by Sr. Margaret Anne Meyer, MMM USA 25.07.2026
To mark the celebration of our 50th Jubilee in 1987, I tried with the help of a local teacher to write a play about Mother Mary. It was a mime with the presenting scenes spoken in Kiswahili. The pre-nurses and midwifery students acted it out very well. Some of the scenes I recall were one of the male ward orderlies carried a nurse down the stairs, representing Bishop Moynagh and Mother Mary when she was transferred to Port Harcourt Hospital. All the white veils and suitcases available were loaned to the nurses and students to portray Mother Mary waving off the newly trained Sisters to Africa.
On May 1st, the feast of St Joseph the Worker. the Pallotine Fathers celebrated a beautiful Mass in the open courtyard of the new OPD. A delicious meal was served to all the Staff and invited guests. The play was part of the festive celebrations. We thanked God that Bishop Winters had invited the MMM Sisters to work in Makiungu. In 1954, Sister Eileen Carmel Keogh and Sister Kieran Saunders started an OPD, and the hospital grew steadily since. The Wanyaturu dancing is very skilled and beautiful. The elders danced at the close of the celebrations and brought us to oneness in our praise and thanks to God.
Life continued in a hectic manner. We sometimes had three hundred patients for 120 beds. I asked the Staff Nurse in the male ward how she managed, and she told me she doubled the men in a bed. One at the head, the other at the foot. Thank God it did not happen often; just when the floor space was all used.
Another serious disease we treated was tuberculosis. In the early eighties, a new form of treatment was discovered which was much easier to take and was provided free of charge by the government. Because the local people had some of their lively hood involved with cattle, the children drank infected milk. Many had enlarged glands, and some had tuberculosis of the spine. One young girl was admitted with huge bed sores. She had been playing leapfrog in school. Another girl sat on her back and broke her spine. Her father said he was terribly upset that the principal allowed such a rough game to be played. I told him I had played it myself at school. It was not so rough, but I thought that his daughter’s back had been infected with tuberculosis, and this was the cause of the break.
Unfortunately, the delay in coming for treatment interfered with the healing process. I asked the child if she had made her First Holy Communion. She said she had been going for lessons but stopped when she was unable to walk. Our parish priest brought her Holy Communion. We had prepared a little altar with candles and flowers. I will never forget the ecstatic joy on her face as she received Jesus in Communion. It was as if Jesus Himself appeared to her. Her course after that went downhill despite all our efforts to save her.
Tuberculosis appeared in many bodily areas I had never even thought of. One woman appeared to have a fungating cancerous growth on her breast. The histology report came back Tuberculosis of the breast. One man developed tuberculosis in the metatarsal bone of his foot. We thanked God for the availability of this free treatment for tuberculosis and tried our best to eradicate it.
by Nadia Ramoutar, MMM Communications Coordinator 22.07.2026
Recently, I was talking with someone who is a history scholar and the topic of slavery came up. He felt confident that slavery no longer really occurred in the world. But, based on my work with the MMM Sisters for over five years, I knew this was not the case. When asking the question “does slavery still exist in our world?” the answer is sadly yes, for almost 50 million people. That number has increased over the past few years, and it appears that cases are increasing instead of declining due to more poverty, famine and political violence in the world.
Perhaps when we think of slavery we only have the chattel slavery model that the British used in transporting slaves to the Americas, but there are many other forms which unfortunately are still going on today.
While travelling to visit the MMM missions in Tanzania, I met many communities members who were attending a community conference on preventing human trafficking. Many parents, grandparents and community leaders were gathered to discuss what could be done to stop any more children being lured by human traffickers. It was shocking really to realise the threat many children were under because basically they are poor. Also, it was disturbing to learn that in many cases a family member is the reason why a child or person is trafficked into slavery. Often the family member might not understand the dangers they have just sold someone into – and sometimes they do but their own tragically poor life clouds their decision making.
Where are most slaves from and where are most of them going? The Global Slavery Index (GSI) provides national estimates of slaves in 160 countries. I am fortunate to live in one of the ten least likely countries in the world to have slaves – but in Ireland we recently saw two men convicted for trafficking people to our country and restraining them against their will. It is shocking to know that in almost every country in the world, people are being mistreated and exploited. A look at the GSI index shows that many wealthy countries are the heaviest users of modern slaves.
