When I first came to Melbourne from Indonesia, it was my first month here and I didn’t have any friends at all. While I studied at Monash University, my sister invited me to COSDU, so I went. To be honest, I was just there for the free food, because they always advertised free food!
I had been baptised Catholic and grown up in a Catholic household, but I had decided that I didn’t want to believe. There was a lack of foundation in the Catholic faith, and when I came to Melbourne, I realised that there were people who actually knew what they were talking about.
Growing up, I thought nuns would be scary, so when I met Sr Delma and she gave me that kind of love, it was beautiful.
It was hard for me. English is my second language, and at COSDU people would talk in theological terms that I had no idea about. But they were so welcoming. They tried to understand my perspective. They weren’t forcing me to understand everything straight away. They understood that I wasn’t really faithful and that I had no idea what they were talking about. They took their time to introduce things to me. That was when I thought, ‘Oh, wow. The Catholic faith is actually different than I thought before.’
The first time I went to COSDU, there was this lady called Sr Delma. I didn’t know who she was because she wasn’t wearing a veil. I just thought she was someone’s grandma! She gave me a big hug and a smile. Growing up, I thought nuns would be scary, so when I met Sr Delma and she gave me that kind of love, it was beautiful.
Whenever I came to COSDU, I had no friends. I would stand at the door thinking, ‘Who can I talk to?’ And Sr Delma was always there. She remembers everyone’s name. She would say, ‘You’re welcome to COSDU,’ and give you a hug. And she does it to every single one of us. I think that’s Jesus. She really remembers and recognises and actually loves everyone by their names. I feel like that kind of love draws me closer to Jesus.
Sometimes you need someone to come to you and say, ‘I think God put that calling in your heart for a reason.’ Sr Delma did that.
There were times when I was really struggling and she noticed. One time, she invited me to her office and we had a really long talk. She was always providing for me, spiritually and with food. As someone who is very introverted, she really provided that safe space for me just to hang out, as friends, as sisters. She became that older figure in my life.
She also encouraged me to serve on the COSDU committee. It was hard to say yes because you actually have to commit for a year. But before the AGM, Sr Delma called me and asked, ‘Are you interested in doing this?’ She said, ‘I think it’ll be good.’ That encouragement helped me say yes. I think there are a lot of people who want to serve and who have been given gifts, but sometimes you need someone to come to you and say, ‘I think God put that calling in your heart for a reason.’ Sr Delma did that.