Sister Spotlight: Sr. Chioma Ahanihu, SLW, D. Min

Sr. Chioma Ahanihu, SLW, is a member of Sisters of the Living Word in Chicago, Illinois, USA. Sister is also a member of NBSC. She was born and grew up in Nigeria and has lived in the US for the past two decades. Sr. Chioma earned a Bachelor of Social Work degree from Misericordia University and a master’s in social work from the Catholic University of America. In her quest to combine mental health and spirituality, she earned a Master of Arts in Pastoral Studies and a doctorate in ministry with a concentration in spirituality from the Catholic Theological Union in Chicago, IL.

She has been involved in different nonprofit organizations in the field of social work. Sr. Chioma contributes her gift of reflecting the Word with various organizations to living out her charism, a term used in religious contexts to refer to a particular spiritual gift or grace given by God. Her charism is to give life through the Word of God. She is the director of the Center for the Study of Consecrated Life at CTU.

Before these, she served at Catholic Charities of the Chicago Archdiocese as a psychotherapist and parish social worker. Her primary areas of interest as a Practical Theology scholar and minister include today’s consecrated life, reconciliation, spirituality, immigration, and racism.

A few years ago, Sr. Ahanihu, along with a few other religious women, was invited to initiate an innovative formation program in response to the need for a joint initial formation program for congregations with fewer members. This program began in Chicago in 2020. Through this initiative, she guides younger members responding to the beautiful

call to consecrated religious life through the Inter-Congregational Collaborative Novitiate program, for which she currently serves on the board. Her desire to continue to witness today’s global sisterhood continues to grow as she explores possibilities for women in consecrated life to collaborate globally, facilitated by migration and technology.

Sister Chioma is a passionate traveler and cultural explorer who delights in discovering diverse cuisines and traditions around the world. In her leisure time, she enjoys tranquil walks by the lake, cycling, gardening, and sewing her own clothing. She is the author of Religious Women as Global Migrants to the US: A Critical Conversation About Spiritual Health, Mental Health, and Vocational Identity.

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