Sharing new voices of sisters in Kenya

This story appears in the Writing Workshops feature series. View the full series.

by Melanie Lidman

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As Global Sisters Report celebrates our one-year anniversary, we are also celebrating the connections we have made with sisters in Africa, where women have even less of a voice in the global conversation. In Kenya, due to more widespread Internet usage, sisters are becoming more and more familiar with Global Sisters Report. While in Kenya in January, I ran two writing workshops for more than 100 sisters. During my trips to Nigeria and Uganda, as we began to introduce the concept of our website, sisters were hesitant to write for GSR.

“I don’t know what to write about!” they told me.

But in Kenya, the sisters were thrilled to get the chance to share their stories with the wider world. About 25 people signed up for each workshop and more than double came both times. Sr. Agnes Wamuyu, the executive secretary of the Association of Sisterhoods of Kenya, fielded calls all week from congregations asking for GSR writing workshops at their motherhouses. For that reason, we distributed a lesson plan so participants can continue to run the workshops in their own congregations.

The stories the sisters in Kenya shared after the workshops made me laugh out loud and tear up, and sometimes both in the same paragraph. But the biggest reward was as I was leaving the last workshop, I overheard one sister say to another, “You know what? We work so hard. It’s about time that somebody started sharing our stories!”

Following are three of them. Look for more during the GSR anniversary celebration.

If you’d like to run a writing workshop for your congregation, go to this copy of the lesson plan here or email Melanie (melanie.lidman@gmail.com) for more information.

My most joyful moment as a sister

When I took my first vows many, many years ago, I felt incredibly happy. During formation, with each passing day, my passion to remain a nun for the rest of my life only increased. I felt such joy on that day, despite the fact that my parents did not want me to become a nun. On the day of profession, I ran around happily greeting the parents and relatives of my fellow sisters who were also professing. But I did not even have one single visitor. Now, when I think about that day, it is a mystery to me. How could I be so happy, if no one was with me? Now I know: It was Jesus who was with me, to whom I had made a commitment, and who will support me always.

- Sr. Margaret M. Wanyawa, Sisters of Mary

My moment of greatest joy as a sister

My moment of greatest joy was when I made my first vows as a religious sister in the congregation of the Evangelizing Sisters of Mary. I remember it like it was yesterday, the 25th of March, 1995. At exactly 10 a.m., we started a procession to the church for a celebration of the first vows. As we entered the church and sat in the front row of pews, my heart was filled with peace and joy. I cried tears of joy when it was my turn to pronounce the vows. When I finished my profession and was given a veil, I was smiling and laughing in my heart. When we left the church to greet our visitors, our joy increased even more. There were shouts of joy surrounding me. This day I will remember always as a day when I was filled with joy, love, peace and fulfillment.

- Sr. Levine Grace Kalikuela, Evangelizing Sisters of Mary

A challenge I overcame as a sister – learning self-confidence

In 2003, precisely on January 30, I was appointed head of a diocesan school. It surprised and shocked me to my bone marrow because I had no prior information about it. I was given a short letter in the morning from my authorities requesting that I meet the archbishop that same day at 5 p.m. The bishop handed me a letter at 5 p.m. that my appointment was effective from that day. I felt overwhelmed by fear and wondered how this had come about. I tried to pray, but my prayers did not seem to help me build confidence and accept this mission.

The greatest challenge was when I realized that a lot of people felt I was incapable at my age of handling a big school, which has a big name in the country. Sensing the noise surrounding my incapabilities and lack of professional know-how, I decided I was fit for this job. I decided to build up my confidence and face this challenge bravely. My success made me very happy, and it is one of my greatest achievements today.

- Sr. Odette Ngong (Cameroon), Tertiary Sisters of St. Francis

[Melanie Lidman is Middle East and Africa correspondent for Global Sisters Report based in Israel.]

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