‘A monster in the convent’. The lived experiences of the Catholic religious sisters who contracted Covid-19 at a convent in Mutare diocese, Zimbabwe.

Abstract

Covid-19 took a toll worldwide and yet has not yielded all the knowledge necessary of
the lived experiences of the diverse survivors. This paper seeks to contribute to the
many studies that have been undertaken. It is a phenomenological, qualitative in-depth
exploration of the lived experiences of the Catholic religious sisters who contracted
and survived Covid-19. The data was collected through semi-structured questions,
phone call and face to face interviews, with a total of ten Catholic religious sisters who
tested positive for Covid-19, stayed in isolation from others and later recovered, in the
Catholic diocese of Mutare. Transcribed data was used to construct themes that
portrayed the Sisters’ lived experiences through the pandemic. The findings revealed
that the selected survivors suffered psychological, social and physical maladjustments
during their period of confinement. The study recommends disaster preparedness for
religious communities to facilitate proper adjustment in possible future pandemics. The
research developed a model as an intervention strategy that includes continuous
community empowerment programs for nuns, organizing training in adaptive coping
skills for religious leaders, strengthening the support system during the time of illness,
constructing specialized care facilities for the sick and abiding by the professional
advice of health care officials such as vaccinations and other measures.