Seventeen Temporary Professed Sisters and five Novices of the Sisters of Mary Mother of the Church (SMMC) gathered at the Novitiate in Sokode Gbogame from 7th to 10th June, 2026 for a transformative workshop on self-awareness and emotional intelligence.
The workshop, which forms a vital part of the Congregation’s ongoing formation programme, was dynamically facilitated by Rev. Fr. David Selasi Agah, SVD.
Over the course of the session, participants delved into the deep psychological and spiritual layers of human nature, and stepped out to grow fully in mind, body, and spirit bridging personal development with the demands of religious community life.
Fr. Agah who works as the Director of Arnold Janseen Spiritual Centre, in Accra, opened the session by challenging the participants to look honestly inward, drawing a clear distinction between the “Ideal Self”; who we feel we “should” be, and the “Real Self”, who we actually are.
He defined self-awareness as “the ability to see yourself clearly and objectively through reflection and introspection,”
Fr. Agah outlined the four foundational pillars that shape human identity: Biological makeup – genetics, Family life and early upbringing, Environment and daily surroundings, Society and cultural conditioning
Participants explored these dynamics through the lenses of both “public self-awareness” (how we appear to others) and private self-awareness, our hidden internal states.
To bring these concepts to life, the Sisters utilized the “Johari Window”, a psychological tool designed to help individuals map out their known and hidden traits, fostering greater transparency and deeper communal bonding.
The Divine Word Missionary Priest joined in praying with and for the Sisters and celebrated the Holy Echarist at the beginning of each day’s workshop.
Using this opportunity to feed the sisters spiritually and share his insights into what the word of God say’s as they begin the day.
He encouraged the sisters and novices to choose the ‘Real Good’ Over the ‘Apparent Good’.
He noted that “The Real Good is universal and gives life,” contrasting it with the Apparent Good, which he described as “selfish and ultimately barren, dead.
A major highlight of the workshop was a deep dive into human motivations, specifically looking at conscious and unconscious needs.
While conscious needs are easily identified and managed, Fr. Agah warned that unconscious needs often quietly drive human behaviour from the shadows and are often linked to our needs.
Turning toward relational health, the workshop focused heavily on Emotional Intelligence (EI); defined as the capacity to recognize, understand, and manage emotions.
Fr. Agah beautifully reframed the practice of personal reflection as “the ability to reason with emotion,” encouraging the sisters to find a healthy balance between intellect and feeling.
The interactive sessions equipped the 21 participants with practical markers to identify low emotional intelligence in themselves and others, while exploring what truly drives human motivation in ministry.
He stressed that the workshop is to enable them know themselves, as self-awareness plays critical role in how we understand ourselves and how we relate to others.
The workshop wrapped up on a practical note, providing the sisters with essential psychological self-care tips aimed at preventing burnout and sustaining emotional well-being in their lives of service.
Participants left the Novitiate renewed, expressing that the insights gained would powerfully impact their personal inner journeys and their collective mission within their institute and the Church.
They understood that the workshop was to aid them in self-evaluation in relation to their sisters and the people they work with.
By Sr. Angela Amoatwo, SMMC and Sr. Bridget Kator, SMMC (Catholic Sister Communicators Network, Ghana, CASCOM GH)
