SISTERS OF THE SACRED HEART OF JESUS ELECT NEW LEADERSHIP AT HISTORIC GENERAL CHAPTER
Benin City, Nigeria | August 23, 2025 | Fr. Dr. Okhueleigbe Osemhantie Ámos
In an atmosphere charged with symbolism, the Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus (SSH) concluded their 9th General Chapter in Benin City on August 23, 2025, with the theme “Zeal for Unity As Pilgrims of Hope on the Path of Reconciliation.”The event, which spanned from August 13 to 23, coincided with the Universal Church’s celebration of the Feast of the Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary, during which Pope Leo XIV called on the faithful worldwide to fast and pray for peace and disarmament. The Chapter also carried unique historical weight as the first to be held since the death of the congregation’s founder, Archbishop Patrick Ebosele Ekpu, and within the Ordinary Jubilee Year of the Church.
Emerging from this gathering, the congregation elected its new leadership, reaffirming continuity while embracing renewal. At the helm once again is Sr. Josephine Aimonota Ebuehi, SSH, re-elected as Superior General, assisted by Sr. Anthonia Ugheighele as Vicar General, Sr. Gloria Oche as Second Councillor, Sr. Evelyn Okoye as Third Councillor, and Sr. Francisca Agho as Fourth Councillor.
This transition adds another layer to the rich textile of leadership that has guided the congregation from its inception under Sr. Martina Ogbeikhilu, SSH, through the successive stewardship of Sr. Cecilia Dimaku, SSH, who was the first to serve double tenure, she was succeeded by Sr. Theresa Ohiani, before Sr. Florence Nwannuma, SSH—repeated the feat of double tenure—Sr. Monica Rowland, SSH, and now Sr. Josephine Ebuehi, who makes history as the third to hold the office twice.
The significance of this Chapter lies not merely in leadership changes but in its deeper resonance with the universal call to peace and reconciliation. The Congregation of the Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, founded in 1975 by Archbishop Ekpu, has consistently embodied the mission of healing, unity, and service to the vulnerable in Nigeria and beyond.
Earlier this year, they celebrated their Golden Jubilee on the Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, marking five decades of apostolic witness through education, healthcare, pastoral service, retreat ministry, and advocacy against social injustice. Their story is further immortalized by the heroism of Sr. Henrietta Alokha, SSH, who gave her life in 2020 while saving hundreds of students from a gas explosion in Lagos, a sacrifice that has inspired the establishment of an endowment fund for disadvantaged children in her name.
The congregation’s Chapter, therefore, is not an isolated ecclesial exercise but a prophetic moment in the life of the Church in Africa and beyond. It reflects Archbishop Ekpu’s vision of a local institute rooted in African spirituality yet attuned to the global mission of the Church. Held against the backdrop of Pope Leo XIV’s clarion call for peace, the Chapter’s theme and outcomes place the Sisters firmly in alignment with the Church’s universal journey of reconciliation and hope. Their renewed mandate strengthens the bridges between faith and culture, service and witness, local mission and universal resonance.
As the bells of the Jubilee Year continue to ring, the Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus march forward as women consecrated for unity, their voices echoing the Gospel prayer “that they may all be one.” Their story is at once African and Catholic, local and universal, particular and prophetic. And in a fractured world yearning for healing, their emergence from this Chapter is both a sign of hope and a summons to all who believe in the transformative power of faith and reconciliation.
Fr. Okhueleigbe Osemhantie Ámos is a priest of the Catholic Diocese of Uromi and a Lecturer at the Catholic Institute of West Africa, Port Harcourt, Nigeria
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