The Religious Sisters of the Holy Spirit from Mazabuka, Zambia, led by Sister Juunza Mwangani and Sister Rosalia Sakayombo, have been chosen as the 2025 Opus Prize Laureate, presented with a $1 million award at Xavier University of Louisiana on Thursday. Nov. 13.

The Opus Prize is an annual humanitarian award for social entrepreneurs who champion faith-based solutions to persistent problems in their communities. Each year, the Opus Prize Foundation partners with a different Catholic university to undertake a year-long process of discovery, engagement, and learning that involves the entire campus, culminating in the awarding of the $1.2 million annual Opus Prize. This year marks the first time it has been awarded at an HBCU, as Xavier is the nation's only Catholic HBCU.

Xavier University of Louisiana 2025 Opus Prize Steering Committee organized and facilitated the many steps leading to the awarding of the 2025 Opus Prize. President Reynold Verret convened a group of exceptional leaders from across the U.S. to serve as Opus Prize jurors, tasked with narrowing the nominations to the three finalists. Ambassador Teams, composed of three students and a faculty or staff member, traveled to the three organizations for due diligence site visits.

The Religious Sisters of the Holy Spirit, who dedicate their ministry to education, health, pastoral and social work, youth, and social entrepreneurship, were founded in 1971 by Bishop James Corboy, S.J., of the Diocese of Monze, Zambia. This year’s Opus Prize Laureate has become a model enterprise in Zambia, having partnered with the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation to implement a project that imparts eco-friendly agriculture and entrepreneurship skills to ensure food security among disadvantaged women. The Sisters are also engaged in transformational leadership that aims to transform the mindset of youth in Zambia, who have often been led to believe that life is only worthwhile if someone has undergone formal education and secured a white-collar job. Their program emphasizes the acquisition of a combination of both academic learning and entrepreneurial skills by young people. The Sisters believe that this approach will transform the social systems and eventually break the cycle of poverty.

Through their Emerging Farmers Initiative, youth are trained to become successful entrepreneurs who are sensitive to preserving and replenishing Mother Earth – our common home. This initiative is specifically focusing on youth because they hold the future of Africa, and Zambia in particular. The Religious Sisters of the Holy Spirit believe that this change in approach to fighting poverty will be sustained if it is introduced to younger generations in their formative years.

This year’s program included two additional, inspiring finalists and award recipients. The African Caribbean Community Initiative (ACCI), led by Alicia Spence and based in Wolverhampton, England, has been at the forefront of providing supportive services to those affected by mental health issues, while also continuing to raise awareness within the local community. Micah Ecumenical Ministries (Micah) of Fredericksburg, Virginia, led by Meghann Cotter, cultivates a continuum of compassion with unhoused neighbors and promotes a vision of living as a community where all neighbors have a home. ACCI and Micah each received awards of $100,000 from the Opus Prize Foundation.