It is also disturbing that 70 percent of modern slaves are girls and women, so many are trafficked or help against their will and being used for sexual purposes. There are many MMM Sisters involved in efforts to prevent sex trafficking and also to help and treat victims afterwards. The truth however, is that not enough is being done. We need to more in improving and implementing laws. There is little being done to get ahead of this heinous trend. We need to find ways to help communities protect their most vulnerable people and keep them out of slavery.
It’s hard to fight an invisible enemy. The lack of knowledge about modern slavery makes it easier to trade people against their will. That’s a trend we can all help end by educating ourselves.
by Sr. Sheila Campbell, MMM Ireland 18.07.2026
Recently I listened to a sermon where the priest was saying basically, “we are right and they are wrong”. He was talking about the excommunication of a group of traditionalist Catholics. Inside my head I was thinking, “But from their point of view, they are right and we are wrong!” Oh, dear, I thought to myself, how do we ever get to distinguish the truth if everything becomes relevant.
I don’t often spend sleepless nights pondering on these philosophical questions, I assure you! But just teasing it out a little I do think it does no harm in occasionally taking a look at a situation from the side I don’t agree with.
I will give a few examples – Holocaust deniers, climate change deniers and anti-vaccination people. I do truly believe that the Holocaust happened, that climate change is here whether we like it or not and that, overall, vaccinations have been beneficial.
What do I learn from looking at why these people take the opinions they do? One thing is that it brings out a more compassionate side in myself. Most people have been shaped by their upbringing, culture and other people who have been influential in their lives. It helps to see what formed them, and the context in which these opinions emerge. Certainly, in current times every conspiracy theory is amplified and spread rapidly via social media. Wouldn’t it be lovely if we could spread kindness, generosity and care for other just as easily!
There is only one truth that I cling to, and it steered me daily through all the muddle of our world of heated debate and tension. God loves me, just as I am, warts and all and as Julian of Norwich said, “all shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of thing shall be well. “
by Vera Grant AMMM Ireland 15.07.2026
Having been unable to get to my usual Saturday’s Vigil Mass I decided to go on the Sunday morning at 10am. It’s the children’s mass and there is a junior choir accompanied by the more senior folk group…all very enjoyable and the music with violins, guitars, keyboard and some flutes can be very uplifting.
I was reminded that the First Holy Communion had been on the previous day when I saw the white dresses appearing in the aisle. I say appearing as it was a cloud of white froth and the children couldn’t get into the pews but had to wait in turn for each mother to navigate the girls slowly and sideways to move and position themselves into the seats. It was like being at a concert and watching the dignitaries in their finery, glide slowly to the reserved seats in the front rows.
At the back of the chapel I sat, watching all, soaking up the excitement at this real sense of an occasion and tried to remember what it was like for me on my own First Communion. Nothing came to mind about the day itself, but what forcibly hit me was that each one of these 8-year-olds had already made their first confession in preparation for the big day. I wondered if they had been like me?
I remembered vividly that day. I was 7 years old as we received the sacrament in Primary 3 and not, as now, in primary 4. So being younger, we were led by the teacher to the chapel where the priest waited in his confessional box. We sat in rows, moving up one place after another until it was your turn. By then I was so nervous, I was afraid that I might forget something and not make a good confession as we had been taught. I was embarrassed too, that I had so many sins that the priest might keep me for ages or he might shout at me. Nothing like that happened, he was lovely and listened attentively to all I had to tell him until he told me to say my act of contrition and granted me absolution.
I opened the door and stood to let the next person enter before kneeling down to say my penance. I felt like a saint, cleansed of all my sins and thought, “I am never going to sin again“. We had to wait until the following week for the First Communion Day when we too could put on our white dresses. For me that was one of the longest and hardest weeks ever. I didn’t want to commit any sins, and I tried so hard to be good, to do what I was told, no arguing, no answering back, no faces and definitely no fighting or name calling with my sisters. I was being so pious that I thought I could become a nun when I grow up.
Alas, temptation got in the way and every night saying my prayers I was telling God how sorry I was and that tomorrow I would do better. I smiled at this picture of the ‘young me’ and thought, nothing has changed! Every day brings new trials and temptations, tempers get frayed, annoyance and frustration seep in and before you know it you are back on your knees promising God and yourself that tomorrow is a new day and I will do better.
by Sr. Harriet Mutonyi, MMM Uganda 11.07.2026
My internship at Serenity Centre, here in Entebbe, Uganda, has been one of the most eye-opening experiences of my life. There are lessons that books can teach and there are lessons that reality teaches. Reality teaches in a way that leaves a lasting mark on your mind and heart. Before coming to Serenity Centre, I thought I understood addiction. I had attended classes, read books, listened to lectures. I believed I knew what addiction looked like and who was most vulnerable to it.
