An interesting and stirring read

The Adventurous Nun – Stories my family told me is a comprehensive biography of Sister Mildred Lungile Madlala, a Franciscan Missionary of Mary (FMM), born on Mistake Farm, KwaZulu-Natal south coast, South Africa. As a Sister, a nun, a Franciscan Missionary of Mary, she dedicated her whole life to God until the end. She wanted to tell her story to inspire, teach and motivate others. This book is written for everyone, not only Catholics.

As a FMM, Sr Mildred worked and met people in many different countries including South Africa, Congo, Kenya, Mauritius, France, Upper Volta (Burkina Faso), Italy, Switzerland, England and Madagascar. She was a teacher by profession, and also acted as an interpreter as she was fluent in English, French and Swahili, and could converse in Italian, with isiZulu being her mother tongue.

Sr Mildred attended school at St Francis College Mariannhill with the late liberation struggle icon Steve Biko. In later life she wholeheartedly followed her calling as a nun which she first felt when she was just eight years old. Over the years she met and engaged with Pope John Paul II and Cardinal Otunga, and slept in the home of Mary of the Passion. Her adventurous journey with Jesus was not without danger, though; she was followed by a lion in Kenya, and survived the civil war in Zaire before finally succumbing to Covid-19 in Madagascar.

In the book, Sr Mildred shares lessons that she learnt throughout her journey. It’s a stirring story of a woman’s passion for Jesus, but most of all for her passion to serve His people to the very best of her ability.

The Adventurous Nun is available at Amazon in paperback and Kindle editions.

* Kindly note that this book, and the views expressed in it, are not endorsed by the Catholic Archdiocese of Durban or the Zulu Missions.