Sisters of St Joseph sister Yvonne Munro celebrates 50th jubilee

Yvonne Munro spent seven years volunteering in Papua New Guinea. Photo / Judith Lacy

It's 50 years since Yvonne Munro took her vows to become a Catholic sister. The Palmerston North woman shares her story.

Being invited to write about oneself has proved to be a challenge. What is of interest to others? I remember as a schoolgirl, being drawn to the human-ness of the Sisters of Mercy who taught me, so I am working on the presumption that the human connection for all of us is of interest.

My family are a very key part of my life. My parents produced four of us, three girls and finally a much longed-for boy. I value deeply the connection I have today with my siblings and their offspring and am known as a doting aunty.

Things religious attracted me as a youngster and I thank my parents for allowing that to develop. Things social and economic also held attraction as I moved through very social teenage years and then as a young working woman in Wellington. Earning enough to travel overseas seemed like a good goal, as was finding a "Mr Right" and having a family.

However, the attraction to religious life kept rearing its head and after inquiries with a few congregations/orders, I entered the Sisters of St Joseph in 1968.

Many people refer to me as a nun. Strictly speaking that is not correct. A nun lives in a monastery and the group I joined were starting to live and move among the ordinary people of the day. Our correct moniker is sister and I rather like to think that is how we live our lives, being sister to others.

My order, group of religious sisters, was started to live as religious sisters had not lived before. We were founded in Australia to be with the people in the outback and moved with them, wherever they went.

Religious life formation was rather a protracted affair as we were of the post-Vatican era and therefore caught on the cusp of changes. After eight years of training, including three years at Wellington Teachers College as the first religious/catholic sister to be trained there, I spent a number of years thoroughly enjoying my ministry of teaching in primary schools in the lower North Island.

Then it was off to Papua New Guinea as a volunteer for seven years. That was where I think I came of age! The isolation, cultural differences and numerous challenges taught me to rely more on my God and to tap into my own inner strength.

On returning to Aotearoa I was very involved in Josephite affairs at a leadership level, bi-cultural studies and retraining for ministry in Aotearoa New Zealand.

The result of that training sees me today enjoying great job satisfaction and a real sense of contributing to society in my ministry as a counsellor, therapeutic massage practioner, and clinical supervisor. My ministry brings me into contact with people from all walks of life and I feel richly blessed by this.

A love of the outdoors and my garden help me to live a well-balanced life. One of my developing passions is photography, particularly of natural scenes and this interest heightens my awareness of, and gratitude for, the beauty of creation.