Berkley Center

Background: Sister Immaculate Apuri, SMI, is a member of Georgetown University’s Women Faith Leaders Fellowship 2024-25 cohort. As a member of the Sisters of Mary Immaculate congregation, she has dedicated her life to teaching and running Catholic schools in the Diocese of Wa, in the northwest of Ghana. Since retiring from educational work in 2021, Sr. Apuri has focused on helping widows and vulnerable girls, many of whom are shunned and targeted by their communities, to learn vocational skills and become financially independent. Sr. Apuri spoke with Luisa Banchoff via Zoom on July 1, 2025. In their conversation, she shared her journey to becoming a sister and her growth into the role of teacher and administrator, as well as the challenges she’s faced and skills she’s gained over her career. Sr. Apuri also discussed her capstone project for the WFLF and reflected on how the fellowship has impacted her work.

Biography: Sister Immaculate Apuri is a member of the Sisters of Mary Immaculate, a congregation of women religious based in Ghana’s Upper West region. She has extensive experience in education, teaching senior high school for over 20 years before becoming headmistress of Queen of Peace Senior High School from 2014 to 2021. She has also supported the growth of her congregation by teaching pre-novices and novices and serving on the SMI General Council. She has served in leadership roles in the Conference of Heads of Assisted Schools and the Association of Catholic Heads of Higher Institutions in Ghana. She holds a bachelor’s degree in missionary spirituality from the Pontifical Urban University and a master’s degree in religious studies from the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven.

Tell me a bit about your background. Where did you grow up?

My name is Immaculate Apuri. I was born in the north of Ghana, in a town called Navrongo in the Upper East Region. I’m the second of 10 children, seven boys and three girls. I went to school in Navrongo, from primary to middle school. I moved to a different town call Bolgatanga for my secondary school and then moved to Tamale for my senior high school. After my sixth form (grade 12), I started my religious formation in the Congregation of the Sisters of Mary Immaculate.

Were you raised Catholic?

I was baptized Catholic and was raised by Catholic parents. I went to a Catholic primary school. In secondary school, I had the opportunity of meeting different girls, but the faith practiced was predominantly Catholic. Catholic practices were enforced in the school, from primary school through middle school and secondary school.

The area where I grew up was predominantly Catholic. The region was evangelized by the White Fathers (Missionaries of Africa), who also founded my congregation, the Sisters of Mary Immaculate. Catholicism was part and parcel of the culture in which we grew up. So I didn't have the opportunity to be influenced by other religions.

What was your journey to becoming a Catholic sister?

At secondary school, between 1976 and 1982, I met a number of Catholic sisters who were also students. They inspired me to become a sister. But I think it was also my Catholic upbringing that made me want to become a religious. Growing up, there were sisters who worked and attended Mass in our parish, and some also taught in the schools. They interacted with children after school, teaching catechism lessons and involving us in Catholic youth movements. That was the beginning of my admiration for the sisters and the work they did, especially in their love, compassion, and generosity towards children.

I should add that the sisters’ dress was very attractive to me. As a child, seeing them dressed in white garments gave me the impression that they were like the Virgin Mary and that they were close to her in their prayer life. So when I came face to face with some sisters in the secondary school and could interact with them, it was just a joy. I wanted to join them and live like them.

Can you tell me about your congregation, the Sisters of Mary Immaculate?

The Sisters of Mary Immaculate (SMI) were founded in 1946 by Bishop Oscar Morin of the White Fathers, the order that evangelized our region. He wanted to address the challenges facing women and children in the region. At the time, women had no role in public life. Men had the authority to do whatever they wanted with women; they were considered and lived at the mercy of men. Women did not have a say in decisions. They didn’t go to school and, as a result, they were not evangelized. Many children also didn't go to school. In some villages, if a child was born and the mother died, that child was considered a spirit child and would be killed. Bishop Morin believed that if women underwent Christian formation, it would help them realize their dignity and empower them to live better lives. He believed that Catholic sisters could interact with these women, learn about their problems, and help them to improve their situation.

In the beginning it was so difficult to form the congregation in Ghana, that they had to cross over to Burkina Faso. The congregation was first established there, then they came back to Ghana. The first apostolate was home visitation, and then Christian formation and non-formal education. As the sister began evangelizing women, the congregation expanded to providing health services and then gradually established schools for children, mostly girls. Now we are involved in many other areas of women’s, girls’, and children’s empowerment. We provide health services. We do social work. We teach at all levels, from basic to tertiary. We also provide services needed by the church, because the signs of the times are changing.

