I was born in Nigeria in Nsukka of the Igbo tribe that was first evangelized by the Holy Ghost Irish Missionaries. My parents, Christopher and Augustina, were blessed with nine children. I was given the name at birth of Anastecia but my native name is Chizoboam ("God deliver me"). I am the "Ada" (first daughter) in my family and in my culture every tribe has its own responsibilities. God used the Dominicans to show me unconditional love which deepened my love for Him and drew my entire family closer. My parents became Catholics an siblings were baptized.
I arrived in the USA on January 1, 1998 and resided in Washington, DC. My goal in coming to the country was to find work so I could help my siblings just as the Dominicans helped me. After seven years, I entered another community of Carmelite Sisters in 2003 but left that community in 2007. I was looking for a Carmelite Community with an active nursing apostolate. Many religious communities appealed to me especially those that have community life, strong prayer life, identifiable religious habit, obedience to the Magisterium, etc. I read about Carmelite spirituality and felt drawn. In 2007, while working in Georgetown University Hospital and attending an MSN Program in Catholic University in DC, I met Sr. Maria Therese and learned of the Carmelite Sisters for the Aged and Infirm. I visited St. Teresa’s Motherhouse for Discernment Retreats and completed an Affiliate Program to ensure that I was called to this religious community. I finally joined the Congregation October 15, 2009. I received the habit of the Carmelite Order July 10, 2010. I love my religious title of “Most Adorable Jesus,” a feeling mutually shared by many of my Dominican friends.
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Sister Mary Ann Perpetua