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My name is Sr. Mary Nyuylem. I was born on the 28th of July, 1981 in Bamkikai-Kumbo Cameroon to the family of Mr. Mengnjo Christopher and Mrs. Regina Bivirka (RIP). My parents were all practicing Catholics and brought me up in the Catholic faith. I am the third child in a family of four. After completing Primary and Secondary School, l joined the congregation of the Tertiary Sisters of St. Francis in 2003. l am sociable, and enjoy gardening, listening to soft music, and dancing.
I knew the Tertiary Sisters of St. Francis (TSSF) as a child through my parents because l had postpartum complications and needed strict follow-up for a long time. Since l was delivered in St. Elisabeth Catholic Hospital Shisong, which is owned and managed by the TSSF, they ensured that l was given the appropriate post-natal follow-up care. The love and care received from the sisters at that tender age inspired and motivated me to join the TSSF so as to give the same care and love l received from them to others.
After attending vocation camps and listening to different religious talk about their Congregations and Religious Life in general, l felt a strong desire to become a religious and made up my mind to join the TSSF. To anyone considering Religious Life, l would say, it is a good way of life. It gives one enough time and many opportunities to connect with God on a deeper level through personal and communal prayers. It is rewarding and fulfilling to serve the Lord, who loved us unconditionally to the point of dying on the cross.
Professionally, l am a teacher and currently serving as the principal of Queen of the Rosary Secondary School Gboko, Benue State in Nigeria. When I see my past students, I feel happy and fulfilled especially those who faced adolescent challenges and came across as wayward or stubborn. I feel elated to know that my prayers for them and passion for character formation, yielded good fruits and that they ended up as good citizens.
My decision to become an educator was ignited by the deep passion to impact knowledge on learners, mold their character and behaviour. Interacting with students, I have observed that they need role models and quality education that can transform their lives and make them realize their dreams. Besides teaching, l am also involved in the refugee ministry.
With the advent of the Socio-political crisis in Cameroon in 2016 which put educational activities in the North and South West Regions of Cameroon on hold and contributed greatly to thousands of Cameroonians seeking refuge and safety in neighbouring Nigeria, there was an urgent need render humanitarian services to refugees in Nigeria. Moved by the plight of our people, l responded to this call and worked as the coordinator of refugees in Nigeria from Cameroon from 2019 to 2020. Each time l meet the new arrivals for the first time,I give them a cordial welcome and encourage them to feel at home. Most of the refugees have gone through numerous traumatic experiences and some of them tend to lose hope in God and want to give up on life. Hence, psycho-spiritual care of the Refugees is central to our ministry. We do our utmost to encourage them to always trust and hope in God for better days ahead.
Although the crisis is no longer as severe as it was at the beginning, there is still a lot of insecurity and sporadic incidents of wanton killings in the crisis-hit regions. Our major challenge is to meet up with the numerous health challenges and basic needs of the refugees and empower them through skills training so that they can settle down and start a new life. We depend largely on external donations of people of goodwill to carry on with this very crucial ministry.
As a Tertiary Sister of St. Francis, I feel fulfilled, satisfied, and closer to God through all His creatures. l have had many significant and joyful moments as a religious but, the most memorable one was on August 25, 2012, when l made final vows. On that day, my deepest heart’s desire of committing myself perpetually to the Lord’s service was fulfilled, and like the biblical Simeon l found myself saying: “ Lord you can now take your servant in peace”. l endeavour to live out our mission statement which is: “to live contemplatively as apostolic religious so as to recognize the will of God in the signs and the needs of our time”. The Franciscan core values of simplicity, humility, prayer, and love of creation are central to the TSSF Spirituality and l strive daily to integrate them in my daily life. Community life and community prayers are the pillars of our life and our sources of strength.