The temporary professed Sisters of Sisters of Mary Mother of the Church (SMMC) gathered at Sokode from December 26 to 30 to attend a workshop on sexuality, intimacy and human development in religious life.
It was facilitated by Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Makayie, SVD and It was a moment of friendly and confidential sharing.
In his presentation, Fr. Makayie stated that sexuality did not end with sex, sex has an end while sexuality has a broader connotation.
According to him, It is not only good, but also Christian that we begin to be honest with our sexual desires and bring them into a community of trusted people who can help us walk through them.
He took the Sisters through the modes of sexuality, stating the primary, which is the state of being male or female.
The genital which refers to the biological, physiological, physical, procreative dimension of sexuality which includes the quality of arousal and achieve its highest expression of orgasm.
The Divine Word Priest noted that the affective, which concerns the affectionate, emotional, social and non-procreative dimension of sexuality included quality of compassion, gentle, sensitivity, tenderness, warmth, achieving its expression in friendship.
The Sisters had an interactive session, in which they discussed ways to identify early messages, spoken or unspoken that you receive about relationships, sexuality and celibacy.
Some questions posed to themselves included: What do you carry with you from these messages? What do you want to change? What resources are available to help you?
As part of the discussions, the Sisters observed that they were sexually embodied people with six aspect of psychosexual development that leads to healthy sexual life. Physical, cognitive, emotional, social, moral, spiritual.
When one aspect is affected, it affects the rest.
During the course of the programme, Sisters also had the chance to share their experiences with one another as to the way they manage their sexual urges.
The facilitator therefore urged the Sisters to embrace practical ways to express their celibate sexuality in order to find fulfilment and joy in their vocation.
The workshop ended with an inner circle conversation, where the Sisters shared what they have learnt from the workshop and prayed for themselves and evaluated the workshop.
They expressed appreciation to the facilitator and their directress and the formation team.
As part of the workshop, the Sisters came together to pray the liturgy of the hours, and celebrated the holy Eucharist each day.
By Sr Bridget Kator SMMC (Sister Communicator)
