AUGUST 2020

RELIGION
halhole!
Becoming a Nun: Heeding a Higher Call
BY SARAH KITTLE
Who knows for sure what they want to be when
they grow up? For a fortunate few, a chosen vocation
is clear early in life. Such was the case
with Sr. Amanda Foumia.
Sr. Amanda didn’t have a favorite teacher in elementary
school that was a nun who inspired her to join the
convent – in fact, she wasn’t taught by nuns at all. She
did, however, enjoy going to church at St. Thomas and
loved Eucharistic adoration. Even as an adolescent, she
had a special love for the Blessed Mother and a personal
devotion to the rosary, where she found “a gift of many
graces,” thus leading to a deeper love of the Lord.
Eastern Catholic Re-Evangelization Center (ECRC)
played a key role in Sr. Amanda’s life. They offered retreats
and theology classes that appealed to her. It was
a priest, Fr. Emmanuel Reyes, now retired, who asked a
teenaged Amanda, “Have you ever considered becoming
a nun?” A seed was planted in her heart, and her life was
forever changed. That is when the process began.
For the next four or five years, Sr. Amanda prayed
and looked for signs that she was
on the right path. Each day the
Holy Spirit led her closer to a life
in service, nudging her to “think
about it.” A young woman with
a special love to serve those in
need and most vulnerable found
a natural path to the convent.
She is not presumed to have arrived
at the doorstep already a
saint—or even possessed with
an outstanding character. What
is anticipated is that she has the
necessary disposition to persevere
in the path of virtue, and to
grow and mature in that path.
Sr. Amanda was ready and willing to grow and mature
in her faith. A life of service looked promising to a teenager
who was looking for meaning in her own life. “If you
remain rooted in prayer, what is in your heart will come
out of your mouth,” she explains.
Sr. Amanda was 19 when she decided that she was
called to service as a Sister. Living as a Sister means
changing your life entirely. Every part of your life takes
on a new and different meaning as you learn to live a religious
life. It comes from a yearning to be close to God and
to walk in His ways. It also means serious prayer and study
and preparation for full-time active ministry in the world.
The process begins with serious conversation (or discernment)
with a vocation director, a Sister who is specially
trained to help someone discern whether God is calling
her to be a Sister. For Sr. Amanda, Sr. Therese Shekwana
at St. Thomas Chaldean Catholic Church served this
role. Fr. Frank Kallabat (Bishop Francis) was pastor and
helped during the discernment process. This discernment
is mutual – a woman discerns and the vocation director
and the religious community discern with her to see if this
is where she belongs. Sr. Amanda felt called to her home
parish at St. Thomas, the people and the Chaldean community
in Metro Detroit, home to the largest population
of Chaldean Catholics outside the Middle East.
Sr. Amanda with middle schoolers on a field trip to
Sacred Heart Major Seminary in 2019.
Postulancy is the first step toward becoming a nun. A
postulate takes the time to get to know the community
and they get to know her. She takes part in all of the daily
prayers and activities of the convent and attends classes
to enlarge her knowledge of religious subjects including
Scripture, the Catechism, Church documents, theology,
and philosophy.
It is a gradual transition over the course of a year from
the lay life to the life of the novitiate. At the end of the
year, if both the Sister and the Community discern that
it is God’s will for her to continue, she receives the habit
and enters the Novitiate for two years.
Sr. Amanda was 22 when she entered the convent and
23 when she became a Novice. Her two younger brothers
were happy for her. They could see that their sister’s decision
brought her joy. “When you are called, you just know
and I can’t explain it but you know God has called you,”
explains Sr. Amanda, paraphrasing her inspirational mentor,
Mother Teresa.
Mother Teresa was an inspiration to countless millions
for her lifelong devotion to the
neediest and most vulnerable of
the world. The selflessness and
sacrifice with which she lived her
own life made her a role model
for Sr. Amanda. Finding her inspiration
in Catholic teachings,
Mother Teresa always placed our
common humanity above religious
divisions.
A Sister is a novice for two
years. During this time, she continues
her religious studies and
human formation. The process
of becoming a Sister took 9 years
for Sr. Amanda. This may sound
like a long time, but it is a huge commitment and one
that changes you daily. “I’m not the same person I was
when I started,” says Sr. Amanda. “The process of formation
never ends.”
A Novice wears a crown of flowers, like the excited
bride rushing to her groom. She studies the vows, along
with the other novices. An entire year is given to the
study of and work on the interior life, and another year is
dedicated to introducing the Novice to the apostolic life
of the community. It is such an important time in the life
of a young religious, no studies or activities are undertaken
during the first year which do not have as their primary
purpose the formation of the Novices.
At the end of the two years, if the Sister and the community
discern that it is God’s will, she professes vows of
Chastity, Poverty and Obedience. Now she wears a crown
of leaves. The blush is gone off the rose, the “honeymoon”
is over, but she has steadfast commitment to her God, her
community and her calling.
During this time, the Sister renews her vows each year,
for a total of five years; the sixth year she takes her final
vows. All the while, the Sister receives guidance in the
actual living of her vows. This guidance is both spiritual
Continued on page 17
birth
Luke Salim Hanna
Congratulations to Justin and Nora
(Youkhana) Hanna on the birth of
their son Luke Salim Hanna. Luke
arrived on July 18, 2020 at 3:01 PM,
weighing in at 7 pounds, 8 ounces.
anniversary
Byron James and
Sandra Sue Yono
Happy 50th wedding anniversary to
Byron James and Sandra Sue Yono,
married August 30, 1970 at St. Joes
Church in Southfield. Currently living
in Canton, the Yonos are dearly
loved by their children Brian, Michael
and Christy and by their grandchildren
Samantha, Nicholas, Anthony
and Graham.
14 CHALDEAN NEWS AUGUST 2020