USD Magazine, Spring 2000

One nun's spiritual path leads her to A competes with joy on an almost daily b

The communities in Africa leave her both awed and frustrated . She was amazed by rhe tenacity of a few thousand Kenyans who were resettled by their government to farm a semi-arid area. The government-promised irrigation project never materialized, and rhe people were left to make it on their own. She counts among rhe heroes the leader of the nomadic Orma group, who allowed health care workers to reach women about pre-natal care and vaccinations. "We heard him say, Victories come in a child's smile, a pregnant woman's acceptance of vitamins, a village leader's agreement to let health workers teach. 'We cannot say we do nor know. If we do nor do what is right, it is our own decision.'" Bur the frustrations are many. In some places, years of training villagers about com– munity health care are abandoned once work– ers leave. And, she says, Christianity is histori– cally associated with education "or getting something from the European missionaries." "Some of the Christians in places where I have worked have really taken on their faith and actively do works of mercy - visiting the sick and elderly, helping the needy," Lorr says. "Bur to a great extent, Church belongs to Father, nor to the communi ty."

Left: A women's sewing project in Kenya. Center: Village children share a laugh with health care workers. Right: "There are a lot of people who struggle along, looking for a bit of this and that, to make it through the day,'' Sister Lott says of the African people. There also is the constant financial struggle. Sisters are supported by sponsors (her parents and siblings all have contributed over the years). Lott says the biggest need currently is children's and adult books - English is the primary language for teaching since Namibia gained independence a decade ago. There is little she misses about the United States, except for family and friends. E-mail is a godsend. Committed to rhe missionary life, she expects to be in Namibia another five years. After that, another culture awaits. "I believe I have good news to share, bur people are nor always ready to appreciate this good news in the ways that I hope," she admits. "Ir is sometimes hard to keep the long-range view, the 50- to 100-year vision of transformation in our lives. "Bur I count it as a great accomplishment to have valued friendships among people with whom I worked - people with whom I shared home, food, ideas, spirit, life." +

"Sometimes, you ger to rhe point where you go to rhe chapel and pray," says her mother, Shirley, who counts among her nine children a U.S. Marine, a highway patrol offi– cer and a rock climber. "Bur Anastasia always has been an independent person, ever since she was born. She's self-reliant and highly intelligent, so I try nor to worry too much." A gifted student at USD, Lorr majored in chemistry, spending rwo summers working on covered research projects as an undergrad– uate. Her parents envisioned her becoming a physician. She wanted something else. "Anastasia told me she had a vocation the first day of class," recalls Sister Par Shaffer, who mentored Lorr in both chem– istry and spirituality. "I still see her sirring there with braces on, saying 'Some day I'm going to be a Maryknoll missionary. ' " Lorr quickly immersed herself in USD campus ministry, where she got her first taste of inspiring others. Thar led to volunteering with the Jesuits, where she spent rwo years as a parish outreach worker for the Catholic Social Services in Utica, N.Y., before working for four years as a lay missionary in Venezuela. Ir was there that she decided rhe life of a missionary nun - which today appeals to fewer and fewer young American women - would be her life. "I came to realize rhar religious life did nor have to separate some one from the community, from the poor and struggling," Lo rr says via an e-mail interview. "Within religious community life, as with many lifestyles, people make certain choices ... and sisters in most apostolic congregations can make choices about their involvement with rhe community."

For information about Maryknoll or to make a contribution, write to Maryknoll Sisters, P.O. Box 311, Maryknoll, N.Y., I0545-03 I I. Sister Lott can be reached via e-mail at mksnamibia@iwwn.com.na.

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SPRING 2000