The New Novitiate of the Sisters of the Infant Jesus was formally commissioned on the 28th of January 2023 by His Grace, the Archbishop of Jos, Most Rev. Mathew Ishaya Audu.
The occasion was graced by the Priests, Religious and faithful of St. Augustine Pastoral Area Dong and the parishioners of Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish Rahwol Kanang Bukuru, as well as friends of Nicolas Barre, family, and well-wishers from around Jos.
The Eucharist Celebration followed immediately with a spontaneous welcome address by Sr. Fidelia Gowon IJ, the Novice Mistress. In her speech, she expressed her profound gratitude to God Almighty, who brought to completion the project that began in 2019. She also expressed her appreciation to the Catholic Archdiocese of Jos and the entire Dong Catholic community for the generous donation of the land on which the novitiate stands. She also stated that the purpose of the Formation house is to groom young women who are called to Religious Life to recognize and appreciate God’s will in their lives and to allow themselves to be led by the Holy Spirit to make Christ known and loved according to the aspiration of their Founder Blessed Nicolas Barre. She expressed their spirit of welcoming all with an open arm and their desire to cooperate with the entire community of Dong for the work of evangelization.
The Archbishop in his homily, encouraged the faithful to cooperate with the sisters, with the conviction that the presence of the sisters would create a new era and bring positive changes in Dong. He blessed and sprinkled the entire novitiate.
The Vice Provincial, Sr. Rebecca Odu, at the end expressed her sentiments of gratitude to the Archbishop, the Priests, the Religious, and all the faithful for their magnanimous support and for gracing us with their presence.
The Vice Provincial
The joy continued, of course, after the Mass. A symbol of God’s blessing was visible with an outpouring of rain three hours later, which happens to be the first rain for the year
Photographs of the ceremony
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