In 2023, Sr. Regina Achan Aniceto celebrated her golden jubilee as a member of the Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, a religious institute founded in Juba, South Sudan. Her journey into religious life was inspired by her brother in South Sudan, shaped during her displacement to Uganda, and lived out across Africa through where her congregation serves.
During a visit to their local parish, her elder brother, then a seminarian, spoke to their sister about becoming a nun, like the ones he had encountered in his vocational journey. Eavesdropping on this conversation ignited a calling in Sr. Regina’s heart, prompting her to share her desire to join religious life with her father.
At the time, religious sisters were uncommon in the area, and her father was curious about where she had encountered them. ‘I said I hadn’t seen them,’ Sr. Regina recalls with nostalgia, ‘but my brother, who is in the seminary, told me there are girls somewhere who are preparing to become sisters. So, I also said I would like to become a sister.
However, the war in Sudan, where her congregation was based before the secession of South Sudan, disrupted life significantly. Her family fled to Uganda, where the Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus also relocated, settling in Moyo within the Catholic Diocese of Arua in northwestern Uganda. It was there, while in Grade 3, that Sr. Regina joined the congregation and continued her education in the convent. By the time peace returned to Sudan, she had already committed herself to religious life and returned home with her community.
Reflecting on her vocation, the member of the religious institute founded by Comboni Missionary Bishop Sixtus Mazzoldi in 1954, shares, “It was my choice. I chose it freely, and to this day, I am very happy serving as a sister.”
Throughout her 50 years of religious life, Sr. Regina has embraced diverse roles within her congregation. She first undertook secretarial duties in Kenya before returning to Khartoum, Sudan’s capital, to work with the Sudan Catholic Bishops’ Conference (SCBC).
Guided by a passion to embody Christ’s love by serving and empowering the vulnerable to restore their dignity, Sr. Regina also pursued nursing, which she regards as her second vocation. “I love serving people who are helpless—the sick and the vulnerable. That’s why I chose nursing,” she explains.
She has also held significant leadership roles within the 70-year-old congregation, including seven years as Provincial Superior and, most recently, six years as Secretary General of the General Council. In these capacities, she guided her congregation through the volatile instabilities of both Sudan and South Sudan.
The ongoing civil war in Sudan has forced members of her congregation based there to relocate to South Sudan, where political violence and instability persist, further exacerbated by insecurity and the high cost of living
“It has been difficult,” Sr. Regina admits, reflecting on the situation in both nations—Sudan, where conflict is fuelled by a power struggle between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary group Rapid Support Forces (RSF), and South Sudan, where violence traces back to the 2013-2015 civil wars between forces loyal to President Salva Kiir and opposition leader Riek Machar.
Finding Renewal After Decades of Service
After decades of demanding leadership roles and navigating these volatile political situations, Sr. Regina found herself weary and in need of rest. She sought more than just a holiday, a desire that led her to join the 23rd Session of the St. John Paul II Sabbatical Program, which she describes the experience as “beautiful” and “very helpful.”
“I have really loved the sabbatical time. I rested enough and also gained a lot because this Program has been very, very nourishing,” she says of the 11-year-old Program, founded by Bishop James Maria Wainaina of Kenya’s Catholic Diocese of Murang’a.
Through workshops and lectures led by expert resident and visiting facilitators coupled with adequate time for rest, Sr. Regina experienced renewal, an experience that left her feeling ‘relaxed, happy, and free.’ She is eager to encourage her fellow nuns to participate in the four-month residential Program, which seeks to integrate physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being with apostolate. ‘Once I go back to South Sudan, I will encourage my sisters to come and have this experience,’ she says.”
Having celebrated her jubilee anniversary, the Sacred Heart Sister is filled with gratitude. “I thank God that I came here so that I can now age gracefully,” she says.
While acknowledging that she no longer has the strength for extensive responsibilities, Sr. Regina remains committed to doing what she can with joy and dedication. “I may not be young enough to do everything, but I will do what I can in my power—and I will do it happily,” she concludes.
