By KARAN MINNIS, Guardian Lifestyles Reporter, karan@nasguard.com

There are those who believe the way you are raised will determine your destiny, and for Sister Marva Coakley that is definitely true.

Born Feb. 26,1955 on New Providence, Sister Marva Coakley is one of the youngest sisters in residence at Saint Martin Monastery, Nassau Street. She is also one of the few whose childhood memories are filled with images of other nuns.

She was born into the Catholic faith and was baptized by Father Marican Peters, OSB at St. Joseph Church. She also received her early education at that parish's school. But it was through an adoption at age seven years by Talmadge and Matilda Bethel that she moved to Harbour Island, which placed her in constant contact with the Sisters of Charity. This was a move that perhaps changed her destiny.

"As a child, I never thought about becoming a sister," she explains. "I grew up surrounded by the Sisters of Charity and I always admired them but they were all white sisters so I didn't even think of the possibility of becoming a sister. However, I was lucky enough to attend a retreat where the sisters in Nassau were in attendance and seeing them changed my life. But it wasn't until after speaking with my pastor that I became sure that I had the calling. I have always been Catholic but I still couldn't understand how it could have happened."

This, despite the fact that one of her adoptive aunts cooked for the sisters, and another for the many priests that came to the island. She was always surrounded by her faith, was active in church, and said she loved them all, but did not view herself as having a vocation.

As destiny would have it, at the age of 14, she returned to Nassau to attend high school, and it was then she received her vocation.

"The retreat was held in Nassau, and I loved every moment of it. But the best part was seeing the Sisters of St Martin's. Just seeing them made a difference on my life. I was always firm in my faith and from a young age I have always involved herself in many religious organizations, but their commitment was different and so were their lives."

While at Aquinas College, Sister Marva joined the Christian movement and the Legion of Mary at St. Francis Xavier Cathedral. Even when she left Aquinas, and went to work for an insurance company, she was still active in church roles, and by this time she spent almost every weekend at St. Martin's.

"The more I went up to see the sisters on the weekends or whatever time I could, the more I wanted to be a part of them," says Sister Marva. "I just saw the way they were living, the way they prayed, the way they ate and fellow-shipped with each other, and I knew it was the life I wanted. It just became clear as day.

"So eventually, after much talk with my spiritual director, Fr. George Wolf, OSB, and with Sister Clare Rolle, the formation director, I entered the community on Apr. 10, 1977."

Later that same year she began working at Xavier's Lower School as a teacher's aide, and in 1979 she entered the novitiate and made her first vows in 1980.

Sister Marva went to Saint Benedict's Convent in Minnesota to meet counterparts from as far afield as Japan. This affected her greatly when it came time to make her final vows. She claimed to have seen no other community that she preferred be a part of than the Benedictines.

"The sisters lived a balanced life," she said. "They were not cloistered and helped me to become focused on helping people and to commune with God. That's what I wanted. I wanted to be a part of the life they lived. I felt like it was my destiny."

In 1988, Sister Marva was sent to Rome where she did catechesis and increased her educational credentials with a Bachelor of Arts in pastoral work. Her missions have included pastoral work at Resurrection Parish in Nassau, and by 2007, her career in education had spanned 30 years. This included time spent at Xavier's Lower School as religious coordinator and vice principal.

In 2000, Sister Marva was appointed to Holy Name School in Bimini, where she spent five years as principal.

The year 2007 found her as the principal of St. Bede's School in Nassau, where she remains today.