Foster collaboration for better witness, Sr. Nina urges religious women gathered in Kenya

Sr. Mary Adelaide Ndilu, I.H.M. – Nairobi

Sr. Nina highlighted that working together serves as a significant witness to the Gospel and encouraged the Sisters to view their roles not merely as disseminators of information but as active participants in witnessing to the truth, human dignity, and justice.

She stressed the importance of working together, saying that communion makes community: “It binds us together,” she said.

Extraordinary witnesses

She further acknowledged that sisters are experts in many ways and added that “your biggest power lies in working together. It is a big witness. You are extraordinary witnesses in this part of the world,” she said.

Sr. Nina emphasised that a shared commitment to communion can profoundly impact the way the sisters communicate, ultimately leading to a more vibrant and inclusive community. She encouraged the sisters to embody this mission in their daily interactions, adding that “the future of communion lies in the way we communicate today.”

She further told the Sister-Communicators to harness the power of storytelling, especially “what you are doing and who you are.” By sharing personal testimonies and experiences, the religious women are better understood by the world, thereby enriching the fabric of church life through their unique perspectives.

Towards Full Presence

Sr. Nina invited all present to embrace the challenges and joys of their communicative roles, reminding them that every act of communication holds the potential to uplift and unify.

She informed the audience about the ongoing projects executed by the Dicastery for Communication, which include: "Faith Communication in the Digital World", a unique vocational training experience for 16 young professional communicators per year, a “learning by doing” experience to gain both content and communication expertise in using digital media to better communicate the faith and to effectively serve the Church’s mission. She also spoke about the document, Towards Full Presence, a pastoral reflection on engagement with social media. Sr. Nina explained that that it was a very rich document that needed to be made known to young people. 

The Pentecost Project 

Another initiative undertaken by the Dicastery is the Pentecost Project, which offers Sister-Communicators three opportunities: To write stories about the work done by sisters in the world; to subscribe to and receive a free copy of the Vatican’s L’Osservatore Romano daily newspaper; and to participate in an internship programme for religious women in the media communication apostolate: For three months, sisters can undertake internships at Vatican News and Vatican Radio.

The one-day meeting concluded with Sr. Everlyne Nekesa being officially announced as the new chairperson of the CNCS board, taking over from Sr. Josephine Kangogo.