Meet Our Sisters; Sr. Inviolata Mukhaabi, OSB

(Meet Our Sisters will be a Blog Series to get to know our Sisters from the Missionary Benedictine Sisters in Norfolk, NE. Each month we will feature a new Sister and her journey to become a Missionary Benedictine Sister.)

 

Born: Kakamega, Kenya on June 4^th 1978

First Profession: January 25^th 2002

Final Profession: July 11^th 2007

Feast Day: December 8^th

Mission Experience: Kenya (Spent 7 years in USA for studies)

 

I first wanted to be a nun when I was in 2^nd grade. I thought it was the coolest thing ever!! What brought this on? My aunt (my Mother’s sister) joined religious life at this time and I heard the family talking about it. As I listened, I thought that one day I would also like to be a Sister. Honestly I had no idea what it all contained but hearing my Mother describe it made it sound like heaven. That desire stayed with me and as I grew and matured so did my thoughts about being a Sister. Dimmed for a time, this desire resurfaced when I was in high school and by then I knew that this is where God was calling me to live. During my high school years, I was exposed to so many religious Sisters and of course so many priests that I knew what being a Sister would be like. I wasn’t naïve to think that it was all milk and honey, but I knew that since God was pulling me towards this consecrated way of life, then he will see me through. At the core of my discernment was the desire to be available to God’s mission in my life and help touch lives and make a difference not so much by what I do but what I am.

My greatest grace in this life has been seeing how God has transformed me over the years. Living in community has brought me into deeper appreciation of not only my fellow Sisters but especially who I am as an individual. TO fully live community life, I have discovered that one has to be fully conscious of here giftedness and constantly aware of how God is calling her to use those gifts. It is also about knowing those areas that need some ‘pruning’ to enable abundant fruits.

Community life has also been at the root of my challenges as a Sister. I joined the convent straight out of high school, so one can say I did not have enough adult experience of independence to struggle with. However I was very independent growing up and I have no trouble at all expressing myself. In a community, that can be trouble at times and I have plenty of those. I have had to learn that it doesn’t have to be as I see it and it is OK to be wrong. Another challenge for me has been staying away from my family for too long. Back in Kenya I was able to visit my family every year, but it is so hard to see everyone in just 10 days. As a student in the USA, I was away from home for 7 consecutive years. That was tough, though I have the best family in the whole world and they were so supportive and understanding. That made it easier for me to be away for that extended period of time.

To those discerning religious life, I would encourage you to be open to the voice of God. Sometimes He gets drowned by the many voices around, but listen to your feelings, thoughts and desires. Take a risk and cast into the deep waters for a catch. You won’t be alone but the Lord will be right there with you.