I was given another amazing opportunity to live with the Sisters again, but this time it was for two weeks and it was a chance to really experience their daily routine. Every prospective candidate is required to live with the Sisters for fifteen days if they feel the call to become a nun. I am still not quite sure about God’s will for me yet, in case you’re wondering. The whole experience was amazing and it will not be forgotten anytime soon. I stayed with the postulants and their mistresses (the Sisters in charge of guiding them) at Prem Dan. I was under Sister Veronica’s charge and she had five postulants in her group. One of the postulants, Sister Cicilia, was assigned to be my angel. She was the one who guided me throughout my stay and reminded me what I was supposed to do every hour. They have a detailed schedule for every hour since they are still in formation. When I arrived, I was given a tour of their simple living area. They all sleep in the same room, so there is no privacy whatsoever. I had my own little room right next to their room though. Sister Cicilia and all the other Sisters went out and beyond to help me adjust to their way of living and made me feel right at home. I was treated so well by all of them; needless to say we all got along incredibly well.
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| The Sisters I lived with. |
A typical day was usually filled with prayers, taking
care of the patients, and house chores. We began our day at four-forty in the
morning every day, expect Thursday. Thursday is a day of rest and extra prayer
time for the sisters, so we got to sleep in until five. We were given twenty
minutes to get ready for Morning Prayer. After an hour of Morning Prayer and
meditation we had thirty-minutes to clean the whole house. I helped with the
sweeping and dusting every morning. Since Kolkata is a dusty city and most
people leave their windows open, dusting is a must. By six-thirty we ceased our
house work and attended Mass in the big chapel downstairs. Whenever it was time
for prayer, Mass, or other announcements a bell was rung a certain number of
times to kindly inform us since it’s the easiest way to communicate without using
any technologies. Once Mass was over we all ate together. We normally had a
simple breakfast of chipotles, bananas and chai. On Thursdays, Sundays and on
Feast days the meals are better though. After breakfast, we went back to our
unfinished house chores and washed our clothes before we went out for
apostolate at eight. We washed everything by hand, which made me really
appreciate all the washing machines we take for granted.
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| Prem Dan |
Right before we went out to work (apostolate), we all
gathered together and prayed. I worked with the female patients at Prem Dan
mostly. After the general cleaning of the ward, I was free to spend time with
the lovely ladies. They all enjoyed being pampered, especially getting their
nails painted and having lotion massaged into their dry skin. I also helped
them to the bathroom, cut their nails, and gave them water if they were
thirsty. My absolute favorite part was seeing their smiles light up their faces
after I greeted them each time. Making someone happy doesn’t always have to
involve gifts; what’s more important is taking the time to talk to them and to
be with them.
At ten-thirty we took a break and had a small snack
before mid-morning prayer. Then we returned to the female ward and helped serve
lunch and fed the ones who couldn’t feed themselves. After we helped the ladies
to bed and all the dishes were washed and put away, we returned to our building
and had lunch. The lunch was usually simple as well. We had rice, vegetables,
dal, and fruit for lunch and dinner every day. And chicken and fish two or
three times a week. Following lunch, we retrieved our dried clothes from the
rooftop and prayed the Stations of the Cross if we had time before our
afternoon nap at one-thirty. The thirty minute power nap was usually just enough
to help me get through the rest of the day without feeling too exhausted. We
then had a small snack and tea before we began our spiritual reading and
personal study. Since my group stayed home and worked on their homework, I went
with the other group to the ward in the afternoon at three-thirty. The afternoon
was more relaxing than the morning because we had more time to be with the
patients. The first thing I generally did was crush the pills and made sure the
patients consumed the whole cup. Then I was free to spend time with them until
five-thirty. From five-thirty to seven-thirty we had adoration and personal
prayer. After adoration we had a simple dinner and recreation until nine. The
Sister usually mended their sarees and worked on crafts during this time, but
sometimes we had time to play cards. I taught them how to play Uno one night
and we all had a blast. At nine sharp we had night prayers and then we were
free to take a bath and go to bed after that.
On Sundays, I helped the Sisters
with catechism at St. Mary's church. I worked with the little children and
helped them with the many activities the Sisters prepared. After teaching, I
went with the Sisters and paid home visits to the families they are assigned
to. They check on the families and make sure they are doing well. If their
salary was not enough to pay for food or their bills for the month, the Sisters
gave rations to them and helped pay the bills.
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| This tiny house belongs to a family of five. |
I was able to adjust to their way of
living quite easily. Sister Veronica even mentioned several times how well I
blended in with the postulants. I can honestly say being
in the presence of Jesus every day for hours on end has been wonderfully
enriching for me and I have unquestionably grown closer to Him more than ever. It's amazing how much time we have
for Jesus when all the distractions from the outside world are removed from the
equation. It's so inspiring to witness the joy they spread to others because of
their closeness to Jesus. Everything they do is for Jesus and to Jesus.
I always
thought the life of a nun was not for me, until I came to India. I guess I never
really considerate it because I didn't want to give up my personal dreams and I
didn’t fully understand what they really did. I was told numerous times by different
Sisters that God will give me the grace to live the life of a MC if I am
called to be a nun and if I stay faithful to Him. They all were so supportive
and their kindness was just beyond wonderful. Even though vocations are decreasing
they never pressured me to join their congregation, but always told me if it's
truly God's will I will never truly be satisfied with any other life except the
one He wants me to live. And since my greatest desire is to live a holy life
and to become a saint, the surest way is to surrender my life to Him completely
and let Him live through me.
I know I will have to give up a lot
if I join the Missionaries of Charity (MC), but I will be gaining a lot as
well. By giving my whole life to Jesus alone, I will have the chance to
dedicate every minute to bring the light and love of Jesus to the very souls in
need of Him. I will be allowed to go home once every ten years for three
weeks to visit my family, but they are allowed to come and visit me anytime
though. And once a month I can write a letter to my family and receive a call
from them. I will also have to give up every material item I own, which won’t
be too difficult. Not every religious congregation is as strict as the
Missionaries of Charity. They live like that because if they truly want to help
the poor and identify with the people they serve they have to live like them.
Anything that can distract them from Jesus and His work is not worth the sacrifices
they make each day.
