African Safari
One day Sisters Mary Christine and Teopista took me on a safari in Nairobi National Park. This park is the only national park within a city. As we drove along the dusty roads though flat grasslands, the city skyline was visible in the background. Vincent, our driver, helped us spot animals and informed us about them. He also provided me with binoculars.
The roof of our jeep was raised so we could stand for better views, even balancing on our seats. We saw these animals among others: zebras, giraffes, lions, monkeys, buffalo, crocodiles, baboons, ostriches, hippos, rhinos, hyenas, impalas, buzzards, and a waterbuck. The city park had no elephants.
I’m ready to leave. The hat and shawl weren’t needed and soon removed.
Our tour began where three circles mark where elephant tusks and rhino horns are buried as a testament to eliminating poaching.
The hippos were hiding.
Giraffes were plentiful. I learned that they walk with side legs together. Can you spot the giraffe looking at you?
A parade of about fifteen zebras crossed the road in front of us.
We saw female impalas and one male on the side of the road. Now you understand the logo for Impala cars.
Many ostriches live in the park.
A Kenyan soldier guided us on a walking safari around Hippo Pools. He helped me walk over rocky parts of the narrow path and kept me from falling off cliffs. He pointed out an alligator, whose legs can be seen in the photo, and took us to a black rhino’s cave.
Here is a rhino with a white bird on its back. The bird keeps the big animal free of insects. We also saw a mother rhino walking with her child walking a distance behind her.
We waited on the road to see if five female lions would stand. Sister Christine could see them, but to me they were invisible until one stood, something Sister said was a blessing. I have it in a video. At the entrance to the park, Sister Teopista took a picture of a statue of a lion in case we wouldn’t see one.
I also have a video of a group of baboons coming toward us on the road. We had to cover our snacks so they wouldn’t jump in the jeep and steal them. Two hyenas were walking toward us too, but I only captured one of them with my camera.
Here is the origin of the song “The Lion Sleeps Tonight”:
SNDs in Africa
During the three weeks I was in Africa, I became acquainted with our Sisters in Kenya and Tanzania. They are grateful to the Sisters from other countries who established their delegation. A poster of those missionaries seen above is displayed in their convents and schools. Among them is Sister Annete Adams from Chardon, who served there for 23 years. The African Sisters also produced this song in celebration of our 175th anniversary:
Associates
Associates are mainly laypeople who make a covenant to share in our charism and ministry. Like us, they proclaim God’s goodness and provident care. Sister Mary Annete Adams began this program in Africa, and it is still flourishing under the leadership of Sister Mary Teopista. I spoke to the group about St. Julie Billiart, who founded the original Sisters of Notre Dame. They presented me with a cashmere shawl with images of the Sacred Heart. When I wear it, I’m reminded that Jesus has my back!
Candidates
Women who are interested in becoming Sisters first live together and experience community life. We have two groups of candidates, one in Kenya and another in Uganda. I met the candidates and Sister Mary Emma, their director in Kenya. Presently there are 31 candidates.
Postulants
Candidates who persevere become postulants and live in Uganda. There are thirty-one of them. Since I chose not to fly to that country (which I later learned was a site for Ebola), I wasn’t able to meet the postulants.
Novices
I met our 30 novices in Kenya and spoke to them for about an hour. Sister Mary Pascalia is their director and has a lovely rapport with them. The novices do not wear a veil, whereas when I was novice, we wore starched white veils.
A Sister from Indonesia is staying in Africa to be formed as a novice director under Sister Pascalia’s direction.
Our novices are a joyful, energetic group. In the evening they had a celebration for me and for three novices who are going to spend time in local houses. They all sang and danced with enthusiasm, accompanied by drums. Entertainment included some stand-up comedians.
The novitiate house is on the delegation house property. The novices keep busy running the farm there, providing food for the Sisters and the students. They even work in the slaughterhouse!
Junior Professed
There are 60 junior professed Sisters of Notre Dame, that is, women under temporary vows. This includes eight “tertians,” who will profess final vows in December. The young Sisters are studying or already involved in ministry. Some are teachers and nurses. Many of them made the eight-day retreat I gave.
