by Sr. Margaret Anne Meyer, MMM                       USA                         05.08. 2026                      

Around this time Dareda Hospital was handed back to the Bishop of Mbulu. Sister Sheila Berthiaume stayed on for a few years more. Sr. Inez Mc Grath offered to stay with her. Sisters Margaret Garnett, Mary Friel, Catherine Fallon, and Vincent Pallotti opened a Health Clinic in Nangwa.

Sr. Mary Swaby came to Makiungu to relieve Sr. Dolores Kelly in the pharmacy. Sr. Dolores was not well and had fractured one of her vertebrae while traveling to Tabora to buy medicines. She healed with bed rest and analgesics and became well enough to go on Home leave.  Investigations showed that she had weakness of her spinal column due to treatment for tuberculosis as a young sister. Sister Dolores always said she had done her retirement first and preferred to stay on the Missions. Upon her return, our Community and herself agreed on a few mutual conditions to make this possible. We would offer her the best treatment available to us. We had no facilities to do a hip replacement. Sister Dolores agreed to use a cane when walking. She even picked out her grave site which was on the Mission Church Compound. Sister Benedicta and Sr. Dolores were inseparable companions for one another and enjoyed long walks together. Every one of us was delighted that Sr. Benedicta could bring so much joy to her life.

One day, I received a letter from the Congregation, asking me to consider going to Nigeria. Sr. Cecily Bourdillon had volunteered to go to Sudan. I was asked to pray about this to see if this were God’s will for me. I was happy where I was. A little voice inside said ‘Go’. Our constitutions say, “Go where you are sent.” I had a year and a half to think and pray about it. God gave me the grace to say yes. It was not easy to leave because around this time Sr. Maureen Mc Dermott suffered a relapse of cancer. She went home for treatment and returned before I left in August 1989. Sr. Marian Scena came from Kabanga Hospital to relieve me.  The hospital was left in very capable hands and thank God it has continued to flourish and help many people. As of now it is in the hands of a priest administrator under the auspices of the Bishop of Singida.