Listen to Letters from Nigeria
Producer’s Notes: Letters have been edited for brevity and clarity. Characters’ dialogues use as much of the wording in the letters as possible, but parts are edited or imagined. With the exception of Sister Cornelia and historical figures, all of the characters are amalgamations based on interviews, research, and the Sisters’ letters. Their names are fictitious.
Prologue
Listen to the prologue if you want to hear about the background of this podcast series.
Episode 1: Some Interesting Letters
Sister Cornelia reminisces about being a midwife in Northern Nigeria–delivering the Emir’s children, the Biafra War, life in Colonial Nigeria. Learn about a cache of letters that the Great Bend Sisters wrote home describing their adventures.
Episode 2: Foundations and Beginnings
Sister Cornelia talks about growing up on a Kansas farm in the 1920s and 1930s, the KKK’s dislike of Catholics, her training as a novice, and how her community was founded.
Episode 3: The Road Back to the Mother House
Meet Sisters Agnes and Margaret and listen to them talk about joining the order at the tender ages of 14 and 15. Learn about the community’s early struggles to survive and see the Sisters off as they embark on their first trip to Nigeria.
Episode 4: Ready or Not, Here We Come
The Sisters are on their way to Nigeria on the S.S. African Patriot but not without a few stops and surprises along the way. Meet their new friends as they travel up and down the West African coast and get acquainted with Africa for the first time.
BONUS EPISODE: The Fulani Woman
Sister Cornelia talks about a village woman and her very sick son who touched the Sisters deeply. The Fulani are a mostly Muslim people who live throughout many parts of West Africa. Get out a box of tissues for this one.