Nathalie Lundolo is from the Democratic Republic of the Congo and was born into a Catholic family with six children, four girls and two boys. She completed her primary and secondary studies, focusing on biology and chemistry.

From her earliest years, she always wanted to serve God in religious life in order to live out the Christian teachings that her mother taught her – to help those in need and have compassion towards those who suffer.

“These teachings increased my desire to serve God as well as the sick and others around me in the various ways in which I saw other sisters care for the ill and take compassion on their sufferings,” says Nathalie.

“What called me to religious life is the love of Christ and the compassion to joyfully serve Christ through the sick and through those who suffer around me,” she said.

“I had not heard about the Sisters of Bon Secours, but I did read the brochure about them that a woman named Espérance (Hope) gave me. Later, I met Sister Pat Dowling from the USA and Sr. Jacqueline from France, who came to my country to meet the first Congolese women—who had reached out to the sisters through the Sisters of Bon Secours website. Espérance was one of those women.”

“When I read about the sisters, whose order began with twelve women caring for the sick and dying in France around the time of the French Revolution, the charism of Bon Secours captured my heart. I decided to choose their Congregation to serve God,” explains Nathalie. “What attracted me to Bon Secours was the charism, the compassion and the simplicity of the sisters.”

Nathalie did her Candidacy in France, where she lived for two years.

“It was a very lovely experience that gave me the courage to continue to follow my vocation with Bon Secours. I experienced life in community, spiritual life and work. We prayed together in the morning, at noontime and in the evening,” she said.

I worked with migrants at the Catholic Assistance Center, and I also worked with the elderly as a nursing aide. I also sang with the parish choir in Vendôme and took courses on the history of the Congregation, on the Divine office, and on the catechism of the Catholic Church.”

“Once a week I took a course in English. I learned about French culture on a daily basis, and I lived community life in our three communities in France: Vendôme, Paris and Arra,” she said.

“As far as my experience in the Novitiate in the United States, I am living a very beautiful experience here as I intensify my closeness to God in prayer, in the Eucharist, in our community meetings and in various sessions. I do believe that these are the essential points that characterize my life in the Novitiate.”

“I am also impressed by the openness of the sisters to the realities of present day life and to the different kinds of formation available for religious life,” she said.

For more  information on the Sisters of Bon Secours, contact Vocation Director Sister Pat Dowling at CBSVocations@bshsi.org or visit LifeasaSister.org. Also, consider attending a Come and See weekend to learn more about the life of a sister: Come and See weekend: October 5-7, 2018