22 October 2016

It was all joy and excitement when the SHCJ Oghara Community staged a demonstrative exhibition of the art-works of one of her members, Sr. Anita Ekpo Dominic as part of the activities marking this year’s celebration of our Foundational Feast Day.

The day started with the Holy Mass celebrated in the SHCJ Convent Chapel during which the Sisters were reminded of the necessity to follow in the rich legacies left for us throughout the ages by our Blessed Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ and his servants –St Teresa of Avila and Venerable Cornelia Connelly.

Needless to remark that the Sisters turned out in their simple attire made up of the various shades of the SHCJ African prints since the celebration took place at home. At the end of the Eucharistic Celebration, we sang the SHCJ’s anthem with such passion that smiles of joy adorned our faces. This was followed by a delicious breakfast which ended the morning session.

By noon, we regrouped at the venue of Adekpo Foundation, set within the sprawling premises of Our Lady of Nigeria Secondary School (OLNSS), Oghara where friends and well-wishers fed their eyes with the quality display of jewellery, ladies hand bags and other accessories made with beads, as well as school cardigans all made by our ever-creative and energetic Sr. Anita Ekpo.

In a chart with Sr. Anita as to what the exhibition has to do with the celebration of the SHCJ’s Feast Day, she responded that ‘this is Cornelia Connelly in action’. ‘This is school environment and all you see on display here speaks of Cornelia’s philosophy of education which is wholistic and which places emphasis not only on academics but also in the practical application of talents’. ‘This is actions, not words’, she concluded.

Sister Elizabeth Ngozi Njoku, the Headmistress of the OLN Nursery and Primary school was particularly attracted to a display of the nicely woven children’s cardigans with one of the pupils already prompting her to take action.

The whole show culminated into a sumptuous lunch of ‘Starch and Owo soup’ which is one of the principal dishes of the Urhobos, popularly known as oil soup and starch and specially ordered-for by the Sisters for the grand occasion.