The Handmaids of the Holy Child Jesus is a religious Congregation, whose Foundress, Mother Mary Charles Magdalen, Walker, RSC, was a disciplined and seasoned educationist inter alia other careers. Therefore, education is the main apostolate of our Congregation. Article 64 of our constitutions states “we establish standard educational institutes that meet the demands of our times”.
The aim of establishing an office for coordinating and supervising our educational institutions is to give quality and standard to our educational institutions that is classic and meets the demands of our modern times.
The Catholic Bishop’s Conference of Nigeria, (CBCN) reiterates that history has shown that the church began very early to invest heavily and fruitfully in quality education in Nigeria. She established schools which were and are still known for their good academic and moral standards and their non-discriminatory policies. In line with the foregoing, the schools established and managed by the Handmaids of the Holy Child Jesus has over the years inculcated values into the beneficiaries of our educational institutions especially the young. Foundation is important as it enables the young ones to take responsibility especially for the future. Pope Francis asserts “…True education enables us to love life and opens to the fullness of life”. The establishment of an office to coordinate educational activities within the Congregation is to maintain the high standard set for our institutions from their inception, a legacy we got from our Foundress.
“I congratulate you and the girls of St Joseph’s School, [Anua] on the success you have achieved in being classified as A+ … It is the first in the history of the mission that a Girls’ School has honourable carried off the much converted honour of being officially classified as EXCELLENT” (Bishop Joseph Shanahan, CSSp to Mother Mary Charles Magdalen Walker, 9th November 1927).