Afterward, thirty of them were gathered at the Karen House for three weeks of formation. Sister Margaret Mbuba is the capable junior directress as well as the superior of Karen House. I spoke to the juniors about the life of St. Julie Billiart and then the joy of being a consecrated woman. I mentioned that laughing massages the liver. That night at supper the young Sisters at the table next to me were loud and boisterous. When I asked what was going on, they said, “We’re massaging our liver!”
Papua New Guinea
Several of our Sisters from Papua New Guinea now live in Africa. One evening two of them prepared a meal for us, as I explained in a previous post.
While I was in Karen House, Sister Rose from Papua New Guinea renewed her vows. A special holy hour was in her honor. The day before, I was asked to meet with her to prepare her for the day. After she renewed her vows, the community celebrated by encircling her and singing. She was given a basket of lollipops, which she passed around. Then she cut the traditional heart cakes with the junior director and me assisting.
Guardian Angels
In each convent where I stayed, a “guardian angel” saw to it that I was on time for events, helped me with meals, and explained things: Sisters Mary Mercy, Wompi, and Lucia (kneeling). On days when Sister Mercy was assisting with a surgery as part of her training as a surgical nurse, Sister Rose substituted. Sister Rose was so small that the Sisters told me I could fold her up and take her home in my carry-on!
More information about our African Sisters can be found at https://sndusa.org/east-africa-ministries/Here is another video of a 175th celebration:
African Meals
I’m often asked how the food was in Africa. It was very palatable, not spicy at all. Because the Sisters operate farms where they grow their own crops, the food is fresh and free from chemicals. They also raise their own animals.
Breakfast was eggs, cheese, pancakes, yogurt, sausage, peanut butter on bread. Chapati (chewy, flat bread) was at every meal, but regular bread was also available. Usually for lunch and supper, we had rice and shredded cabbage, sometimes with slivers of carrots mixed in. We had all kinds of beans and potatoes, even French fries. What I assumed was mashed potatoes turned out to be white maize (corn). We had soups, like peanut soup. I was introduced to cassava. Meat was often chicken. I found the chicken gizzards tough. Here is a picture of the salads:
Fruit was plentiful: avocados, papayas, passion fruit, apples, pineapple, many bananas, and a lot of watermelon.
The Sisters drank plain hot water or water mixed with a little milk. I had bottled water, instant coffee, or tea.
One morning a Sister asked if I ate fish. I said yes. That night at supper large fish with the heads and tails were served. The fish of the Sister sitting perpendicular to me was smiling at me all during the meal. Considerately, the Sisters had prepared a bowl of the meat for me.
Before meals, the Sisters stood in line to wash their hands at an urn and dry them.
Each morning and afternoon the Sisters enjoyed “tea breaks” with popcorn and other treats.
One evening Sisters from Papua New Guinea made supper according to their culture. Banana leaves served as plates. (But these were set on plates for us.) The food was set on a large blanket on the floor, and we danced around it in colorful skirts, New Guinea style. The food included chicken, greens soaked in coconut milk, and cassava.
The novices run one of the farms. They even work in the slaughterhouse! Here are some of their animals. Their latest addition is a fish pond.
At Karen House, where I gave the retreat, there were seven sheep, including a ram and a lamb. Each Christmas and Easter, a sheep gives its life. The herd replenishes itself.
Here are some of the Sisters’ crops:
Stay tuned. Next week I’ll report on the Sisters.
African Masses
Africans celebrate the Eucharist with enthusiasm. Music is accompanied by instruments, clapping, whistles, and whoops. Although our convent Masses in Africa were normal length, our Sunday Mass at humongous St. Veronica Church lasted two hours because of the many hymns the choir sang and the processions. (At the offertory, people brought up things for the needy, even mops. And ushers did not collect money; instead people walked down the aisles and deposited it in a box at the end of each aisle.) Once after our convent Mass, a priest told me he would be celebrating a three-hour Mass that day!
St. Veronica’s Church is shaped like Noah’s ark. Its facade is covered with religious images.
At the Karen House, the house for students where I gave the retreat, the Sisters often sang in three-part harmony with echoes, accompanied by different drums, a tambourine, and a shaker (a flat, rectangular instrument filled with seeds). I told them that if the Sister responsible for our liturgy in Chardon heard them, she would think she died and went to heaven!
The hymnal contained songs in English and in Swahili. To my pleasant surprise, the song I wrote for St. Julie’s canonization, “Mother Julie lived for the Lord” was among them.
