Vows season

We celebrated our Pauline Family's own "Solemnity of St Paul" the Sunday before last (June 30), and that means that this is the season of vows and anniversaries of vows. My own anniversary (41st!) was two days later: July 2 had been the Sunday closest to the Feast of St Paul in 1978.

This year on June 29 we had the great joy of welcoming Sister Amanda among our newly professed sisters. (In the video, we are all straining to hear Sister Amanda's "new name": we keep our baptismal name, with the option of adding a new "profession name" on the day of our first vows.) Sister Amanda's co-novice had made her own first vows in Germany hours earlier--and on Facebook we are seeing the photos of joyful sisters in Africa who made their first vows that same day.

Speaking of Africa, it was there (specifically in Kenya) that one of the sisters from our province made her final vows this year--a little earlier than the usual Feast of St Paul, however. Sister Jacqueline Jean-Marie met us as a graduate student at the University of Illinois (Urbana-Champaign). (In fact, she is there right now, celebrating her final vows at her Alma Mater and its great Newman Center; we think this is the fifth celebration she has had!) Throughout her studies, Jackie continued her discernment, visiting different communities, but always coming back to our Chicago center. She made an impression on us the very first time she came through the door. The sisters were loading boxes into the van for a book fair. Jackie grabbed a box and joined the effort before she had even put her overnight bag into the guest room. That's the kind of person she is. Shortly after her graduation, she joined the postulancy.

Fast forward through the years, and Sister Jacqueline Jean-Marie (her name in vows) was stationed in Chicago and New Orleans, and then moved to Italy to prepare for final vows. She got permission to make her perpetual vows in May,  in her homeland, Kenya, and in her own district of Nyeri so that her extended family and her many friends could be a part of the day. Needless to say, our sisters in Kenya were happy to participate as well! Our provincial superior, Sister Donna, crossed the oceans for the special event and witness the vows in an official capacity. She also gave Sister her first official "mandate" as a perpetually professed sister, assigning her to New Orleans to be the National Director of the Pauline Cooperators Association (!).

I'll let Sister Jacqueline Jean-Marie tell the rest of the story:

Sr Donna arrived on May 15 and after a night of rest, we visited the Pauline apostolate in the main publishing house in Nairobi. We got to see the new bookstore inaugurated a few years ago and the building with their new sound studio and conference room. We also got to visit Editorial, digital, shipping, etc. and learn of the kinds of projects they are working on. The latest project in the works is the Roman Missal in Swahili which they are waiting approval of language. We also got to visit the Giraffe Center in Nairobi. I've heard about it but it was my first time visiting it...we had a blast feeding and learning about these beautiful and gentle creatures! We also made a brief stop at Gabriella house, the house of formation for the junior professed sisters. The house has a bookcenter which quite conveniently serves the many religious communities and students from a couple Catholic universities in the area who do not need to go down into the city to purchase their religious books.

Friday May 17 was travel day to Nyeri. It was a great time to share with Sr Donna the scenic route to the Mount Kenya Region (the central part of Kenya). My hometown of Nyeri is higher altitude than Nairobi and therefore a lot cooler. It is near Mount Kenya, a significant landmark for my country. Nyeri is farm country, rich with volcanic soil where we grow a lot of tea, coffee, corn, beans, all kinds of vegetables and horticulture. Before the rehearsal, we had lunch as a family with Sr. Donna. It was quite a peaceful afternoon and quite relaxing. Truly God-given because it would be the calm we would experience before the good storm of Profession! 

During our visit in Nyeri, we were hosted by some wonderful sisters, Sisters of Mary Immaculate. It was from there we shuttled to and from the Cathedral on May 18 and to my

parish - St Joseph's Catholic Church in Giakanja, Nyeri - on May 19 for the Mass of Thanksgiving. The celebrations were colored in a particular way by lots of dancing and singing by the Catholic Women Association (women dressed in blue and white or maroon). It is also a group that my mother is a member; one that provides tremendous prayer and moral support for families with children who serve as priests or religious in the Church.


The Archbishop of Nyeri, Anthony Muheria could not make it to celebrate the Mass due to another pressing engagement that came up just before the profession. However, he had

asked Archbishop Emeritus Peter Kairo to be the celebrant. Archbishop Kairo knows our community well. He had been the celebrant for perpetual professions of a few of our sisters and had even served on our FSP communications board. It was a delight to have him with us. The Mass was colorful and full of joy. I prayed for you and your intentions in a particular way at that Mass. The Lord was truly with us and His presence with us so tangible. I was particularly moved at the Litany of the Saints and could not hold back my tears of joy after the profession. It was amazing!

Right after the profession, there was photo-taking in the Cathedral and we proceeded to the hall where we continued the celebration with the reception. There was lots of food,

Sister Jacqueline Jean-Marie with traditional
Kikuyu dress over her habit.

music and more dancing and singing, truly wonderful efforts from the Cathedral and St Joseph parishes, our sisters, my family and friends. The hall was beautifully decorated by the sisters. It was full. My Godmother, my mom and the Catholic Women Association dressed me up in our traditional Kikuyu tribal dress, a significant symbol of maturation in one's vocation (usually in marriage, or in this case religious life).


Mass of Thanksgiving at our village home in Nyeri on May 25, 2019

The last celebration was the Mass of Thanksgiving at our village home in Nyeri. By this time, Sr Donna had returned to the US and my brother and his family as well. So, just my sister and my parents as well as extended family members and friends were present. The pastor from my parish was the main celebrant. This Mass had a particular significance in my clan and family. It was a prayer of Thanksgiving offered by my family for the gift of perpetual profession. 

 
After the Mass, there was another celebration of blessings and prayers carried out in the Kikuyu tribal tradition. First, there was a prayer by the clan fathers, commending me to God and asking for His blessing in my new mission and "forever" stage of religious life. After this blessing, there would be the cutting of and sharing of goat meat. The women of the clan prepared a certain type of traditional porridge. This would be served from a gourd onto calabashes (half part of a gourd). These prayers and symbols of sharing in the meat and porridge served to solidify the seriousness of the commitment just made; that now, as a woman married forever into Christ's household, the mothers and fathers of the clan were offering up these special prayers and blessings as a call to grow in my vocation, to grow in maturation in my relationship with Christ my Bridegroom and to know that I am now not only called to receive but also be able to give counsel as a bride now and forever in "Christ's household".    

The prayer was said in my tribal language of Kikuyu. Here is the loose translation of the prayer:

"O God send forth your blessings upon this liturgy of Sr Jacqueline..."Thaai thathaiya Ngai thaai", (i.e. “May peace prevail between God and men)"

"You O God who is Alive, pour your Holy Spirit upon Sr Jacqueline so that she can announce and preach your words in the way of wisdom that You Yourself have given her... "Thaai thathaiya Ngai thaai", (i.e. “May peace prevail between God and men)"

"O God, our God, we, as the fathers of Sr Jacqueline, we give her to you so that she may serve Your People on this earth in which You Yourself created for us "Thaai thathaiya Ngai thaai", (i.e. “May peace prevail between God and men)"

O peace! O peace!
Nations...peace! Parents...peace! Church...peace! Men...peace! Women...peace! Children...peace! Sr Jacqueline...peace! Daughters of St Paul....peace! Priests of God...peace!
O peace! O peace! O peace!