Order of the Most Holy Redeemer (Redemptoristines) (OSsR)
60th Profession, 25th Profession
Sister Alphonsina Mary Khumalo
Birth name: Mavis Ester Khumalo
Birthplace: KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
Profession: 1962, with the Montebello Dominicans
1997, with Redemptoristines
Service in the archdiocese: Service of contemplative prayer and intercession, Redemptoristine Motherhouse, Liguori, 1997-present
Service outside the archdiocese: Worked in the infirmary, took care of the large community gardens and orchards, prepared meals, some administration
About Sister Alphonsina Mary Khumalo: Her family, where she was the eldest of five, converted to Catholicism when she was very young. She joined the Sodality of the Children of Mary which was very popular in South Africa. Each Sunday, she passed a vocation poster that was on the front door of the mission church in rural Kwa-Zulu, Natal. Each time seeing that poster set a spark in her heart to become a sister, someone dedicated to Christ. Her dream to live entirely for Jesus grew stronger through the years. Each time she passed that poster she prayed that it could be her. With the encouragement and blessing of her father she joined the Montebello Dominicans in her teens. There she found great happiness and peace. She would delight the sisters with her singing and acting ability. Her real joy was to be in the garden and feel the soil of God’s earth under her feet and to ponder God’s great love for her and all creation. Her giftedness in Zulu and several African languages made it easy for people to come to ask for prayer and advice. She was thrilled to be able to vote in the first free national election after the fall of Apartheid. After 35 years in an active community and with the help of Redemptorist Father Michael Fish, she discerned the call to contemplative life and joined the Redemptoristine Nuns who had recently made a foundation in South Africa. The charism and lifestyle fit her like a glove. After returning to the Motherhouse in Liguori, she said, “This is now my mission.” Her warmth, smile and concern for the poor and most abandoned continue to be reflected even now 25 years later in her deep life of prayer. She is now in residence at St. Andrew’s in Eureka, where she continues her life of prayer and intercession.