The Sisters of Mary Mother of the Church (SMMC) in the Ho Diocese have concluded their annual retreat, a six-day period of prayer and reflection that ended with the traditional renewal of vows.
Unlike previous years when the congregation held a single general annual retreat, the Sisters now gather on a diocesan basis in their various places of apostolate. This year’s gathering for the Ho Diocese focused on the theme “Drawing Inspiration from the Blessed Virgin Mary, a Model of Discipleship”.
The total number of Sisters who participated in the retreat was about 50. The retreat was facilitated by Rev. Fr. Mark Torwoe, CSsR, the Associate Priest of St Anthony Catholic Church, Kpedze.
The beginning of the retreat has been reported @ https://sistercommunicatorsgh.com/smmc-sisters-gather-at-sokode-gbogame-for-2026-annual-retreat/
Over the course of the six days, the Sisters reflected deeply on Mary’s life and its relevance to their own vocation.
On the first day, Fr. Torwoe preached on the name of Mary, noting that a person’s identity is closely tied to their name, mission and destiny.
He explained that “Mary” means bitterness in Hebrew and invited the sisters to reflect on the sorrows of the Blessed Virgin in relation to their own experiences of pain and hurt. As a spiritual exercise, the sisters were asked to recall hurts from childhood onward, name those who had wounded them and those they had wounded, and identify their deepest current pain.
The second session of the day was devoted to prayer around these reflections.
Subsequent days continued the Marian focus. One session centred on Luke 2:15-20 and Mary’s practice of treasuring the word of God in her heart. Fr. Torwoe stressed that treasuring Scripture is the foundation of any genuine spiritual growth and linked this to the law of God as the law of life, drawing on Psalm 119, Psalm 107 and Jeremiah 15:16.
The Sisters were assigned to read and pray with Psalm 119.
Another day examined Mary’s self-understanding as the servant of the Lord (Luke 1:26-38). Using texts from Revelation 4, Romans 8:12-17 and 1 John 2:12, the facilitator highlighted the importance of servant discipleship.
He also introduced the Sisters to various spiritual ministries; such as watchers, gatekeepers, warriors, healers and teachers, encouraging each one to discern the particular call God has placed upon her for the good of the Institute.
On the day dedicated to doing the will of God, Fr. Torwoe emphasised that God’s will is ultimately salvation.
He urged the Sisters to seek that will through prayer, Scripture and the teachings of the Church, noting that the congregation’s mission of responding to the needs of the Church cannot be fulfilled without a life of prayer.
Scriptures used included Ephesians 1:3, 2 Corinthians 10:3-6 and Isaiah 53:5. In a homily coinciding with the memorial of St. Maximilian Kolbe, he called the sisters to greater compassion toward one another and toward those they serve.
Throughout the retreat, the second session of each day was set aside for prayer. Participants reported a strong sense of the Holy Spirit’s presence and a renewal of mind and spirit.
In keeping with the congregation’s constitutions, all perpetually professed sisters renewed their vows at the close of the retreat. Eight(8) temporary professed sisters also renewed their commitments. The Superior General, Sr. Dr. Lucy Hometowu, SMMC and her Coucillors were present at the renewal of vows.
The gathering ended in an atmosphere of joy and renewed dedication.
In her vote of thanks, Sr. Josephine Immaculate Deh observed that the retreat had taken on a distinctly deeper dimension; the Sisters’ applause confirmed their experience of spiritual refreshment.
By: Sr. Angela Amoatwo, SMMC ( Catholic Sister Communicators -Ghana- CASCON-GH)
