Jul
9
Sr Bernadette and Fr Vincent go back to the early 1990s where they met while Fr Vincent was the chaplain at Mankwe Christian Teacher’s Training College while Sr Bernadette was a student.
Sr Bernadette while being secretary to Fr Vincent was also the liaison person with the Department of Home Affairs for all religious coming into South Africa. This was a task she thoroughly enjoyed and managed to build stable and cooperative relationships with the people at Head Office. During her time many exemptions were made in favour of the religious making their entry easier. She was and will remain secretary to the ongoing formation of priests in the region. This is an undertaking that Sr Bernadette sees as very important in the church and she believes that ‘our catholic priests are ‘very special men’ with a very important mission – no other body of men can replace them!’
She says during her time with Fr Vincent the Holy Spirit was also calling her forward to engage in her heart’s desire to do something for the youth in the SACBC region and it was through listening to the promptings of the Holy Spirit that she felt called to introduce the Education For Life process – essentially a value, attitude and behavioural change programme engaging young people to reflect upon their lives and make well informed decisions about their futures. Along with her other companions, Mr Emmanuel Modikwane, Fr Joe Kizito, Fr John Selemela, Mr Fred Olweny and Miss Neo Rakoma, through their vision and joint efforts Education For Life spread quickly through the whole SACBC region and on 27th April 2007 in unison with twenty five other African countries the conference launched the sustainable part of the programme namely, Youth Alive. This was indeed a milestone and an occasion of great joy.
Eight years of service to the conference sees Sr Bernadette moving on as she has been given a new assignment within her congregation. She will become the juniorate mistress for the Holy Cross sisters in temporary vows. She will also work as a member of a team in the formation of school councils for the Holy Cross schools in South Africa and Namibia. Simultaneously, Sr Bernadette is engaged in her Masters carrying out some research at a resettlement area north of the city of Tshwanwe. Her research is to explore the salient values of children growing up in an informal settlement and how are the values of these children influenced and altered by their marginalized situation.
Sr Bernadette says she has had a very fruitful experience working at the SACBC. It was an opportunity for growth and personal development. It was also great to work for the larger church and to keep ones thumb on the pulse of all the many happenings. She has met many wonderful people who have impacted on her life and she knows because the world is a small place their paths will always cross.
It is only with gratitude that she continues her journey of life. She thanks all her colleagues for who they have been in her life.
