Celebrating 80 solid years of the foundation of our Institute can only be God's faithfulness and love for us, as it is clearly expressed in 1 Corinthians 1:9, "The faithful God will not fail you after calling you to this fellowship with his Son, Christ Jesus, Our Lord. We therefore acknowledge the faithfulness of God in the life of our Institute, and the members, and we express our gratitude to Him with more determination and discipline.



Our heritage

The Institute of the Sisters of the Eucharistic Heart of Jesus was founded in Jan. 18, 1943, by late Archbishop Leo Hale Taylor of the Society of African Missions (SMA). He was born in 1889 in the Diocese of Duluth, USA. He was received into the Society of African Missions in October 1911 and ordained to the priesthood on June 21, 1912. After the Great World War, he was transferred to Nigeria and, in 1934, he was appointed bishop of the Vicariate Apostolate of Bright of Benin and later transferred to Lagos after the death of Bishop Francis O'Rourke, SMA in 1938. From 1940 until his retirement in 1965, he was in charge of the Archdiocese of Lagos.



Who we are

The Sisters of the Eucharistic Heart of Jesus are a religious congregation of women whose dedication to the love and service of God and our fellow men and women takes special inspiration from the Eucharistic Heart of Christ. The love of His Sacred Heart moved Him to give us the Sacrament of the Eucharist. In this sacrament, He has placed in our hands, forever, a worthy offering of praise and thanksgiving to God for all that He has done for us. He feeds us with His Body and Blood, strengthens us, heals us, and gives us joy. He brings us together as companions at the same table, as sharers of the one bread and the one cup. He becomes present to us, permanently in His Human as well as in His Divine reality -- as the "Word made flesh" dwelling among us. He reminds us daily of the sorrow and suffering which He willingly accepted to redeem us, and He promises us the joy of the new life which He won for us.

When Jesus gave us the Eucharist, He told us to do what He did in memory of Him. The Sisters try to respond to the love of the Eucharistic Heart of Jesus by making our very lives a living memorial of Christ. We offer each day's prayer and work as worship and thanks to God. We strive to make the world more aware of Jesus' presence in the Eucharist by showing forth His holiness in our manner of life, in our prayerfulness, our chastity, our poverty, and our obedience; and in our apostolic love and service of all mankind. We live and labor together in a unity of mind and heart brought about by our communion with Jesus in the Eucharist. We willingly accept the hardship required by the following of Christ. We persevere in dedication, confidently, serenely, and joyfully, keeping in mind the strength that Jesus gives and the reward that He promises.



Our purpose

The Congregation of the Sisters of the Eucharistic Heart of Jesus is a religious institute of pontifical right. Its apostolic spirit is one of total dedication of its members to God and their neighbor, rooted in their love of the Eucharistic Heart of Jesus, and expressed through the close following of Christ, the public profession of chastity, poverty, and obedience and the observance of these constitutions.



Our aim

The aim of the congregation is to promote the glory of God by bearing witness to the love which Christ has shown us by giving us Himself in the Eucharist.

Specifically, "the whole purpose of the Congregation is to have educated African Sisters -- who can be a great missionary power" (Founder's letter January 1957 and January 1947).

To achieve this end, the members look to their own salvation, greater perfection and engage in the evangelization of their neighbors in ways conformable with the Religious State. All for the greater glory of God is that for which this Congregation exists.

We sanctify ourselves by ministering to Jesus Christ in the person of our neighbor, especially the poor, and by so doing, we make Christ's presence in the world meaningful to the people.

This apostolic spirit result 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 Eucharistic 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.



Spirit

The Spirit of the Congregation is one of sharing the sentiments of Christ, when he gave us the Eucharist. Christ gave us the Eucharist in the Spirit of love, thanksgiving, praise, and sacrifice to God. He asked us to celebrate this Eucharist in memory of Him. Therefore the Sisters of the Eucharistic Heart of Jesus on our own part try to live our whole life in this spirit.

The Eucharist is the lasting sign of Christ's sacrifice for man's salvation. This saving act of Christ makes the Sisters willing to sacrifice themselves for others. In this way, we make the presence of Christ in the Eucharist felt in the world and draw people to closer union with God.

The Eucharistic Heart of Jesus is a heart which reaches out to men and women in their need for concern, sympathy, love, and help. Our members animated by these sentiments, likewise, reach out to the people in their needs.



Character

The Congregation is constituted under the Patronage of the Eucharistic Heart of Jesus. The feast is celebrated in our Congregation on Thursday after the feast of the Sacred Heart.

The Eucharist is the source and exemplar of the members' interior life and spiritual growth. As such, the Sisters endeavor in their daily lives and works to be self-sacrificing, accepting trials and hardship in a spirit of reparation, and manifesting an attitude of praise and thanksgiving in all circumstances of their life.



Spirituality

We devote ourselves to the daily adoration of the Eucharist, 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 apostolates.

Celebrating 80 solid years of the foundation of our Institute can only be God's faithfulness and love for us, as it is clearly expressed in 1 Corinthians 1:9, "The faithful God will not fail you after calling you to this fellowship with his Son, Christ Jesus, Our Lord. We, therefore, acknowledge the faithfulness of God in the life of our Institute, and the members, and we express our gratitude to Him with more determination and discipline.