Soeurs de Saint-Joseph de Cluny
https://sj-cluny.org/West-Africa?lang=en
      West Africa

West Africa

The Province of West Africa includes the countries of Sierra Leone, the Gambia and Ghana. In 2015 the sisters celebrated 25 years in Ghana and in 2016 they celebrated 150 years of presence in Sierra Leone. Anne-Marie Javouhey visited both Sierra Leone and the Gambia in 1822, however, there were no communities established at that time. The first group of sisters who followed after her visit were French Sisters then they were replaced by the Irish from 1866 in Sierra Leone and 1883 in The Gambia.


Sierra Leone
  • 6 communities
  • 26 sisters
  • Founded in 1866
The Gambia
  • 3 communities
  • 9 sisters
  • Founded in 1883
Ghana
  • 2 communities
  • 11 sisters
  • Founded in 1990

We are fortunate to have a number of young sisters in the province along with our older sisters who are ‘actively retired ‘and are still involved in education and pastoral apostolates. Thus, we are an active, vibrant province.

All three countries are involved in:

  • Teaching
  • Nursing
  • Formation
  • Pastoral Work

We are also involved in many other activities outside of these main ones. A school for the Hearing Impaired is a big part of the work of the sisters in Sierra Leone. In our health centers, ’high protein’ food preparation for malnourished children is supervised while the parents learn the process and provide proper diet for their babies’ growth.

There are pre-postulants in all of the three countries. The Postulancy and the Novitiate are located in Sierra Leone. Three novices are due for profession in August 2019. We have sisters pursuing academic studies in the teaching field: one in The Gambia, four in Ghana and two in Sierra Leone. Three sisters graduated in the nursing field in 2018.

The sisters in the Gambia are doing a lot of building up and pulling down. Anne-Marie Javouhey Academy in Brusubi, Cluny owned, is in the fifth phase of the building plan, to construct a Science block for Home Science, IT, physics, Chemistry and Biology Laboratories.

In the Vice Province, plans are underway for a project for a retirement community when funds are available. Our present structures are not ‘old age friendly’ with little or no facilities to accommodate the aged in the near future.

No corner of Sierra Leone was untouched by the ‘ebola virus’. Thank God schools have recovered the 2 years lost by lengthening the academic terms and reducing the holidays. They are now operating on a normal school calendar as are the Tertiary Institutions.

Sister Catherine Jarra is presently the Vice-Provincial of the West Africa Vice Province (WAVP), since 2015.

Contact Information:
  • Website:
  • Email: srger1 at eircom.net
  • Address: Sisters of St. Joseph of Cluny, P.O. Box 129, Freetown, Sierra Leone, West Africa
  • Telephone: +232 77 81 20 17

For more photos: Click here: Missionary Disciples / West Africa on Flickr

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