Stories of vocation - Sr Margaret Martin

Their kind womanliness attracted me

My Mancunian mum used to say to me "Your tongue will get you into trouble, lady!" And she was right. That's why I have a soft spot for St Peter who had a big mouth,too. What he said about building "three tents" was daft during the transfiguration of Jesus. Yet I'm with him 100% (aged 75 and 50 years a Daughter of the Cross) saying "Lord, it's wonderful to be here!" meaning for me, "Lord it's wondeful to be ME, your Bride, an FC". (FC = Filia Crucis = Daughter of the Cross). It's a paradox, of course, but "my mouth shall proclaim your truth, Lord". For me, that meant being a nun.

God knew I was a No 2 on the Enneagram and an ENFJ on the Myers Briggs indicator long before I did! So his way with me during my teens was to woo me; he won my heart. He seemed to need me. Why did I become an FC? The Ursulines educated me. The Sacred heart nuns trained me as a teacher. The Daughters of the Cross ran a hospital near to where I grew up in North Cheam and their kindly womanliness attracted me. That's where I clicked! So, aged 20, I left home to learn how to be God's bride. Specifically as a Daughter of the Cross. This meant that I would try to show Jesus' compassionate love for "the weakest and most suffering", by my teaching, being with people, fidelity to my life of prayer both personally and with my community.

Ministries

 

I have been involved in numerous ministries throughout my life - teaching in several secondary schools, training novices, parish work, spiritual counselling and for six extraordinary years in the 1970s living in Kirkby, a poor district of Liverpool. This was a time of experimentation in Religious Life and I was allowed to set up a community with a Sister of St Clare and six other committed Christians (who were not Roman Catholics). Derelict maisonette blocks were being renovated by the Council and we lived in one of these. How it all happened is a saga in itself! The married lay members took on short and long term fostering. We Sisters taught part-time to earn our living and visited people in need as well as working within the local RC church. I can never thank God enough for the wonderful ways he used us, taught us, blessed us - not without tears as well as happiness. The Kirkby Christian Fellowship has continued to flourish. You can imagine my joy at our 30th anniversary party in 2004 (see picture). I thank God for Sr Monica McAuley , who was the Provincial Superior at the time, who trusted me enough to "risk" my going to Kirkby. I wasn't "on the way out" as some good Sisters probably thought!

Life now

For the past fifteen years after recovering from breast cancer I've lived with another Sister in a semi-detached house, near the bus stop in Blackley, Manchester. We are Parish Sisters, but our mission field can be just wherever there are people - in the street, waiting for the bus, at the shops, hanging out the washing and walking to Mass. I simply say "Lord, use me today", and he does. "Can anyone come to your house?" queried a young mother, while a shopper asked "Have you time to listen? Will you pray for me?" A neighbour said, "I never met nuns before - didn't know you was like us. You laugh!" John, our window cleaner who loves his cup of tea, says, "It's peaceful in your 'ouse". My priority in visiting is folk who live alone. Since having a stroke two years ago I've less energy for this, but I keep in touch by phone and letters.

Has it been wonderful??

Yes and No. It was both hard and happy. The greatest blessings seemed to come out of the most pain, especially regarding the vow of celibacy. Somehow God hung on to me. He is faithful. Through love and friendship ("You give marvellous comrades to me" Ps 16) I came to realise that God's love is unconditional. He likes me as I am, with all my faults, frailty and sinfulness. That's such a relief! ("the freedom of the children of God!") For a long time I thought it depended on how good I could make myself be ( "Muscular Christianity" as Fr Ian Petit OSB called it). One day a young neighbour who has Downs Syndrome said to me, "You like God". "Yes", I said, "He likes you and me." In Samantha's halting, unclear speech she revealed God to me! A priceless insight!

God is indeed the God of Surprises! This "much too talkative person" (as it said on my old school reports) is learning to LISTEN much more. But right now, I want the last word - I want to thank God for calling me to share my life with these very human, very real women after God's own heart - the Daughters of the Cross. Without them I wouldn't be me! Alleluia! Yes, Lord, it's wondeful to be here! I really enjoy being God's No 2.

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See more about Sr Margaret's current ministry in Blackley