Pako Moremedi

I, Pako Moremedi, am kneeling before you as an aspirant of your congregation, the Franciscan Sisters of Siessen.

My interest in being a religious sister began at a young age as at my parish there were sisters who belong to the Dominican Order. Seeing them around church and seeing what type of work they do inspired me to want to be like them. I saw their way of living and it was a life I wished to live. The religious sisters who were placed at my parish left before I could make any kind of a decision.

Them being away made me lose sight of what being a religious sister is and my desire was quickly diminishing, or so I thought. In 2016 I attended my first vocational

workshop which was held here at Assisi. Seeing the sisters with their habits and veils and the joy that was strewn across their faces made me realize that being a

religious sister is truly what I wanted. I still did not apply or visit any congregation after my matric year as for some odd reason I was fearful. In 2018, I went study in Port

Elizabeth. The Cabra Dominican Sisters, who are based in Port Elizabeth, had quarterly vocational workshops which I attended regularly. 

A year or two of attending the workshops and visiting at the Dominican convent, I started feeling like religious life might not be something which is meant for me. After graduation, I planned on continuing with my studies and starting a career with my qualification, but I kept on getting this nudge, a voice that kept on saying that my life purpose is to serve God as a religious sister but I felt like it is just life’s frustrations telling me all this. (I then came across a post made by the formation group on Facebook which made me develop an interest in the congregation.)

In June 2023, I attended a vocational workshop which was held at Fourteen Streams. The interactions and encounters I had with Sr Claudia and the pre-novitiates at the workshop reminded me of the workshop I attended at Assisi and the joy I saw then is a joy I want to experience. My visit last year to the convent stamped what was already something I knew but was in denial of, that one day I want to a Franciscan Sister of Siessen. Seeing all the sisters together and the manner in which they commemorate the different kinds of events made the fire that was lying dormant in my heart spark up and burn brightly.

I liken the trajectory of my life to the Bible verse Proverbs 19:21: “Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.” I planned, but God

showed me the path that He wants me to take. With these words, dear sisters, I kindly ask that you receive me as a candidate of your congregation.

Pako Moremedi