St Charles Lwanga celebrates perpetual profession of Sr Nonkie Moloko

by Kati Dijane · December 12, 2025

The perpetual profession of vows by Sister Anna Nonkie Moloko of the Franciscan Missionaries of Mary.

By Kati Dijane – On the feast of St Nicholas, joy filled St Charles Lwanga Catholic Church in Orange Farm in the Archdiocese of Johannesburg as the community gathered to witness a moment of profound grace: the perpetual profession of vows by Sister Anna Nonkie Moloko of the Franciscan Missionaries of Mary (FMM) on December 6.

Friends, family, parishioners and sisters from various congregations expressed their joy with song and ululation, their excitement echoing through the streets as they welcomed the Archbishop of Johannesburg, Cardinal Stephen Brislin, during the procession before presiding over the Mass. Concelebrating with him were Father Kifle Kirba MCCJ, dean of the Vaal Deanery and parish priest, along with other clergy.

For the parish of Orange Farm, a community shaped by years of missionary presence and pastoral care, the celebration felt deeply personal. Sr Nonkie grew up in this parish, nurtured by its faith life, its missionaries and its people. On this day, they were not only witnesses, but also co-journeyers, rejoicing as their daughter fully embraced her vocation.

Founded in India in 1877 by Hélène de Chappotin, also known as Blessed Mary of the Passion, the Franciscan Missionaries of Mary are an international congregation present in 73 countries. Their charism invites them to live a Eucharistic, Franciscan, and missionary spirituality, offering their lives in service wherever the Church calls. South Africa has been home to the order since 1903, beginning with their early mission in Zululand and expanding to Umzinto in 1912. For more than a century, they have nurtured local vocations such as Sr Nonkie’s—vocations rooted in simplicity, service and profound love for Christ.

‘A radical freedom’: Cardinal Brislin’s homily

In his homily, Cardinal Brislin reflected on the meaning of the evangelical counsels—poverty, chastity and obedience, which Sr Nonkie vowed to live for the rest of her life. He reminded the congregation that although religious vows may appear restrictive by worldly standards, they are in fact an invitation to profound spiritual freedom.

“On the one hand,” the Cardinal said, “we could say that these are vows which bind religious, bind them not to acquire wealth, not to marry, not to follow one’s own will. But on the other hand, the vows are a way of life that gives freedom – radical freedom -from enslavement to desire, to culture and to ideology.”

Rather than limiting the religious, the vows orient their hearts entirely toward God. “The vows,” he continued, “are a sign of God’s Kingdom, proclaiming the importance and necessity for all people to live for Christ and trust in Christ alone.”

He reminded the faithful that the evangelical counsels are not only for consecrated men and women, but for all Christians. Each vow, lived according to one’s state of life, calls the human person back to their original dignity and vocation as children of God.

The challenge of poverty

Evangelical poverty, the Cardinal said, is about detachment—a counter-cultural antidote to both spiritual emptiness and material excess. It reminds the believer that God is the true treasure.

“It is about using our wealth and possessions for love and generosity, not for self-indulgence. It is about sharing what we have so that no one around us is in need.”

The beauty of chastity

Chastity, he said, is fundamentally a vow of love and a witness to the fullness of joy that can be found in God. For religious, it is a profound expression of undivided love for Christ and for humanity. For married couples and single people, chastity becomes a call to faithfulness, purity of heart and relationships rooted in selfless love.

“It widens our hearts,” he emphasised, allowing the consecrated person to “embrace all in self-sacrificial and holy love.”

Obedience as true freedom

The Cardinal also spoke about obedience, not as suppression of freedom, but as an act of love that frees the believer from the tyranny of ego.

“It is rooted in Jesus’ obedience to His Father. It means striving always to align our will with the Father’s will, trusting in His plan.”

To Sr Nonkie, he offered a special blessing after she professed her vows before the altar:

“Sister Anna Nonkie, by the grace of God you have been called to a way of life which is inspired by the Eucharist. May you grow daily in the knowledge of the mystery and be great in love for Christ Jesus. May God who began this work in you bring it to performance through Christ our Lord.”

Sr Nonkie’s vocation story

When she reflects on her call to religious life, Sr Nonkie remembers that it began long before she consciously recognised it. Her earliest encounters with faith came through her family and parish life in Orange Farm, where the Missionaries of Africa shaped much of the community’s spiritual and practical life.

“As a child,” she recalled, “receiving First Communion made me want to give something back to Jesus. I didn’t know much, but I said, ‘I want to be like a priest.’ When they explained that the closest thing for a woman was becoming a sister, something awakened in me.”

Serving as an altar server brought her physically and spiritually closer to the Eucharist, particularly to the moment of transubstantiation—the transformation of bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ. That moment stirred her heart in a way she could not ignore.

“As an altar server, what attracted me most was that moment. It made me feel part of the Church.”

Her discernment deepened when she visited religious communities with her youth group and met the Franciscan Missionaries of Mary. What captured her heart was their prayer life—especially Eucharistic adoration—and their missionary spirit.

“Arriving at their house for the first time,” she said, “it was adoration time. I didn’t fully understand it, but I knew: here, I am at home.”

She journeyed with the sisters over several years, moving through stages of formation in Umzinto, Newcastle, Mpumalanga, Eldorado Park and eventually Tunisia and Cameroon. Each chapter strengthened her understanding of what it means to belong to an international missionary family rooted in Eucharistic love.

Her years of formation exposed her to classroom teaching, community life, cultural diversity and mission experience abroad. Being sent to Tunisia, a predominantly non-Christian environment, challenged and affirmed her desire to serve wherever God calls.

“In Tunisia, we were all strangers,” she shared. “It helped me see that everywhere can be my home. The whole world is our home—that is what our foundress taught us. Our charism calls us to self-offering,” she said. “It teaches us to say yes like Mary, and to embrace continual transformation. I am very happy that I belong to the Franciscan Missionaries of Mary.”

‘God has blessed us’: Words from the FMM regional superior

For the regional superior, Sr Lucia Mirione Manuel, Sr Nonkie’s perpetual profession is both a grace and a renewal for the community.

“God has blessed us with the gift of Sister Nonkie,” she said joyfully. “We are very happy. Another sister means more hands and hearts to serve those in need.”

A mother’s love, a family’s sacrifice

While the celebration was filled with joy, the day also carried emotional weight for Sr Nonkie’s family. Her mother, Magdalene Moloko, spoke tenderly of watching her daughter grow into her vocation.

“She always said she wanted to live in poverty and help those in need,” her mother shared. “It is emotional for us because it’s not easy seeing your child go to different parts of the world, but we accept God’s will.”