How did your family react when you told them you wanted to become a sister?

It was not easy for my parents, especially my mother. When I informed them that I wanted to go to the convent, she didn't take it kindly. She wept and pleaded with me not to go. It’s hard for me to describe why I was not deterred by her tears and her pleas. I just felt that the convent was where I was meant to be. It was not easy for my parents because of what they had invested in my education. Although they were Catholics, they didn’t like forfeiting a dowry, marriage, and extending the family line.

In 1986, after four years of my religious formation, my mother was meant to come for my first profession of vows. She nearly didn’t come because my grandfather took ill. But he encouraged her to, because it was something he had been praying about for all these years. He said they should give me the opportunity to become a sister. My mother came to my first profession, and her mood changed. She was the happiest. At the time of my final profession, I told my parents that I have to either say yes and stay in the convent or come back. My mother said I should stay there, make my final profession, and live and work as a sister. She was happy.

What happened after you entered the congregation?

After completing secondary school in 1982, I went to do my formation in Daffiama, Upper West region, where my congregation has our formation house. After four years, I was assigned to start working in the religious community. For my first apostolate, I worked with the general bursar for two years. Then I worked in the parish; I was in charge of the sacristy and the parish office for another two years.

Then I was nominated to join another sister to study in Rome for three years. I earned a bachelor’s degree in missionary spirituality. Thereafter, we went to Belgium to continue our studies; after two years, we graduated with master's degrees in religious studies. After that, I did a further year in educational studies so that when I returned to Ghana, I could help out in the schools.

What was your journey to becoming a teacher and school administrator?

I came back to Ghana in 1996. Upon my return, I was asked to work in the formation house, helping young women who were preparing to join the congregation. By my personal assessment, I was very inexperienced, so I asked if I could work in the school apostolate for a while, where I could get to know more about the youth.

My first teaching appointment in the girls’ senior high school was in teaching Christian religious studies, life skills, and social studies to forms one and two (grades seven and eight). After three years, I was transferred to a new school.

After three years, I was moved back to the formation house in Daffiama to support the formation staff and to continue teaching in a school nearby. I did that for 12 years, teaching the same subjects: Christian religious studies and social studies. I was also the guidance counseling coordinator and the housemistress. In the formation house, I gave lessons to the pre-novices in human development, and introductory French.

In 2014, there was the need for an administrator at the school we had helped open, Queen of Peace Senior High School. I was invited to become the headmistress, so I took up the mantle. I had to manage the school and coordinate the activities of other administrators who fell under my direct supervision. There was a lot to do there: meeting with staff, stakeholders, and the prefectorial board; dealing with disciplinary issues; addressing the school assembly every week. I also had to represent the school when meeting with heads of other institutions. As a member of the Conference of Heads of Assisted Secondary Schools (CHASS) and the Association of Catholic Heads of Higher Institutions (ACHHI), I attended meetings and conferences where we deliberated on issues for the effective running of the schools. This helped me a lot in the management of my school.

I was headmistress for almost seven years, from 2014 to 2021. I should have finished in 2019, but at that time there was no replacement. The bishop of the diocese had to nominate somebody to be appointed by the Director General of the Ghana Education Service, but he did not have a candidate to replace me, so I stayed on for two more years.

Had you always wanted to work in schools?

I never dreamt of becoming a teacher. When I was growing up, I was afraid of public speaking. I was not sociable; I did not want to be seen.

After my first profession of vows, my superiors asked what work I would like to do for the congregation, and I told them I wanted to do secretary work in the office so I wouldn’t have to meet people. But my superiors felt there was something more for me than just sitting in the office, so they sent me to work in the parish. Then they sent me to Nigeria for ongoing formation, to meet sisters of other congregations. They wanted me to slowly open up. I had no choice because of the vow of obedience. I went to Nigeria and came back after two years. Then my superiors said they wanted me to go abroad for studies. I resisted; I didn’t want to go but had to yield immediately.

After my studies in Rome and Belgium, I was given the option to teach outside or teach within the congregation. I thought, let me experience teaching outside and then come back to teach within the congregation. This is what took me to teaching in schools. I actually never wanted to be a teacher but did became one because of circumstances and the vow of obedience.