However, my experience here has challenged many of my assumptions. One of the biggest surprises for me was the issue of peer pressure. Peer pressure is often discussed in relation to children and adolescents. Yet, at the Serenity Centre, I have met grown men and women whose journeys into addiction began through the influence of friends, workmates and social circles. Some started drinking simply to belong. Over time, what started as a social activity became dependency that affected their health, relationships and livelihoods.
Another misconception that was shattered was my understanding of addiction itself. Like many people, I used to associate addiction mainly with alcohol and drugs. Today, I know that addiction is far broader than that. It can take many forms including behavioural addictions such as gambling, internet use, gaming, social media, shopping, food, sex, pornography, work and exercise. Beyond these are emotional and relationship addictions, where individuals become dependent on validation, attention, relationships or unhealthy patterns of attachment.
What struck me most was seeing people from all walks of life struggling with addiction. I met individuals who were respected in their communities, successful in their careers and influential in society. I met young people from families that seemed to have every resource necessary to protect them from harm. Yet addiction had found its way into their lives. It reminded me that addiction does not discriminate. It does not respect social status, education, wealth, profession, age, tribe or religion. It can affect anyone. It means that none of us is completely immune. If we honestly examine our lives, many of us may discover unhealthy attachments or habits that have gained more control over us than we would like to admit. They may not all be visible or socially condemned, but they exist. Addiction is often closer than we think.
As one of the saints wisely said, “There goes I, if it were not for the grace of God.” Those words remind us that our circumstances are not solely the result of our own strength or wisdom. The struggles we see in others could easily become our own struggles under different circumstances. Instead of condemning those who suffer from addiction, we are called to extend compassion, understanding and support, recognizing our shared human vulnerability. This is why addiction should not be approached with blame, condemnation or indifference.
My time at the Serenity Centre has taught me many lessons, but perhaps the greatest is this: every choice we make today has consequences tomorrow. In life, there is always a “few moments later.” The habits we nurture today become the realities we face tomorrow. The decisions we make in private eventually reveal themselves in public. The warning signs we ignore today may become the crises we struggle with tomorrow.
Reality has indeed slapped me directly in the face. Yet I am grateful for the lesson. It has made me more compassionate, less judgmental and more aware of the struggles people carry. It has reminded me that addiction is not simply about substances; it is about people, pain, choices and hope. And above all, it has convinced me that when we join hands, support one another and seek help when needed, recovery and healing are always possible.
by Sr. Sheila Devane, MMM Ireland 08.07.2026
Whenever I think of endings, I am inclined to think of transitions like finishing a course, retirement from a job, moving from a mission or indeed the death of a loved one. All of us could write our own book about any, or all, of these major milestones. Haven’t we experienced so many? Today I am writing about two endings that couldn’t be classified as either transitions or milestones in the more general sense, but which nonetheless pose their own special & unique challenges. I have only recently thought about them – let me tell you about these.by Sr. Margaret Anne Meyer, MMM USA o4.07.2026
We were happy to have another lay Doctor, Paddy O’Neil, and his wife and two children come to replace Dr. Judith Galvin who did marvelous work during her two-year tour. Doctor O’Neil did great research on each patient with AIDS. All this helped us to learn much more about the disease and how it is presented. At that time, we had no ante retroviral medicines.
He also made a discovery in treating chloroquine resistant malaria. We had thought that the convulsions were due to cerebral malaria. He passed by a patient in the maternity ward who was convulsing and took her blood sugar, He had brought a small device from England, and it gave the answer very quickly. Her blood sugar was extremely low. The convulsions were from hypoglycemia. Intravenous quinine caused an increase in insulin production which, in turn caused a lowering of the blood sugar. We were then able to prevent this. We read about this later in a medical journal.
Another tragedy was the occurrence of many premature deliveries. The mother would suffer high fever from malaria and suffer a miscarriage. Sometimes babies were born at term with palpable spleens, and a blood slide was taken which was positive for malaria. Other babies from 3-4 months old would develop severe pneumonia and have a positive blood slide for malaria. We had never seen that before and were comforted to confirm our findings by reading about it in the medical journals three months later. God was with us as we pioneered in learning about HIV/AIDS as well as chloroquine-resistant malaria.
