Identity Construction of Roman Catholic Religious Sisters in the ...

1.0 Introduction
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
This thesis examines the construction of religious identity of Roman Catholic religious sisters
within the context of religious life within the Catholic Church in Nigeria. Religious life is a
life-form in the Church, which is marked by consecration of life of faithful women who feel
called by the Spirit to devote their entire life totally to God and to the service of others (PC
#1). In doing so, the women (sisters) live in community and are bonded to God through the
evangelical counsels (vows) of consecrated celibacy (chastity), poverty and obedience. The
religious community provides the basic context of socialisation in terms of initial and on-
going formation through which the sisters develop and perform their religious identity (PC
#15). In this context, the initial challenge of religious identity construction begins in the
religious community but also extends to the myriad interpersonal relationships in the Church
and wider Nigerian society.
In this chapter, a brief overview of the background to the research including the rationale will
be presented, followed by the aims of the study, objectives and research question. Then the
scope and outline of the study will be presented.
1.1 Background of the Study
This study of identity construction of Roman Catholic religious sisters in the Church in
Nigeria was prompted by my personal experiences as a religious sister. I have lived religious
life for 17 years as a member of the Society of the Holy Child Jesus, an international
congregation. During this period I have watched with keen interest the dynamism of
interpersonal relationships among my sisters. I found the power relations between sisters very
challenging, particularly between authority figures (including provincials, superiors,
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