'Tea Moments: Insights from Everyday Life'

by Nancy Vaz FdCC

Publisher: Better Yourself Books; Year of Publication: 2024; 116 pages.; MRP: Rs 150/-; ISBN: 978-81-7108-951-2; Available at St Paul's and The Pauline Sisters 

Pope Francis may not be considering the topic of the women's diaconate at the 2024 Synod, as it is still under research, but it is evident that women in the Catholic Church have to be given more positions of leadership and management. 

This includes laywomen, the religious, consecrated virgins, and other consecrated persons. The Pope has repeatedly said that we need the special abilities and talents that only a woman can bring to the table. One such woman is Sr Nancy Vaz FdCC, the author of this enriching and edifying book. Sr Nancy, through simple everyday episodes in her ministry through the decades, has managed to capture the essence of several issues and topics important to all in the Catholic Church through the lens of the feminine genius. Her book is lucid and riveting, and it is a spiritually rich read told in a simple conversational style that speaks volumes.

Sr Nancy Vaz is a Canossian sister, born and brought up in Mumbai, who has served in key leadership positions in rural areas of India. She has served the poor, educated adult women, looked after orphans, helped rural women in many income-generating projects, and worked tirelessly in the rural health sector – all this sometimes in spite of the fact that her life was in danger. She has proven in this book that women can go the distance never travelled before by males in the service of God and one's fellow humans. She also proves that nuns can be pretty cool, too! 

They especially have some unique and strange adventures worth turning into any number of books. It would be wonderful if more nuns would document or journal their lives and turn their stories into published books for the edification and education of the laity. This is because, as shown beautifully and unpretentiously in this book, the religious are an essential facet of the Church, and it pains this author every time a priest or Bishop presiding over a Mass overlooks to pray for the 'religious'. Even many churches in the prayers of the faithful inadvertently leave out praying for the religious! This book will change your opinion on that point for sure, because it is more than just a book of anecdotes; it is the Word of God in action where the journey is more important than the destination, or rather, the journey determines the destination, with nuns as key characters in very true to life adventures.

From a 'ghost' who seems to be a fan of 'One Direction' to a young nun whose favourite hobby is to collect cow dung; from a blind nun who all her life stitched the habits of all the nuns to an Indian origin festival celebrated in another country that is called 'A Silent and Sans-Light Festival'; from a nun who could cradle two infant babies in her arms and at the same time feed them their two bottles of milk to a banyan tree which had an identity crisis; from hitchhikers being paid handsomely in Indonesia for hitching a ride to a shaman who was the personification of Jesus' words in Mark 9:38-41 – these are just a few of the many intriguing and enlightening stories waiting to be discovered in this must-have book. 

In this book, urban parents will learn the value of disciplining their children so that other innocent individuals in society or the community are not affected. They will also realise that the poverty of life and the paucity of one's imagination are the indirect outcome of all the electronic gadgets in the lives of their children and wards. Individuals seeking to know more about religious life, especially its initial stages, can gain a lot from this book, and those who wish to turn their many 'flaws' into opportunities to take them into directions unfathomed and unforeseen. 

One will learn the difference between malicious and verbally assaultive gossip, and the so-called 'gossip' that expresses concern and which is solution-oriented, making the latter not 'gossip' but a mode of ethical Catholic Action-Oriented behaviour, as mentioned by Jesus in Matthew 7:1-5, when He spoke about the speck in one's neighbour's eye and the log in one's own. One will learn about how to make de-cluttering a part of one's life for inner peace, following the practice of our nuns and how to detach ourselves from unnecessary baggage in life, both in the physical sphere and in the mental sphere. These are just a few of the practical and empowering lessons waiting to be discovered in this book. 

But most importantly, one will learn over a cuppa or two how our nuns work hard at the grassroots level in the most challenging and harsh environments in our convents globally. Sr Nancy, very beautifully and with humble simplicity of a true consecrated virgin of Christ, explains the many challenges and obstacles in her and her fellow sisters' paths while they worked for the Glory of God and His Kingdom and for the betterment of our rural poor, especially rural women and their basic rights to good health, education, and safety. With skillful penmanship, she reveals that our religious sisters have given us more than we give them credit as Catholic Global citizens. Grab your copy of this Catholic-oriented self-help book today! 

FIZA PATHAN