Autoevaluación de la gestión del aprendizaje del docente

as women who wear habits to look sanctimonious but women whose work touches the lives of the people in the society in so many ways. In addition to their witness of life, they educate, care for the less privileged, the sick, the handicapped, the elderly, the abandoned, to mention but a few.

Immaculate Heart Sisters have shown that the task of the consecrated life is to work in every part of the world in order to consolidate and expand the kingdom of Christ, bringing the proclamation of the Gospel even to the most far-off regions for these Women Religious were made missionaries from the day of their foundation. Immaculate Heart Sisters make the greatest possible contributions to the proclamation of the Gospel of Christ through their lives and resources which is made possible because of the vows of chasitity, poverty and obedience they took in imitation of Christ who is rich yet made Himself poor to enrich the poor, equal to God yet humbled himself and is like us in everything except sin. This total dedication of the Women Religious affords them sigular focus on things of God and humanity and this answers the question of “does the Consecrated life still have meaning”?

Despite the understandable difficulties which some of them meet, they are fully aware that just as faith is strengthened when it is given to others so the mission strengthen the consecrated life, gives it new enthusiasm and new motivation and elicits faithfulness. They bear witness to the Gospel values living in contact with those who do not know Christ, the poor, the sick, children, women, orphan, the uneducated, the unemployed, the prisoners, mentally and physically challenged, thus making a specific contribution to the mission. It should be emphasized that the presence of Immaculate Heart Sisters in Onitsha Archdiocese has really brought development to the land through its educational, pastoral, charitable, cultural activities and through their contemplative life. They respond fully and

actively to the call of Paul VI (1971) to women religious for perfect dedication to duties stated thus:

Dear religious, according to the different ways in which the call of God makes demand upon your spiritual families, you must give your full attention to the needs of men, their problems and their searching; you must give witness in their midst through prayer and actions, to the Good news of love, justice and peace. The aspiration of men to a more fraternal life among individuals and nature require above all a change in ways of life, in mentality and in hearts. Such a mission which is common to all people of God belongs to you in a special way (p.53).

Following the charism of their foundation which is compassion and their spirit humility, Immaculate Heart Sisters have excelled beyond reasonable doubt in the pastoral development of Onitsha Archdiocese and beyond. Therefore, their contributions in the society should be appreciated as sustainers of living societies. Thus, the consecrated life deeply rooted in the examples and teachings of Christ the Lord, is a gift of God the Father to the society through the Holy Spirit. By the profession of the evangelical counsels the charismatic features of Jesus- the chaste, poor and obedient one are made constantly visible in the midst of the world and the eyes of the faithful are directed towards the mystery of the kingdom of God already at work in history, even as it awaits its full realization in Heaven.

This research also has showcased the cause of ambiguity and the vagueness that surrounds lack of clear understanding of what Women Religious stand for and their activities.

In conclusion, all Women Religious primarily through prayer and penance as stated in Canon 673 advance their apostolate as a witness of their consecrated life. They employed in full mention their feminine qualities which aided their pastoral acumen in these functions.

Immaculate Heart Sisters therefore have made remarkable contributions to the pastoral

development of Onitsha Archdiocese, but needed to be more pragmatic to the present challenges and employ all avenues in developing the present society pastorally in line with information communication technology appliances devoid of the influence of materialism in the world today. The findings of this work have in no measure proved that indigenous missionaries have really contributed so much in sutaining and continuing the faith deposit.

This is in line with Kalu (1986)„s thought on African historiography.