My Vowed Life as a Sister

by Admin · October 21, 2021

Sr Bongani Ester Chuma made her final profession as a Sister of Nazareth two years ago.

October is Mission Month, when we reflect on ways to evangelise and pray for vocations to the priesthood and religious life. Here Sr Bongani Ester Chuma writes about her vocation journey and life as a Sister of Nazareth.

I will not take you through my life from the very beginning, but I will take you from the beginning of one of the big steps in my vocational journey as a Sister of Nazareth.

I took my temporary vows on September 24, 2014, in Harare, Zimbabwe, after two years as a novice in Hammersmith, London.

Since my first profession, I have been to four different communities of my congregation: Harare, Port Elizabeth, Johannesburg and Cape Town. In all of the four communities I experienced joy, challenges, sadness, excitement, loneliness, fulfilment and so on — but the Spirit of Nazareth is always the same.

On September 12, 2019, I took another very big step in my life. It was on that day, that I made my final profession, which means making a commitment to God for the rest of my life.

As Sisters of Nazareth we are a religious institute of pontifical right. We were founded by Victoire Larmenier, and we follow the Rule of St Augustine.

Six years back I professed the three vows: obedience, chastity and poverty. These vows are pointers for me to the Kingdom of God. They help me to follow Christ in a more radical way. Jesus Christ, for whom I left everything and whom I followed, was himself chaste, poor and obedient.

Many times I get asked questions like, “Why choose to be poor when you can be rich?”, “How do you manage chastity when you look so young?”, “Don’t you wish you were married?”, “Why do you have to report to someone about everything?” “You say you live a poor life and yet you stay in big houses”, just to mention a few.

The reason why I have been happy with living my evangelical counsels (the vows) for more than six years is that I don’t do it all by myself. It is grace that carries me through. I felt the call and I responded. Christ is the first reason why I am a Sister of Nazareth today. I strive to imitate him, and it is only he who gives me strength and fulfilment. Appreciating what religious life is all about also helps me be faithful to my calling, bearing in mind that it’s all for the glory of God.

I do not choose where and with whom I want to stay. I get sent to whichever community, and I believe God chooses the Sisters for me. He works and speaks through my superiors.

Being an international congregation, we are all from different countries, different cultures and different backgrounds. You might imagine that it can’t be easy to put all of us together and expect peace. Amazingly, though, it works.

It is the evangelical counsels that bring us together in unity. We are all striving for one goal.

My vows

In my chastity, I am able to love without partiality. I see Christ, my spouse, in my Sisters and in all whom I care for. Being chaste frees my heart. I live for Christ alone and therefore I do have an undivided heart. That makes me fully available to my community and to the people I minister to. In my chastity, I develop a greater love for God.

In imitating the Poor Christ, I die to self and think more of the other. In everything I do, I put my Sisters first, and when everyone practises that, peace and joy prevails in the house.

Professing poverty frees my heart for the Kingdom of God. I am not obsessed with material and worldly things. We are all aware how quick;y gadgets and fashion are being updated. We cannot keep up. With the vow of poverty, I am content with what I have and I don’t need to get the latest “whatever” on the market.

As a Sister of Nazareth, the vow of poverty allows me to be a good steward of everything that I use: such as the house that I live in, the cars and all community property. I don’t really own anything and what we have is for sharing — as the saying goes, “sharing is caring”. We also find this in the early Church (Acts 4:32 — they held all things in common).

In my poverty, I become dependent on God. I am constantly reminded that I need him all the time and am nothing without him.

First and foremost, obedience is to God. Jesus Christ, whom I imitate, humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death (Philippians 2:8). It is a vow that goes against my will.

What gives me joy in living this vow is that each and every day I pray for the grace to see God in everyone and that I may not be obsessed by my own will but be someone who is pleased with the will of God in my life.

Prayer, community and ministry defines me. These three are part and parcel of my life. My day begins with prayer and ends with prayer. Prayer is where I obtain my strength. It is in community that I am supported, encouraged, affirmed and it is in community that I am also challenged. It is through challenges that I grow and mature.

In ministry, I am fulfilled, and through ministry, I give witness and become a sign to the people of God. Ministry draws me closer to God. After all the joys, the challenges, disappointments and the completeness I encounter in ministry and community, I bring it all to God in thanksgiving at the end of the day. For the times I could have done better or missed the mark, it is in prayer that I ask for strength and inspiration to be a better person tomorrow.

Incredible Way of Life

To sum up my way of life in one word, all I can say is: INCREDIBLE. I love my way of life, I am so in love with Christ who called me to this life. I love being a Sister of Nazareth, I love being Catholic, and I love being Sister Bongani Ester Chuma.

The challenges are there, lots of them, but deep down in my heart I am fulfilled and I have great joy. The challenges I have come across so far have strengthened me, they have made me a better Sister of Nazareth, and I thank God for them because they draw me closer to God.

What keeps me going is knowing that I have two parents back home who love me unconditionally and a family that loves me and supports me, the Sisters (Nazareth family) who are supportive, good friends who always encourage me and are very open with me in advising me. Above all these, it’s prayer that has brought me this far. Without prayer, our life is meaningless. Each day I wake up, I ask God for Grace to stay closer to him. I strongly believe he is faithful.

If I was to start afresh, I could not think of another better path to take. I would do it again. To all those who feel God is calling them, be it to the priesthood or religious life, my advice for you is: “There is no harm in trying. Don’t let fear stand in between you and God.” When I said my first “Yes”, I had no clue what I was getting myself into. I followed the desire that was within me.

I am grateful to God for giving me the courage, and today am glad I made that first baby step.

This article was published in the October 2020 issue of The Southern Cross magazine