The tough call of receiving the blue-striped Missionaries of Charity Sisters’ Habit!

By Charles Muchiri

Trust me when I say this; there isn’t anything that is as beautiful as a dozen of nuns, taking their professions.

Last Saturday May 21, 2011, I attended one of those. 14 nuns in total were taking their vows, half of them dedicating themselves to God for their very first time. Besides a couple of Kenyans, some of them were from as far as Zambia, Rwanda and Tanzania.

The venue was at Baba Ndogo’s Sacred Heart Church, tucked deep into the Eastlands of Nairobi City, Kenya.

But as it may be, the Missionary Sisters of Charity aren’t just like any other Roman Catholic Sisters; they are distinct, very distinct.

The congregation’s dedication to serve the poorest of the poor in our contemporary society can only be described thus – unparalleled!

The recent ceremony which was led by His Grace, Archbishop John Njenga - Emeritus of Mombasa and co-celebrated by about 10 priests was characterized by an aura of both sanctity and merriment, interwoven in one.

My highlight? The exact words of the professions! Of course the vow to chastity in the Roman Catholic Church is almost common, but it is the vow to poverty and serving the poorest of the poor that struck the highest of notes, in my heart!

Here in Kenya, the Missionary Sisters of Charity have a formation center at Huruma, Nairobi. The home, which is surrounded by the sprawling Kiamaiko slums is a testimony of just how this congregation which was founded by the late Blessed Mother Theresa can positively transform our society.

Hundreds of children, many of them found abandoned, physically challenged; are all housed here. Besides, the home also caters for aged persons, and with a dozen of its benefactors, this big hearted and sandals wearing nuns always and amazingly manage to cater for all their needs!

So, as I witnessed the professions, I couldn’t possibly get rid of these pictures off my mind. The pictures of young ladies who have a tough heart to serve the poorest of the poor, in our society!

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