Young religious women discern vocations while in Utah

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Sister Nilu Suting

SALT LAKE CITY – The Catholic community in Utah has two young women in different religious orders who are serving in different ways as they work toward the spiritual journey of taking permanent vows.  

Sister Nilu Suting grew up Catholic in a small village in Bangladesh. Her family encouraged her faith and, even as a small child, she felt a strong calling to the religious life, she said.

“When I told my mom I was going to become a discerner, she was so happy,” said Sr. Nilu, now a novice with the Congregation of the Sisters of the Holy Cross. “She told me, ‘Don’t look back. Just go forward.’”

Sr. Vika Meiliany was born and raised in Indonesia. Her family is Catholic, and she came to the United States for college, staying after graduation. She worked as a tax accountant in San Francisco before she decided to join the Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul as a discerner, the first formal step in the process of joining the order.

Sr. Vika had heard about the Daughters of Charity from a friend, and she was attracted to the   mission because she wanted to help the poor with their physical, as well as spiritual needs.

“It’s not just about giving food or clothing to low-income women,” said Sr. Vika. “It’s about helping them get a better life through education and by providing healthcare. It’s about making them strong so they have the skills to support themselves and their families.”

Sr. Vika works in a program sponsored by the Daughters of Charity called Give Me a Chance, based in Ogden, which teaches low-income women sewing and other skills to help them become self-sufficient.

Sr. Nilu was familiar with the Sisters of the Holy Cross because the order has a strong presence in her home village. When she went away to school after the fifth grade, she attended a boarding school run by the sisters.

“I grew up with Holy Cross [sisters], and I’ve always wanted to serve with them,” Sr. Nilu said.

For both women, the process of becoming a vowed religious woman began first with discernment, which means calling on the Holy Spirit to lead or give direction on a matter.

“Discernment is how the Holy Spirit showed me what God wants me to do with my life,” said Sr. Vika. “God has invited me to immerse myself in His work, and I answer his invitation every day.”

After a period of study, Sr. Vika was invited to spend time in the Daughters of Charity community as a pre-postulant. After a year, she became a postulant.

Because the Daughters of Charity are considered a Society of Apostolic Life (and not a religious community like most religious communities of women), Sr. Vika renews her vows every year.   

Sr. Nilu joined the program “Come and See” as a discerner for two years in her native country. She worked with the disabled and orphans, teaching Scripture.

She then became a candidate in the order and eventually transferred to Indiana, the administrative headquarters of the Sisters of the Holy Cross.  

For the past three months, Sr. Nilu has been serving as a kindergarten aide at Our Lady of Lourdes School in Salt Lake City. In December, she will return to Indiana to prepare to take her first vows in May 2018. After that, she will return to Bangladesh and begin a three-year ministry. After five years, Sr. Nilu will take her final vows.

Both women believe in the power of prayer in helping them overcome struggles and challenges.

“I pray and know that through His works, God allows me to embrace His Love, to laugh with Him, to struggle with Him and to cry with Him,” said Sr. Vika. “At the same time, I allow God to work through me and use me as His instrument in helping others.”

“By doing prayer, I find God’s blessings,” said Sr. Nilu. “Once I pray, things that are difficult become easier. I’m happy wherever I go because I always see His blessings around me.”  

Members of the Congregation of the Sisters of the Holy Cross first arrived in Utah in the late 1800s, when they established schools and hospitals. Today, Cross Ministries in Utah provides programs and services for the most vulnerable, especially basic human needs. They provide health, education and justice services in collaboration with partners, donors, volunteers, grantors, and the Sisters of the Holy Cross. For information, visit http://hcmutah.org/.

The Daughters of Charity also have a long history in Utah. Members of the order first arrived in 1920, and they have ministered here continuously since then. In 2010, the Daughters of Charity began a new program in Ogden known as Give Me a Chance, which offers sewing classes, computer classes and English as a Second Language classes, all with the goal of promoting self-sufficiency. For information, visit http://www.daughtersofcharity.com/location/give-me-a-chance/.

Vocation Awareness Night

St. Mary Parish will host a Vocation Awareness Night on Monday, Nov. 20, from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at the church, 4050 South 3900 West, West Haven. Speakers will include members of various religious orders and a diocesan priest.

The event is free and open to the public. For information, call 801-621-7961 or visit www.stmarysutah.org.