Heerey started to look for a more suitable place for the Novitiate. Late Rev. Fr. Michael Foley, C.S.Sp, the then Parish Priest of St. Michael’s Parish, Urualla, made relentless efforts in helping to secure and prepare the place at Urualla for the Sisters. On 6th January 1944, the feast of the Epiphany of our Lord, the first two pioneers were received into the Novitiate in a festive Eucharistic celebration in the Holy Trinity Cathedral, now the Basilica of the Most Holy Trinity, Onitsha.

In the evening of that same day, the 12 members of the new foundation made up of: 2 novices, 4 postulants, 2 aspirants and their formators moved to Urualla to settle in their new home. They met with the warm reception and hospitality of the Urualla people and the local chief. Urualla has now become the MOTHER HOUSE of this new Institute. It is worthy to note that our Founder had earlier hinted in one of his letters to SR. M. ROSE Maquire: “I feel that Ihiala is not the place...’

Father Founder: Most Rev. Charles Heerey

Foundation member & 1st Superior General

OUR FOUNDATIONAL SPIRIT AND CHARISM

Every Sister of the Immaculate Heart Mary, fully aware of the SPIRIT which Archbishop Heerey impressed upon our Religious Institute from the very beginning of our foundation, strives to cultivate and live out this Spirit in her life, relying solely on the grace of God,. This SPIRIT (HUMILITY), is the soul, the dominant inner attitude which vivifies and informs our whole Institute, imprinting thereon a very distinct character, a special style of life which each sister translates into a particular way of looking at things, of judging and evaluating, of living the common life, the vows, the apostolate and of reaching out to fellow men and women.

Our Founder clearly saw the need of making us realize our nothingness and dependence on God. As pride is rooted in every child of Adam, he insisted on this virtue of HUMILITY as our Spirit, making it clear to us that it is only by a long and painful process that one can attain humility.

Our CHARISM, the characteristic of Christ that greatly inspired and moved our Founder, is the COMPASSION of CHRIST. This was that Gospel vision which spurred him on to courageously address the havoc caused by lack of health and medical care and the effects of ignorance inflicted on his flock, especially the underprivileged of the 1930s. Archbishop Heerey strongly impressed it on us his daughters, to strive to live out this COMPASSION in the SPIRIT of HUMILITY, that is, with no ‘better-than thou’ attitude. This is also part of our patrimony.

We, the Sisters of the Immaculate Heart Mary, continue to strive to keep this attitude alive in us in our communities and places of work, always seeking to imitate that sympathetic personal concern for people characteristic of the Immaculate Heart of our Mother Mary who opens her Heart to all.

OUR MARIAN SPIRITUALITY - Also Part of Our Patrimony

Our SPIRIT (HUMILITY) is one of the prominent factors of this spirituality. “AD JESUM PER MARIAM” (To Jesus through Mary) is our MOTTO, given by our Father Founder. He added:

“You are the special children of the Immaculate Heart of Mary and her maternal Heart wilt lead you all safely to Jesus when you put your complete confidence in Her. Teach your novices then, mother, to have an intense devotion to Mary, to try to copy her in humility above all things...”

Mother Mary Claude Oguh, IHM,
Superior General

This intense devotion to Mary has always meant for each Immaculate Heart Sister:

“Mary — like in soul and body; Mary-like in mind and heart, Mary-like in every action, child of God how fair thou art. Fair to Christ and all his angels. Fair to earth since thou art seen. To be like her like to Mary, earth’s and Heaven’s fairest Queen... (7 verses).

As an apostolic institute we take St. Joseph and St. Therese of the Child Jesus as our Patron Saints.

Apostolates

Today we dedicate ourselves to these services:

1. The training of women and girls in many dimensions, especially for marriage and the sacraments;
2. Special care of widows – ; founding widows’ associations on the parish and diocesan levels to help them to build up and take care of themselves and all the responsibilities left for them by the passing away of their husbands; care of young single mothers and orphans;
3. Education of children in schools at all levels (Nursery, Primary, Secondary and Tertiary Institutions);
4. Special care of the sick in hospitals, dispensaries, maternities;
5. Solid Religious formation in all our schools. (our present administration is building a catechetical school to equip every sister for this service)
6. Any other works of charity in conformity with the spirit of our Foundation---care of lepers, rejected old men and women. HIV/AIDS victims etc.

Photo Album:

Special contribution to the Church in Nigeria

During the three long years of deprivation, agony, uncertainty, air-raids, destruction of lives and property, our Sisters were with our people praying for the return of peace. We converted parts of our maternities, clinics and schools into sickbays, kwashiorkor clinics, feeding centers for refugees. We went to the military barracks to prepare soldiers for the sacraments and help the chaplains to prepare for Holy Masses. We kept the schools open wherever they were safe to keep students and school children busy. At the end of the civil war when our expatriate missionary were repatriated, we, the Sisters of the Immaculate Heart Mary, at great risks, and by God’s grace, saved and recovered some Church properties: convents, schools, hospitals, and clinics which were rendered vulnerable by the exit of those great missionaries in our part of the country, thanks to the dynamism of Rev. Mother Joseph Uzoigwe, our Mother General at that time. Since then, her successors have kept the flag flying, advancing the course of evangelization in the many countries where the congregation has reached till date. Our Religious Institute has gone on to be a great force in the work of evangelization in various parts of Nigeria in the schools and hospitals, and in pastoral works in various parishes where we work.

STRUCTURAL DIVISION AND MISSIONARY OUTREACH

Our Religious Institute is structured into 9 Regions in 15 Countries. By the grace of God, our Sisters are serving the people of God in some dioceses in NIGERIA, SIERRA LEONE, TCHAD, KENYA, GHANA, CAMEROON, TANZANIA, BENIN REPUBLIC, IRELAND, ENGLAND, GERMANY, ITALY, SCOTLAND, CANADA, and UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.

Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Mother of Christ Administrative Headquarters

Immaculate Heart Generalate
P. O. Box 1551, Post Code 430001
ONITSHA Anambra State, Nigeria
Tel: +234-046-210765
E-mail: ihmgeneralate2003@yahoo.com
Website: ihmsistersmotherofchrist.org

Names of Sisters in Vow