The Congregation of the Sisters of Mary Immaculate (SMI) have organized six-day retreat for Sisters the SMI at old mother house hall, Daffiama in the Upper West Region during which the Sisters were entreated to live worthy lives according their vows.
The August 8, 2024 retreat attended by 49 SMI Sisters was facilitated by Rev. Fr. Timothy Baghrmwin, a Jesuit Priest and a psychologist, under the theme: Our Vowed Life and the Spirit of Confidentiality”
Every year the SMI organises annual retreat grouped into three parts, January, April and August. Each Sister choses the one that is favourable for her to attend except those under temporal vows. The temporal Sisters are obliged to attend the August retreat. The theme or topic and the facilitator remains the same throughout the year.
Preaching the retreat, Fr. Baghrmwin pointed out some basic requirement that every Religious must have to be effective as a minister, an apostle of Christ which include; Confidentiality, Trust, Integrity, Faithfulness, Sincerity, Honesty, Obedience, Love, Care and Peace.
He said the vowed life calls us and demand of us to live a life of good moral character far above and beyond the ordinary Catholic Christian.
He defined confidentiality as the act of keeping secrets and two very important principles that related to Confidentiality which is; Trust/Confidence and Character. Some areas of Confidentiality include Personal life/Information, Privilege information, Confidential Matters, Private life, Community life, Health Issues.
According to the Jesuit Priest, Religious vows joyfully free a person to live for God and through that love, to serve others with love.
He noted that most religious also make these three promises, called vows, pledging to imitate Christ in these ways for their whole life; Poverty, Obedience and Chastity.
He also looked at the vows and their implications for the religious as another Christ; therefore religious model their life on Christ’s example of living.
Developing Interior Freedom, he said was an aspect the Sisters needed to develop in this retreat and find out the real nature of freedom. He added.
According to the retreat master, “Happiness is found in genuine love – the Love of God and the love of neighbor” Fr. Baghrmwin said.
He advised sisters to accept ourselves as they are, acceptance of other people and acceptance of suffering, saying, “One of the principles of inner freedom and happiness is acceptance of other people just as they are.”
Fr. Baghrmwin indicated how to communicate and give feedback to others including paying attention to one’s body language since body language speaks louder than words and minding one’s language, and one of your voice
He, therefore advised Sisters to avoid Conflict because conflict is bad and it destroys relationship and therefore should not entertain it.
He challenged the Sisters to always be in a process of change.
By Sr. Gloria Duongnaa, SMI (Sister Communicator)
