Handmaids of the Holy Child Jesus: Serving God through education
By Sr Emmanuella Dakurah, HHCJ
The Congregation of the Handmaids of the Holy Child Jesus (HHCJ) is an international congregation founded by Servant of God, Mother Mary Charles Magdalen Walker, an Irish Sister of Charity.
She came to Nigeria in 1923 at the invitation of Bishop Joseph Shanahan, CSSp of the Vicariate of Southern Nigeria, West Africa, intending to serve in evangelization and educating women.
Mother Mary Charles lived out the preaching of being all things to all people as she engaged in any ministry that would uplift the standard of life of the people she served. She worked tirelessly for decades as an educator, medical personnel, catechist, and social worker.
Indigenous religious congregation
Mother Mary Charles’ desire for an indigenous Religious Congregation was fulfilled when four of the young women she taught in St. Joseph’s Convent School, Calabar, Nigeria, expressed the desire to become sisters in 1931.
She called them Handmaids of the Holy Child Jesus. The Congregation was canonically erected in April 1937, and in 1971 it was elevated to a Congregation of Pontifical Right.
The Handmaids kept growing in its international and inter-ethnic nature over the following decades, as members were drawn from all parts of Nigeria, Cameroon, Togo, Ghana, Sierra Leone, England, and Kenya. Presently, the Congregation has houses in Nigeria, Ghana, Cameroon, Togo, Sierra Leone, Kenya, Tanzania, Italy, Germany, London, United States of America, Canada, and Grenada.
Education as a mission
The Handmaids of the Holy Child Jesus commit themselves to the transformation of lives through their prophetic witness of vowed life, community living, participatory leadership, and apostolic ministry, with a special option for the poor, women, and children.
One of the vibrant apostolates of the sisters is education for children. Handmaids are generally known as devoted teachers and educational administrators. “We see Jesus in these little ones, and it is a thing of joy to see them grow in the knowledge and love of God,” according to one of the sisters. They aim to form the whole person, in morals, discipline, virtues, and academics, an approach which helps the students to become responsible citizens.
Sisters as teachers, catechists, and apostles
In some of the schools they run, the Handmaid sisters employ the Montessori teaching method, following the footsteps of their foundress who used the Montessori Method in St. Joseph Girls’ School, Calabar, Nigeria. She clearly stated that the Montessori Method develops different qualities in children than regular kindergarten.
“The Native girl is capable of excelling in every virtue; only time, patience, and opportunity are required,” wrote Mother Charles. She urged her sisters to always remember a maxim: “Every teacher is a catechist and apostle.” Carrying on her legacy, Handmaid sisters continue to educate children, engaging in Christ's ministry of teaching, counseling, and catechesis in their various schools.
Ancilla Schools in Ghana
Today, in Ghana, the Handmaids of the Holy Child Jesus are known for several schools they run, popularly called "Ancilla Schools". “We are determined to train young people mentally, physically, and spiritually. That is wholistic education,” according to the sisters.
Their various schools offer education at all levels, ranging from nursery schools to universities. In all aspects of their teaching, the sisters aim to prepare students to meet the challenges of life, rather than merely seeking certificates. Their ministry also involves special schools for children with disabilities, a service that brings hope to their parents. “We not only educate the children, but we also solicit funds from organizations and individuals to purchase some of their needs like crutches, wheelchairs, uniforms and to pay for their tuition,” said the sisters.
In some of the villages in Ghana, many children do not have access to quality education, so the sisters are opening communities in such areas where they can extend their services to these young ones and to prepare them both in heart, mind, and hand for the future. In all their ministry of education, the sisters try to remember the purpose for providing high quality education in the footsteps of their foundress. “We see the young ones as the future of the Church and the world at large.”
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