by Sr. Sheila Campbell, MMM                               Ireland                                          28.01.2026

Recently, I heard a story from one of our Sisters, Chris, that warmed my heart. Chris herself has cherished the memory for many years.

One day she set out from Drogheda to visit a cousin in Galway. The woman said she would be staying in a certain hotel in the city. The bus journey began uneventfully, but the further west they travelled, the weather deteriorated. The rain and wind came in large gusts and the bus rocked from side to side. To make things worse, the wipers on the bus broke and yet the driver struggled on.

Getting near Galway, Chris realised she would be several hours early for her appointment, so she decided to get off the bus early and go to a small café she knew on the side of the road, have a cup of tea, and then catch a later bus to the hotel.  As she left the bus the wind was so strong that it whipped off her headgear and blew it away over the hedge. She had no raincoat and soon became drenched. She turned to the café to find the door closed.

Just as she was facing this dilemma, a very elegant lady was passing by under a very large blue umbrella. She didn’t seem to the bothered with the rain but noticed Chris. “Can I help?” Chris explained she just wanted a cup of tea in the café, but the woman explained that the café had closed many years back. “This neighbourhood has changed,” she said, “what once was a business area had become a housing estate with many young, hard-working families.”

She insisted on bringing Chris back to her house, taking off her jacket to dry on the radiator, made the tea and sat and talked. She told Chris that she was originally from the Aran Islands, a retired University lecturer (and indeed the table was full of books!) Her husband was dead; she had no children and that life was lonely. She tried to keep active by joining local groups and going to the gym in the hotel Chris was heading for.

“What age do you think I am?”, she asked Chris.  Reluctant to guess, she suggested late 60s.  “I am 93!”, the lady proclaimed.
All the time they sat talking, the lady never pried about Chris and her life. She never even knew she was a Sister.  Eventually, she offered to drive Chris to the hotel in her little car and as she parted gave Chris a big hug.  “You don’t know anything about me, and I don’t know anything about you, but I really enjoyed the visit.  Thank you”

What a wonderful gift of hospitality each woman gave that day!