Sr. Tanya Finds Happiness in Sisterhood
by Tanya Williams
Sr. Tanya Williams on her way to work. Photo by Sr. Elaine LaCanne.Several years ago while I was still living in Pennsylvania, I was introduced to a little book, The Hound of Heaven, by Francis Thompson. At the time, I did not know that Thompson’s poem would become a metaphor for my journey to religious life. Like the speaker in The Hound of Heaven, I eventually surrendered and said “yes” to a persistent voice, surrendering to the love and life I had been seeking for many years. Stony the road I trod, but here I stand. And I have never been happier.
When I was a little girl growing up in Mobile, AL, in a time of racial segregation and socio-political tensions, I met several Dominican Sisters of Sinsinawa. I can still see them in my mind’s eye and hear their voices teaching in Catholic and, later, public schools; coordinating summer enrichment programs for black youth; participating in meetings of the Neighborhood Organized Workers, a community-based civil rights organization; and standing alongside ordinary citizens and family friends in protest marches for racial equality. Little did I know that one day I would become Sister to those who taught, disciplined, mentored, and even sang freedom songs with me. My understanding of family and sisterhood continues to deepen and expand.
Since moving to Minnesota in 2006, I have been enrolled in part-time theology studies in the graduate program at The College of St. Catherine (soon to be St. Catherine University). In addition to my required assignments, I am immersing myself in reading works by black theologians and historians. Black theologians, in a special way, continue to impact my spiritual formation and understanding of God. I also have the opportunity and privilege of working part-time at Hennepin County Adult Correctional Facility with women who are serving sentences of up to one year.
Beginning as a volunteer and now employed as part-time staff, I have worked for over two years as an adult education instructor, specifically as a work readiness instructor. Twenty years of experience working as a vocational rehabilitation counselor and job placement specialist qualifies me to teach classes and work individually with inmates, providing instruction on acquiring and maintaining employment. Lessons include job search and follow-up; completing job application forms; resume writing; interviewing; and discussing work attitudes and behaviors necessary for successful, long-term job placement. Vocational options and strategies are discussed with women who express primary interests in educational development. For those who may not be competitively employable, I share what I learned as a vocational expert in social security disability determination hearings, make suggestions, and offer support. The women gift me with their stories, wisdom, raw truthfulness, and humor.
For the first time, I am engaged in a ministry that calls forth the best of my spiritual journey, professional experience, and desire to coparticipate in creating a world of mutuality, solidarity, and justice. I am enjoying the energy I have for study, prayer, contemplation, and relationships. I try to stay faithful to the One who called me and to those who have and currently join me in those freedom songs. Our freedom is undeniably and immeasurably linked.