New Sisters came to the Community. Sr. Mary Donato returned to the USA and Sr. Sheila Devane replaced her as midwifery tutor. Sister Doctor Rosalinda Gonzales was a welcome addition to our medical Staff as were Sisters Helen Mc Kenna, Benedicta Nannyondo, Helen Ahern, and Marcellina McCarthy. We had a very fun-loving Community and many of the young temporary professed were sent to us. We enjoyed the young Sisters and their great enthusiasm for life and learning the language.
We were sad to lose Sr. Christina Hanley who broke her hip while in Belgium trying to get to her plane. Her motherly care was not replaced although we each tried to do something to help the smooth running of the house. I looked after the vegetable garden. I had never watched green string beans growing and it was a delight to have them prepared for supper.
We found that all these changes added to our love and support of one another as we all joined hands to bring Christ’s Healing Love to the people.
A visitor called recently. We hadn’t met for a long time. Our conversation went in many directions; at times we just sat in silence looking out at the sea here in Bettystown. The tide was in, and by the time we had finished that afternoon it was away on the horizon.by Nadia Ramoutar MMM Communications Coordinator Ireland 27.06.2026
If you had an 8th day in the week just for you, what would you do?
This may seem like an odd question. But it can be useful in determining what kind of holiday you need. This is a question that a life coach recently asked on a radio show. Her question led into how important it is to take proper holidays. Apparently there is an increase in people not taking time off work or their typical life to get away or have a proper holiday.
I am writing today to defend the important of holidays.
There are several reasons why holidays are important to us and why we need time each year to get away and to reconnect with loved ones – including with ourselves.
Try and bring some balance to your life as in if you have sedentary job or work, think of a holiday that brings you more activity. For example being out in the sun and getting more Vitamin D can be important for us if we are usually always in doors. Getting some extra walks in or even a swim might be helpful. This can even reset our health for the whole year!
Reconnecting with family and loved ones is important on holidays and it is a time to make your bonds with others stronger. It’s about taking the time to notice on another and give attention that maybe you normally don’t have time to do. But it can also be stressful to be with other people more than you are used to being so it is also important to speak up. Daily, state your needs on your holidays. If you are with people who want to do too much, tell them upfront you will not be doing so much. If they need rest, then let them get it.
A holiday is a good chance to get away from screens and to reconnect with people and ourselves. Sometimes we have so much pressure on us being on screens all the time for work. So making time to be off screens is worth the effort.
Fill your holiday with what you love, just like you would if you had an 8th day to enjoy. Be sure that each day you have something to look forward to enjoying. Work can be stressful even if you enjoy it, so taking a total break for schedules may be a nice change. Leave some time for the spontaneous. Though sometimes now if you are going somewhere popular you will have to make reservations in advance.
When returning to work, try to ease back into work so the benefit of your time away lingers a bit longer.
Have a wonderful holiday!
by Paul Campbell, S.J. USA 23.06.2026
When my sister, Sheila, asks me to write a blog post, I’m always aware that the MMMs are a worldwide, multi-cultural group. She asked for something about the summer and, while for many of us who live in the northern hemisphere, the opening line of the famous aria from George Gershwin’s “Porgy & Bess, “Summertime, and the livin’ is easy…” may be appropriate — for others in the southern hemisphere, their experience of summer may be markedly different.
Another song talks about the “lazy, hazy days of summer” and it’s true that, once the school year ends, life’s rhythms tend to slow down. We’re invited to notice how God speaks to us through creation. In these bright months, the Gospel’s call to see God’s care becomes more tangible: fields flourish, fruits ripen, and long, unhurried afternoons can give us the space for relaxation and prayer.
Mornings arrive with birdsong and a golden hush – our windows are often cracked open to the warm, familiar scent of sun-warmed grass. Our morning tea or coffee tastes more glorious when sipped slowly on a porch, and the hours ahead feel generous and wide enough for unplanned adventures.
Summer teaches us a kind of gentle reckoning: to savor the heat without haste, [although, as an Irishman, I find Washington, D.C.’s fetid humidity almost unbearable], to choose to play over work sometimes, and to relish ordinary joys like a long cold drink, a good book, and the particular comfort of wearing loose clothing and sandals. It’s season of light, of relaxed schedules and active senses, an annual reminder to step outside and let small pleasures fill our days.