I had to meet my fear of public speaking headlong when I became school headmistress because I was addressing the school at assemblies and meeting with a staff of almost 100. I had to handle disciplinary committees that involved parents and regional or district Ghana Education Service personnel. As a member of CHASS and ACHHI, I had to attend meetings and give reports, and on ceremonial occasions, I represented the school. So I had to embrace all the things I hadn’t wanted to do.

What are some of the skills you learned in your time as a teacher and administrator?

There were many skills I had to develop in order to be a strong leader and manage the school affairs. Decision-making was paramount because everybody looked up to me to be firm and fair. To be a leader, sometimes I had to take difficult decisions. I had to be the right person in every situation. I had to try to model myself to meet the demands of that situation. I had to be a mother, and sometimes I had to be firm. At the same time, I had to learn to be a servant. It tested my patience and endurance.

Sometimes I had to discipline staff in the interest of the school, and sometimes I had to defend students in the interest of the school. It was not easy to be to be a woman at the helm because the men would deliberately test me, and I had to prove that I was in charge.

Can you elaborate on the challenges you faced as a woman in leadership?

Ghana is generally a male-dominated society. People don’t expect a woman to be giving directives for men to obey. They think it is not tasteful and try to resist. Sometimes men think that, as a woman, I should listen to them and share their opinions. They feel that a woman should not tell them what to do even when they are in the wrong. When you play along with them, it can bring down the school.

It wasn’t easy at all when I had to discipline male colleagues because they committed an offense or relaxed in performing their duties. Let me give one example. Once I had to replace the senior housemaster, who had retired. By my assessment, I thought a certain person should be the next senior housemaster. The majority of the male staff were not in agreement and sent a delegation to me and proposed somebody else. But I said no. I told them that their candidate was not performing well and would not be able to control the boarding house. When I put my foot down, it didn’t go down well with many of them. I suspended the issue and, as if by divine intervention, I put my candidate in charge. Some of the staff wanted to revolt. I had one or two transferred from the school. Then the rest of them mellowed. That was what made them fear me: they knew that my pen could send them out of the school.

Tell me more about the role of ACHII and CHASS in Ghana’s education landscape? What was your experience as a member of both organizations?

ACHHI supports the running of Catholic schools founded by the Catholic Church in Ghana. These schools are supposed to operate on Catholic principles, although the government assists by paying the salaries of teachers and non-teaching staff. The heads of Catholic institutions meet occasionally to discuss challenges, share their success stories, and find a means of solving problems in schools. We deliberate on disciplinary issues or things that made the operations and management of our schools difficult. We believe that it is not enough to give students book knowledge and concentrate on academics; character formation is also paramount. So we identify the challenges that are bringing down the moral aspects of our operations and find ways of fostering and maintaining character formation. Sometimes we have friction with government institutions or the Ghana Education Service. There are certain government policies we have to follow, but we don't want to lose sight of Catholic principles or spirit in the schools.

CHASS more or less does the same thing. We discuss problems, especially disciplinary issues, and how to make progress. Each head has challenges or success stories to share. Each head learns best practices from the other heads. Then, upon returning to their school, they implement those practices to make their work more effective or to better handle some of the problems in the school.

What are some of the disciplinary issues you encountered as headmistress, and what did you do to address them?

Before I left my post as headmistress, many of the disciplinary issues had to do with the Free SHS program introduced by the government. [Free Senior High School is a government program, introduced in 2017, that made secondary high school and vocational school free to all Ghanaian students.] Under the program, the Ministry of Education, working through the Ghana Education Service, is supposed to provide food, uniforms, textbooks, and stationery to students. But unfortunately, what was provided was inadequate, especially the feeding of the students. This caused serious challenges. Heads of schools had to chase down suppliers of foodstuff at the demand of hungry students. The boarding students would dodge home or write to their parents, and some would intentionally avoid school and stray into town. This called for disciplinary intervention.

The day students who came to the school as a result of the Free SHS program brought a lot of challenges for us as well. These students were supposed to rent rooms in town and stay. But there were no hostel facilities, and the men in the community took advantage of this and abused some of the girls. These students had problems getting the same kind of facilities that were provided in the boarding schools. Food, transportation, and evening activities that facilitated teaching and learning were challenges. We also had the problem of teenage pregnancy. I had to have meetings with the students, their parents, and other stakeholders. I also had to travel to Accra, to meet with GES officials to find solutions to some of these problems.

