A newly professed Pakistani nun has been assigned as a missionary to Brazil, South America.
Sister Mishal Mary Khokhar, a member of the Sisters of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception of Castres, made her first profession of vows at the Holy Family Church, Cubao, the Philippines on February 2.
She is the first Pakistani missionary to Brazil from her congregation, which is committed to the poorest of the poor.
The nun will work in São Paulo, Brazil’s vibrant financial center. It is among the world's most populous cities and the largest Portuguese-speaking city in the world.
“I am grateful to God for my first missionary assignment in Brazil,” the 35-year-old nun told RVA news.
She was hoping to be assigned to Africa. However, God’s will is different and she accepts it.
“I am happy, excited, and zealous for the mission to serve the poor and needy brothers and sisters,” Sister Mishal said.
For the last five years, she was under the formation in the Philippines, Asia’s largest Catholic country.
She thanked her parents, family members, superiors of the congregation, religious formation personnel, friends, and others who contributed to her life in many ways.
When asked about her vocation journey, Sister Mishal said, “I was inspired by the nuns who were working in our home parish, St. Jude’s Church in De Selva town, Pakistan.”
In 2002, when she was 15 years old, Sister Mishal was influenced by priests and nuns who served people. She added that since then, it was her innate desire to become a nun.
“Though my parents objected to the idea of becoming a nun initially, I wanted to serve the church,” she said.
She was born at Bhutto Colony of Dislaw Town, North Nazimabad district, Karachi, the largest city in Pakistan and the capital of the Pakistani province of Sindh.
She comes from the Archdiocese of Karachi.
Sister Mishal is the second of eight children. Her father is a government employee and her mother a nurse.
The Sisters of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception of Castres are present in 18 countries around the world. In Asia, they are working in the Philippines with three communities.
In France, St. Emilie de Villeneuve (1811-1854) founded the congregation on December 8, 1836.
About 500 nuns of different nationalities (including from the Philippines, Viet Nam, Pakistan and Sri Lanka) and cultures commit themselves to follow Jesus serving the poorest of the poor.
Radio Veritas Asia (RVA), a media platform of the Catholic Church, aims to share Christ. RVA started in 1969 as a continental Catholic radio station to serve Asian countries in their respective local language, thus earning the tag “the Voice of Asian Christianity.” Responding to the emerging context, RVA embraced media platforms to connect with the global Asian audience via its 21 language websites and various social media platforms.
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