A Life Dedicated to Hospitality: Sr Monica Andoh Makes Her Perpetual Profession

Faith, gratitude and joy came together in Assin Foso as Sr Monica Andoh celebrated a defining moment in her vocation, surrounded by the people who have accompanied her along the way

There are moments in life that seem to bring an entire journey together. Years of discernment, prayer and formation; people who have offered their hand along the way; lessons learned, difficulties overcome and a vocation that, little by little, has taken shape.

For Sr Monica Andoh, 8 August 2026 was one of those moments.

In the St Benito Menni Chapel at St Francis Xavier Catholic Hospital in Assin Foso, Ghana, Sr Monica made her perpetual profession as a Sister Hospitaller of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. It was the culmination of a journey that has grown over many years and, at the same time, the beginning of a new chapter in a life dedicated to God, to hospitality and to the service of others.

And she did not arrive at that moment alone. Around her were her family, her Sisters, Brothers, priests, other religious and friends. People who represented different moments of her life and vocation, gathered together to witness and celebrate a commitment that Sr Monica described with two simple but powerful feelings: “great joy and deep inner peace.”

A day she will carry with her

The celebration was filled with gestures whose meaning went far beyond the moment itself. Sr Monica entered the chapel carrying a lighted candle, a symbol of the faith that has illuminated her journey and that she is called to keep alive throughout her life.

During the Litany of the Saints, she experienced one of the most profound moments of the day. As the community prayed around her, Sr Monica described a feeling of complete surrender, while also experiencing the strength of knowing herself accompanied by the prayer of the Church.

Then came the ring, a sign of her covenant with Christ. For Sr Monica, receiving it was a moment filled with joy, love and gratitude, giving visible expression to the commitment she had just made.

She had personally chosen the three Scripture readings for the Eucharist, and on that day the words of the prophet Jeremiah seemed to speak with particular strength:

“Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you; before you were born, I consecrated you.”

Words about vocation and belonging that accompanied a day in which so much of Sr Monica’s own journey came together.

No vocation is lived alone

One of the most beautiful aspects of the celebration was precisely the presence of so many people who had shared that journey.

The Eucharist was presided over by Very Rev. Fr Bonaventure Annan, Vicar General of the Archdiocese of Cape Coast, accompanied by the hospital Chaplain, Rev. Fr Nicholas Kofi Addison, and Rev. Fr George Kwame Adjei Bonnah, who served as Master of Ceremonies. Ten priests concelebrated, and the celebration was also joined by the Brothers of St John of God and other religious.

For our Delegation, it was especially meaningful that Sr Lourdes Sanz, Delegate Superior of the English Delegation, was there to receive Sr Monica’s vows on behalf of Sr Idilia Carneiro, Superior General of the Congregation.

After the Eucharist, everyone gathered to continue celebrating. It was a time to embrace, to congratulate, to remember the road travelled and simply to enjoy being together.

When Sr Monica speaks about that journey, her words quickly turn to gratitude:

“I thank God for all He has done in my life. I thank all my Sisters for their love, prayers, accompaniment, patience and sacrifice.”

She also thanked her formators and expressed her particular gratitude to Sr Lourdes for travelling to Assin Foso to be beside her and receive her vows.

Behind those words lies something essential to the Hospitaller life: we grow through one another. Through those who accompany quietly, those who encourage, those who pray, those who teach and those who simply remain close throughout the journey.

A joy that belongs to all of us

Sr Monica’s perpetual profession is first and foremost her story, but her joy is shared by our entire English Delegation and by the wider Hospitaller family.

Her profession reminds us that the history of Sisters Hospitallers is not only the history we have inherited. It continues to be written today, through people who choose to make hospitality their way of life and to place their gifts at the service of God and of those experiencing suffering.

More than a century after our Congregation began, that same vocation continues to find new expressions, new places and new lives through which to grow.

Perhaps that is why the words of St Benito Menni, chosen for this special day, feel so fitting:

“Only one thing is precious and worthy of esteem: to serve and love Jesus, working out of love for Him.”

On 8 August, in a chapel in Assin Foso, we celebrated much more than an important milestone. We celebrated a journey, the people who made that journey possible, a vocation that has matured over time and a future that now opens before Sr Monica.

And above all, we celebrated with gratitude the gift of a life that chooses to continue placing hospitality, compassion and service at its heart.

Congratulations, Sr Monica. May the joy and deep inner peace you felt on this special day accompany you in every step of the journey ahead.