As we mark National Vocations Awareness Week (3–10 August), Sr Anne Suman Lata SMSM shares the remarkable story of her call to missionary life. Born in Fiji from a Hindu background, Sr Anne converted to Catholicism when she was just ten years old and has been a Marist Missionary Sister for 23 years, serving in places as diverse as Tonga, Rwanda, and central London. Her earliest formation as a novice was in Turramurra, Sydney.
Most recently, she served on mission in central London at Notre Dame de France, arriving at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. A Marist Missionary Sister with a deep sense of passion and zeal, she is always ready for her next mission, now bringing her to Our Lady Queen of Peace Parish, Greystanes.
Catholic Outlook: Why did you decide to become a missionary sister? What called you to this vocation?
Sr Anne Suman Lata SMSM: I decided to become a missionary sister with the Society of Mary after reading the story of our pioneer, Sr Marie-Françoise Perroton. She left her home country of France to journey to the Pacific in response to a letter expressing the needs of local women.
For me this was an amazing love story, where her heart desired and she valiantly followed this need. She had great courage and trust in God, most especially, as she confided all these to our Blessed Mother.
I was so inspired by her letters and wanted to follow the desires of my heart too. I began to see the needs of those around me, and I knew there was something different about me.
Having a Hindu background and converting to the Catholic faith was already a big step in my life. Regardless of the challenges, I told my family that I was going to explore this, and that exploration became part of my way of life.
CO: What would you say is the biggest joy in your vocation?
Sr Anne: The biggest joy was my profession day on 2 February 2002. It was the day I had presented to the Lord my ‘fiat’ with the words. “Lord, knowing my weakness, You are faithful, complete in me the work You have begun. Mary, my loving mother, I am entirely yours, By your prayer, keep me in the love of your Son.”
Sr Anne Suman Lata SMSM (right) during the 2024 World Youth Day in Lisbon, Portugal. Image: Supplied
CO: What is your favourite story from your missionary journey?
Sr Anne: I have two stories! In my first year of mission after profession, I had arrived in Vava’u, Tonga after the devastating cyclone Waka. It had destroyed everything at the school I was going to teach at. My first classroom was under a tree, with a tiny blackboard and 30 students staring at me and… a mother pig with her six piglets sniffing into my bag! At first, I was shocked and very afraid of what the pig might do, but the students told me “Don’t wolly (worry), they [the pigs] are just looking for a pen and paper to study with us.”
It was my first experience that taught me to befriend a pig and learn from the simple joys of life when times are difficult!
Sr Anne Suman Lata SMSM (centre) during her missionary work in the Asia-Pacific region. Image: Supplied
Another favourite story of mine is from my time in Rwanda, during our end-of-year outing to Akagera National Park. There were about 60 of us teachers split across two buses, all excited for the trip now that the holidays had begun, and I had my ticket booked to return home to Fiji.
The journey through the park took five hours, and we were fortunate to see all the iconic African wildlife. The last of the “Big Five” we spotted was a lion. Just then, it began to rain. As we were driving, our bus started to skid.
The driver asked us to get off and move into the second bus while the men stayed behind to help push.
There was quite a distance between the two buses, and we all remembered that the last animal we’d seen prowling nearby was the lion. I had never been so calm as to not make others panic and was telling everyone it was going to be alright.
My heart was thumping but I had totally trusted that we would make it to the other bus. And we did.
Everyone got into the second bus, and the men managed to push the bus out. It certainly wasn’t my time to end up in the belly of a lion!
CO: Who is your favourite saint(s)? What impact have they had in your life?
Sr Anne: I have three special saints; firstly, St Peter Chanel, our first Marist Saint: like Sister Marie-Françoise Perroton, he left his homeland to work in the Pacific, I am inspired by his faith and generosity.
Secondly, St Joseph: I always invoke on his protection especially when I sense danger, just like how he protected Mary.
Thirdly, St Anne: firstly she is my patron saint, and I feel drawn to her with the reflection of her shown in Mary. A woman of deep contemplation and trust in God.
CO: Have you received any great advice on your vocational journey?
Sr Anne: “The joy of the missionary always shines against the backdrop of a grateful memory” by Pope Francis. It precisely means that missionary work isn’t just a task, but a response to God’s grace and love. It’s a way of expressing gratitude for the blessings received and sharing them to the world.
CO: What inspired you to join Our Lady, Queen of Peace Parish?
Sr Anne: As a missionary, we are told our next mission and don’t know here we are going, but when one of the sisters said there was a parish named ‘Our Lady, Queen of Peace’, the name stood out to me, ‘Our Lady of Peace’, coincidently the patron of Asia-Pacific region, which is one of the four regions of our congregation which Australia is part of.
Sr Anne Suman Lata SMSM. Image: Mary-Jane Chemuel/Diocese of Parramatta.
CO: What do you enjoy most about your role in the parish?
Sr Anne: In the last seven months of being here, I enjoy journeying with individuals through the sacraments, prayer, and Mass and how God is present in their lives.
CO: What message would you have for young people discerning their vocation, especially in the Jubilee Year of Hope?
Sr Anne: The Jubilee Year of Hope is to rediscover and to be renewed in faith, listening to inspirations and drawing inner strength from God and generously offer your service to others.
The choices we make is one that we stay focused and motivated because God has a plan for each of us.
During my first year in a psychology course at university, we had learnt about the nodes of Ranvier where the signals jump between gaps in the myelin sheath in our nervous system.
Sr Anne Suman Lata SMSM (centre) during a March 2025 gathering of Catholic Youth Parramatta’s ‘At The Well’ ministry. Image: Gelina Montierro/ Diocese of Parramatta
This is to enable accurate communication between different parts of the body. The role of the myelin sheath is to focus and prevent signal leakage and ensure it reaches its destination effectively. I was fascinated by this process. The thought that this has been in our being, constructing and creating as to who we are.
Challenges will be there forever, to achieve something you really want is not easy. So, the hope that we stay focus with the choices we make in our lives and let it unfold gradually with God’s grace.
This National Vocations Awareness Week (3-10 August 2025), may stories like these inspire us to listen more deeply to God’s call, wherever it may lead.
Sr Anne’s call to serve aligns with the Diocesan Pastoral Plan priorities of Formation and Mission.
To learn more about responding to God’s call, visit Discern My Vocation.
