Sister in the Spotlight

Sr. Eucharia Okoye, SND

Sr. Josita had a little sit-down interview with Sr. Eucharia Okoye, SNDdeN. It was her first time at the annual NBSC summer conference. This is a great excuse for us to remind everyone of Sr. Eucharia’s details.

She is a member of the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur, their website says, “We are an International Apostolic Congregation of Catholic Sisters, founded by St. Julie Billiart (1751-1816) in Amiens, France in 1804. Today We Serve in Sixteen Countries on Five Continents.

While growing up in Nigeria, Eucharia lived in both a large city and a village. She has two brothers and three sisters. Two of her sisters, one of whom is her twin, are deceased. Her mother is 83 and lives in their village. When Eucharia was a student in a Catholic high school, she talked with one of the sisters about becoming a sister. The sister suggested that Eucharia further her education and acquire more life experience before entering the convent. So Eucharia attended college

in Lagos where she earned a credential in accounting. A friend gave her the names of several congregations of women religious which Eucharia contacted. After hearing from the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur, she gradually became affiliated with them. When she was welcomed at the convent in Ilorin by Sr. Helena Boland from Scotland, she immediately felt at home.

After entering the Congregation in 2001, Eucharia completed her bachelor’s degree in finance in Kenya. Over the next 11 years, she served as an accountant in two Notre Dame schools and in one archdiocesan school in Nigeria. In 2015, Eucharia did an internship in the Congregational Finance Office in Ipswich, Massachusetts.

After Sr. Eucharia completed her internship, she returned to Nigeria and served as the Provincial Treasurer for six years. In 2022, Eucharia attended a four-month sabbatical program in Kenya with 25 sisters and brothers from various congregations. After her sabbatical she was sent to St. Peter’s University in New Jersey where she will complete her master’s degree in finance in December 2025.

When Sr. Josita asked Sr. Eucharia her impression/experience of her first attendance at an NBSC Assembly, her answer was “AWESOME!”