My name is Sister Anne Okozi, of the Congregation of Daughters of the Holy Spirit, Nigeria Vice Province. My lived experiences both in the community and in the formation, house has been a wonderful one in my life in the past 24 years and I can still see God at work in the ups and downs in the daily events of my life.
I once lived in a Postulate Formation House in Ogbomosho where we gathered from different countries and states within and outside the country to undergo the religious formation in order to learn and understand the Charism and Spirituality of the Institute I belong to.
Here is an ‘image’ that I enjoyed describing, of ‘The house to live in together’.
Before I build a house, I need to survey the land to know if the soil is good enough to carry the weight of the structure or not which is myself.
To begin, I need to clear the bushes of all forms of weeds to design the plan of the house and check the cost, having in mind the texture of the soil.
To start the foundation, I need to sieve out what is not needed from the soil and allow myself to be properly mixed with the gravel, sand and cement through the formation of the different stages which I have received and be poured on the ground, dug by Marie-Balavenne and Renee Burel who through the Holy Spirit fortified the soil in which they worked.
They both gave me these sisters with whom I lived in the past and those with whom I currently live as companions. This generosity is a way of laying the foundations to make it a place to live. Some were the bricks that formed the house, others the windows and doors, others still the roof over my head, the accessories and furnishings
And the Congregation stands as the known name of the House of Charity recognized today as in centuries ago with her strengths and weaknesses, creating bonds through the initial and ongoing formation which we receive on a daily basis.
Let us not forget that our first sisters worked very hard to maintain what we enjoy today, which is a solid foundation that each of us is called to maintain in a creative way.
Can we be that house where everyone can live?
Sister Anne OKOZI, Daughter of the Holy Spirit. Published on 22 August 2025.
