Meet di sister and father wey fall in love, leave dia vow and marry

Twenty-four years afta she become nun, na just one small touch on di sleeve of one monk for di parlour of one convent for Preston Lancashire, change everytin for Sister Mary Elizabeth.

Sister Mary bin follow di Mother Superior of di order wia she bin dey stay to go meet Father Robert, wey dey visit from anoda monastery for Oxford, to see if e wan chop anytin.

However, Sister Mary Elizabeth superior leave di two of dem alone to go ansa call, na from dia love tori start

"Na di first time we go dey room togeda. We siddon for table and e chop. As di Mother Superior no come back, she allow am go wen e ready to leave.

Sister Mary Elizabeth bin don dey live devout, serious and mostly silent life as a nun. She dey always spend most of her days inside her "cell". As she open door for Robert to come out, her hands touch im coat sleeve and she say she feel sometin like chemistry.

"I bin feel chemistry dia, sometin, and I bin dey embarrassed. And I tink, gosh, e feel wetin I feel? And as I let am out of di door e dey somehow."

She remember say na about one week later she bin receive Robert message wey ask if she go comot di convent to marry am.

"Di tin shock me small. I bin wear veil so e no even see di colour of my hair. E no sabi anytin about me really, notin about my upbringing. E no even sabi my worldly name," she tok.

How Sister Mary Elizabeth become nun

Before she enta di Carmelite order - one ancient order of di Roman Catholic church – for di age of 19, Sister Mary Elizabeth real name na Lisa Tinkler, from Middlesbrough.

Though her parents no dey religious, but her aunt pilgrimage go Lourdes bin awaken sometin inside six-year-old Lisa, wey make her ask her papa to build altar for her bedroom.

"I bin get one little statue of Our Lady ontop am and a little Lourdes water bottle. Actually, I bin tink say na di bottle dey holy and no be di water - so I bin just dey fill am from di tap and I go drink di water," she tok.

She begin attend di Roman Catholic Churches for her home town and go sit alone for di second pew. she say na dia she develop overwhelming love for di Virgin Mary, mother of Jesus and di feeling say she get vocation.

One weekend retreat for one monastery wen she still be teenager convince her of her calling.

Di Carmelite nuns from one order wey get dia origins for di 12th Century dey run di monastery and for dia, life dey secluded and strict - but she decide say na dat kain life she want.

Although Lisa bin wan join immediately, her mother – wey dey troubled by her daughter decision – bin secretly write to di monastery say make dem delay her departure for a few months, so Lisa go fit spend one more Christmas for house. She join for di new year.

"From den I live alone. We get two recreation times a day, about half an hour, wen we fit speak, odawise you dey on your own for your cell. You no go ever work wit anybody, always on your own," she tok.

Over di years, Sister Mary Elizabeth bin feel like say her vocabulary don dey reduce as she no get anytin much to tok about wit oda nuns – wey senior her well-well apart from di issue of weather and di nature for di garden.

She see her mother four times a year through di curtain.

She describe di way she feel her "interior world" open up as di outside world close on her. She bin feel sense of contentment and dey fulfilled.

How dia love tori take start

But dat day for di convent parlour, everytin change wit di touch of a sleeve and a message wey ask if she fit walk away from monastic life and get married.

Sister Mary Elizabeth no give Robert ansa to im question and no sabi wetin to do.

E fit no sabi anytin about her, but she know a little about am.

On im visits from Oxford go di Carmelite retreat centre for Preston wia e dey occasionally come to say mass for di nearby monastery, Lisa dey watch im sermons from behind curtains.

As she dey hear im stories as e preach, she understand say e grow up for Silesia for Poland near di German border also e get love for mountains. Though she say even at dat time, e no be like say she get any feeling for am.

Now, suddenly, all dat don change.

"I know sabi wetin e be like to fall in love and I tink say di sisters fit see am for my face. So I come dey fear. I dey feel di change wey dey happun to me and e fear me," she tok.

Sister Mary Elizabeth gada courage to tell her mother superior dat e be like say she dey get feelings for Robert, but she no believe di response she get.

"She no fit understand how e take happun because we dey inside our cell 24/7 under her watch all di time. Di mother superior ask how I fit fall in love wit pesin wey I no too know,” she tok.

Sister Mary Elizabeth bin don already imagine di reaction of her family, or dat of her bishop, if she come. She also worry if her decision no go change her relationship wit God.

But di interaction she get wit her superior make her do sometin wey she no plan to do. 

"Di prioress bin dey a little mad wit me, so I put my pants and a toothbrush inside one bag and I walk out, and I no ever go back as Sister Mary Elizabeth," Lisa tok.

Dem comot monastery

Robert bin send her message say e dey plan to visit Preston again dat evening but dis time na to meet wit one Carmelite friend for advice, di first pesin from di order e trust, wey e don gist about im situation wit Lisa.

Lisa reason say dem go meet for di Black Bull wey be about a mile up di road, so na dia she come go.

But instead make e be moment of joy, di mata throw Lisa into anoda serious wahala dat night for November 2015.

"Rain dey fall as I dey waka along di Garstang road. Traffic also dey heavy and I bin dey reason "I fit just finish dis," - she dey refer to one moment wey suicidal thoughts cross her mind.

 "I bin dey really struggle, I bin tink say make I no go through wit am, make I allow Robert continue wit im life. But I also wonder what if e really mean am say make we marry."

But Lisa continue to dey waka until she reach wia Robert dey.

"Wen I see her, my heart stop," Robert tok.

 "But actually fear paralyse me no be joy, because I know for dat moment say I gatz dey entirely for Lisa, but I also know say we no dey practically ready for dat," e tok.

How dem move on

Di transition dey difficult, particularly for di beginning. Lisa remember one moment just before Christmas, soon afta dem both comot dia monastic lives.

"I bin look Robert and e dey cry, e dey troubled. For dat moment, e be like say make we just take sometin like Romeo and Juliet and just end am," Lisa tok.

"E dey very hard because di two of dem feel so alone and so isolated and no even know di way forward. But we just hold hands and we go through am," she tok.

Wetin give dem peace na di tin wey guide dem to dia monasticism in di first place - connecting wit dia personal faith.

"All through your religious life, dem go tell you say your heart suppose dey undivided and given to God. Suddenly I feel like say my heart dey expand to hold Robert, but I realise say e also hold every oda ting I get. And I no feel any different about God, and dat dey reassuring to me," Lisa tok. 

How dia lives be now

Lisa first job na for one funeral home and later for one hospital chaplain.

Although e bin vex for one letter from Rome wey tok say e no longer be member of di Carmelite order, however, di Church of England soon accept Robert.

Dem marry and now dey live togeda as man and wife for di village of Hutton Rudby for North Yorkshire - wia Robert don become minister for di local church. Dem still dey try to adjust to life outside di monastery.

For Lisa in particular, wey bin don dey dia for 24 years and no get di academic life wey Robert bin get before, she say she dey feel like observer for di outside world. Na now she dey reason which kain hair or cloth she fit wear.

Dem still dy miss di monastic life, Lisa say if no be for Robert, she for don return to being a Carmelite nun.

But dem don see one solution wey dey work.

"I dey often reason say I dey live for monastery here wit Robert, like two Carmelites wia everytin we do na for God. We anchor ourselves in prayer but love fit make a sacrament of everytin you do and I realise notin don really change for me," she tok.

Lisa say both of dem don agree say dem be three for di marriage.

"Christ for di centre and e come before everytin. If we take am out of di equation, I I no tink say we for last."