Another challenge with the Free SHS program is that parents are free to choose the school they want their children to attend. As a result, many Catholic schools have far more Muslim students now. In some schools, the Muslim students are coming close to outnumbering the Christian students. Muslim students want to attend Catholic schools because the teaching quality is excellent, yet they do not want to attend Catholic services or receive Catholic character formation, so there is friction. I think that when you are in Rome, you should do as the Romans do. If you want to attend a unit school, then attend all the religious services. You get more moral teachings, that’s all. The schools are not trying to convert students. We have Christians who attend Muslim schools; all the girls are expected to wear the hijab at Muslim schools, and they do.

Just recently I was listening to the news. They were vetting judges the president has appointed to the Supreme Court. One of the judges said that if students attend a Christian school, they should attend their services. This didn't go down well with the public; some people pushed against it. But if Muslim students don’t want the Catholic services and character formation, it can raise other problems. Because while the Catholic students are in church, what are the other students doing? They are staying back in the dormitories and could be doing bad things, maybe stealing or breaking other school rules.

It’s not easy when it comes to mixed faiths in the schools, particularly Christianity and Islam together. But in my experience, Muslim students who follow the rules are very good. When they complete school, they are even more appreciative than most of the Christians. They continue to express their gratitude in many forms. But a good number shun the discipline and Christian practices, even though those practices don't conflict with theirs. They’re just to help form good character and to ensure that students are balanced.

We also had other disciplinary issues, including students who directly or indirectly assault teachers. It came to the point that teachers were afraid of going out at night to enforce order, to make sure students were either at prep or in their dormitories, or to check that lights were off at the appropriate time.

Can you speak about your capstone project for the Women Faith Leaders Fellowship?

When I retired from the teaching apostolate, I was asked to support the pre-novitiate and then the novitiate at our formation house. At the same time, I supported the parish as a pastoral agent. This is how I came face to face with the struggles of widows in my community. After losing their husbands, most of these women also lose the land their husbands were farming and living on. They have nowhere to farm and no means of livelihood. Their children are not educated or are not able to study beyond junior high school.

After identifying the causes of their problems, I decided to work with these widows as well as vulnerable girls. I asked them if they wanted to learn vocational skills or a trade to support themselves and their children. The response was positive. When I had the opportunity of participating in the Women Faith Leaders Fellowship, I picked them as the focus for my capstone project.

I have about 10 girls and about 20 women involved in my project now. I had intended for the group to be 20 in total, but the response was so enormous that I had to create a waiting list. Assessing their needs, I grouped them into learning different vocational skills. Some are preparing liquid soap, some are making local spices called “dawadawa”, and some are learning to process soya beans into what they call soya bean kebab. The women's activities depend on the market. It is slow, bringing in profit little by little. When they are in need, I tell them they can buy what they need to help their family and also try to save little by little.

The girls are doing vocational training in dressmaking, which they will complete in three years. We have gotten them sewing machines and engaged trained instructors to train them. My hope is that when these girls graduate, they will be able to earn a decent living and also help others with their skills.

How has your experience been in the Women Faith Leaders Fellowship?

The WFLF has been very good for me. It's opened me up to new skills and insights. The first is networking online. I had very little knowledge about that, so I learned from the fellowship. Second, interacting with the other Catholic sisters from Kenya and Ghana made me realize we have the same challenges. The fellowship helped us share our experiences and best practices. We have learned from one another’s experiences, and that is what has helped me work with the widows for my capstone project.

The financial support we sisters received from WFLF to provide the seed money for these women was very helpful. I’m looking forward to seeing it grow. One of the young widows who succeeded is now a model for the other women. She is influential in the community, and people respect her. She told them that you can’t get discouraged by your problems and challenges. In whatever situation you find yourself, you can make it if you are determined. She gave me advice on the title of my project. Initially it was “From Mourning to Entrepreneurship: Empowering Widows and Vulnerable Girls.” She said the project is meant to make the participants bloom, so she suggested I change the title. Now the project is called “Bloom.” I’m looking forward to seeing many of the women and girls bloom.