Sr. Paulette Afi Manavi MODZINOU was born on the 29th July 1988 in Togo. (West Africa). She’s the last born of a Catholic Christian family of six children comprising five girls and one boy.
All her childhood, Sr. Paulette was at the service of the church through various ministries such as altar girl, CVAV (Couer Vaillant Ame Vaillante) which translates to brave heart and brave soul. It is through these that she developed the desire to become a religious nun. She expressed her desire to her parents who supported her through education and precious pieces of advice.
Sr. Paulette started her religious formation in 2009 with the Missionary sisters of Our Lady of the Apostles commonly known as NDA (Notre Dame des Apotres) in Burkina Faso and Ivory Coast (West Africa) respectively. At the end of her fourth year of formation she took her first temporal vows on the 28th July 2012.
After her temporal vows, Sr. Paulette, was sent to Ghana for her first missionary experience that lasted for a period of two years. Thereafter, she spent three years in Niger. This brought her to a total of five years in the area of education which is one of the primary charisms of the sisters of Our Lady of the Apostles.
It was in September 2017, that Sr. Paulette joined her new community in France. One year later, today, 09/09/2018, made her final vows to the NDA sisters. In the presence on some SMA confreres such as Bishop Emeritus Michel Catateguy, Lyon Provincial Superior Fr. Francois du Penhoaut, Fr. Basil, Fr. Johnson, fr. Vincent, Fr. Jean Paul, Fr. Dominic just to mention a few.
Ephphatha!(be open) was the opening word that His Eminence Philippe Cardinal Barbarin used at the Eucharistic celebration inviting Sr. Paulette and the entire congregation to be open to the working of the Holy Spirit in their lives. That is the same opening that enabled Sr. Paulette respond to her vocation together with Mary mother of Jesus.
Sr. Paulette was also invited to drink from the source; Jesus Christ who came to save his own.
During the presentation of the gifts, Sr. Paulette used the symbol of a pot made of clay to represent her religious life pointing out that like clay in the porters hands, she’s willing to allow the Lord to mould her into what he intends her to be bringing out the beauty hidden in its constitution. This earthen pot without water tends to develop fractures and cracks. Sometimes people forget the fragility of the earthen port, not paying attention to its primary use; to carry water. It is at the service of the common good. It represents the beauty and the fragility of religious life! In case she fractured or cracked, Sr. Paulette asked God to be merciful upon her.
At the end of the celebration, Sr. Paulette gave a moving vote of thanks evoking her late parents and all who helped her along the way in her vocation.
Fr. Dominic Wabwireh, sma
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