During the hymns, we and the priests clapped (in different rhythms), sometimes dropping our arms at the side. Or we waved our hands from side to side.
The Sister who read usually sang the entire Responsorial Psalm.
The white altar cloth in the chapel in the Delegation House has designs made by pinning. The designs are changed occasionally.
Communion
We sometimes received Communion by intinction. Either the priest placed the sacred hosts and wine at the top of the altar and we dipped the host in the cup ourselves, or the priest dipped the host and we received on the tongue. Otherwise we received the host in our hand or on the tongue.
At St. Veronica Church, our Sister Christine was a Eucharistic minister. Laypeople were not needed to fulfill this role. Those who served in special ways wore a large sash with the title of their role on it.
On the last day of retreat, after Communion a Sister went to the ambo and gave a speech thanking me for leading the retreat.
Adoration
Each day the Sisters had Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament for an hour. They sang, prayed out loud and silently, and concluded with the Divine Office. They have the new version of this Church prayerbook.
In front of the sacred host, many Sisters knelt on the floor, bent over, and touched their forehead to the floor. If I had done this, it would have taken two Sisters to help me up!
At the Delegation House, the Sisters did not wear shoes in the chapel. Imagine if at our Province Center we removed our shoes before entering!
Celebrants
At the beginning of the Mass, the priest explained its intentions. After Communion he gave a little talk about who he was and his ministry. One day Bishop Obed was the presider. He had only been consecrated three months earlier. The Sisters called him a baby bishop.
Next week I’ll report on the food I ate in Africa.
Introduction to Visit to Africa
Since I arrived home from three weeks in Eastern Africa, many have asked me about my visit to our Notre Dame Sisters there. In the next several blog posts, I will present highlights and details of my time. For now, here is some basic information:
How long did it take to get there? 2 ½ hours to New York, then 15 hours to Kenya.
What did you do there? I spoke to our ND Associates and then our novices, gave an eight-day retreat to junior and senior professed, and then gave two talks to the junior professed (who make temporary vows). On the last day, I went on a morning safari with two of our Sisters.
How many Sisters are in Africa? 101. There are 31 candidates, some in Tanzania and some in Uganda; 31 postulants in Uganda; 30 novices in Kenya; and 52 junior professed plus 8 tertians.
How did Notre Dames come to be in Africa? The congregation originated in Coesfeld, Germany. German SNDs came to the United States; Sisters from the USA went as missionaries to India; and then Indian Sisters went to Africa as missionaries. So you can say that we US Sisters are the grandmothers of the African Sisters.
In what countries in Africa will you find SNDs? Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, and Mozambique.
Were you very hot? Taking a sunhat and suntan lotion was in vain. August is winter in Africa, so most days had a thick cloud cover, making it look as if it would rain any minute, but it never does. It was usually 74°, but it got chilly in the evenings.
Did you get Ebola, malaria, traveler’s diarrhea, or mosquito bites? No! Many people, especially the Sisters I live with, were storming heaven for me. There were no mosquitoes, but the beds had mosquito netting just in case.
How did you prepare for the trip? I had to get nine vaccinations and apply for visas. Sisters who had been to Africa gave me valuable advice.
What did the Sisters speak? Everyone spoke English, but with an accent. In Kenya, which had been a British colony, English is used in schools. The Sisters also knew Swahili, and many hymns were in that language. Some also knew their tribal language. The only words I learned were “asante,” which means “thank you,” and “habari yako” (“hello, how are you?”).
How did you know what to do? I had a “guardian angel” at each of the three convents where I stayed. She helped me with meals, made sure I was on time for events, and even did my laundry.
What surprised you? The Sisters provide all their own food by farming. They raise animals and grow crops. The novices operate one farm and even slaughter the animals! Therefore the food is fresh, and chemicals are not used.
Stay tuned to learn about the food, animals, schools, ministries, the liturgies, other celebrations, etc.
At the end of my talk on the joy of being a consecrated woman, I taught the junior professed the song, “I’ve Got the Joy, Joy, Joy.” Later, they sang it at my farewell celebration. Unfortunately, I can’t post the video of them singing, but here is the YouTube version. (You can skip the ad.)
https://youtu.be/xoOyjO1sbXo?si=QGonEbS4HXmJkyo4https://youtu.be/xoOyjO1sbXo?si=QGonEbS4HXmJkyo4
