In an interview, a woman named Mercy from Kirinyaga County revealed how she lived as a Catholic nun for over ten years but eventually became a single mother.
Born and raised in Kirinyaga, she attended Catholic church services and admired the nuns whenever they attended Mass in her parish. While her peers dreamed of becoming doctors, engineers, and other professions, she expressed her desire to become a Catholic nun.
After completing her secondary education, she joined a convent and was later sent to the Democratic Republic of Congo, where she stayed for several years. She described her time there as challenging, as she had to learn French before beginning her classes. After completing the required courses, she took her vows and returned to her home country to visit her family.
Two months later, she was sent to Rwanda, where she spent three years working in hospitals, schools, and churches. In her final year, while they were planning to go to Spain to take their final vows, she received a call from Rome instructing her to cancel her plans, as she would not be joining the others.
According to her, she hung up the phone and chose not to inquire further about the decision. She suspected that a nun in charge had written a message indicating that she was not obedient, which might have led to the cancellation.
Feeling angry and unwilling to begin the arduous five-year journey again before taking her final vows, she packed her belongings the same day and returned home. She resolved to live a normal life like any other woman.
One year later, she entered into a relationship and became pregnant. When she informed the man, he abandoned her, saying he was not ready to become a father. Although she is now a single mother, she is happy to have her child.
By Kenyan