by Sr. Rita Kelly MMM Ireland 19.03.2025
Hope in him, hold firm and take heart, Hope in the Lord! Psalm 26.
This is a quote from Wednesday’s Evening Prayer in the Office of the Church. For some reason it keeps going around in my head! In to-day’s world, maybe we feel that hope is in short supply. Watching the daily news one can be overwhelmed with the news of climate disasters, wars and conflicts.
One of the conflicts, that saddens me is the news of war in Goma (Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo). In 1994, I volunteered to go to Goma in response to the emergency crisis in Rwanda. Refugees were pouring in from Rwanda to Goma. I was assigned as a midwife to the Refugee Camp.
One day comes to my mind. It was a very wet day, tropical rain pouring down. We were struggling to keep the muck and rain out of the tents. A lady was in labour. She was on a mat on the floor. I was praying she would deliver while we were in the Refugee Camp, because for security reasons we had to leave at night. After some hours, a healthy baby was born. First, the happiness on the mother’s face. A poet captures the scene by saying “The fond look from the mother’s eyes, with the newly born she holds with joy”. When the word of the birth of the child went around the camp, many of the volunteers and staff took a moment to come and rejoice with us. A moment of hope, a moment of grace.
Mother Nature is a great teacher. After a long dark winter, what pleasure and moments of joy we experience when we see the first snowdrops peeping through the barren ground. Gradually the crocuses, daffodils, the buds in the trees appear. Moments that lighten the heart. We look forward to the longer days and summer days.
“To be at the mowing of the meadows, the cutting of the corn, feel the fullness on the senses. Oh, the suddenness and wonder of a love that’s newly born.”
As a missionary order we experience the generosity of people, through finance, volunteers, staff and encouragement. But also, in our daily comings and goings we experience the kindness of people, the smile, the chat.
During these Lenten days may we remember the moments of hope and joy we receive daily. Lent is a preparation for the great celebration of Easter, the Risen Christ. We are journeying with Christ in His passion and death, but, also, with faith, hope and the knowledge that we will experience, participate and celebrate the Resurrection of Christ. May you have the blessing of the Lenten Season and the Peace of the Risen Christ.
(Quotes from Mystical Path with Poetry by Peter Owens)
by Sr. Margaret Anne Meyer MMM USA 15.03.2025
It seemed like such a flurry. Returning from my father’s funeral in New York and venturing to the airport a few days later to begin my first mission trip to Uganda. I do not recall packing but have a vid memory of Mother Mary. She had a big smile on her face when she gave me a chocolate mouse eating a piece of cheese. She said, ‘Bring this to the Sisters, dear, this will make them laugh.’ The next day I was off to London to get my visa for Uganda.
At that time, we had no house in Ealing, so I stayed with the Sisters of the Cross and Passion. They were truly kind and the next day I was brought to Victoria Station and knew that the Ugandan Embassy was somewhere in the vicinity. I had several hours to spare before my appointment in the Ugandan Embassy. As I was near Westminster Cathedral, I ventured in to make a visit for an hour with the Lord. Then I spied a Kentucky Grill and ordered a big piece of Mississippi Pizza for 40 p. I remember thinking that that was around 8 shillings in the former counting of English money. Anyway, it certainly tasted good. Then I sauntered over to Westminster Abbey and saw so many statues of renowned English men who had made history eons ago. Soon I passed Big Ben and the chimes sounded beautiful and clear as I walked by and soon found myself at the Ugandan Embassy where I speedily collected my visa and then proceeded to the Queens Art Gallery The security guard asked me if I were a student and I told him, “no”. He replied well you look like one, so he gave me free admission. One painting on the wall was more exquisite than the other but after a while I found a lovely lady in a painting called “Agatha”. I bought the postcard print of Agatha and sent it to Mom.
Then it was time to get the plane to Amsterdam. I took the Underground to the airport and when I got off; I did not know where to go. My father told me to follow the crowd and half the crowd went to the left and half took an elevator. I thought I would like to try the elevator and could not believe how my prayer to Daddy for direction was answered when I got off right in front of the locker where I had placed my luggage upon arrival to London. I was so relieved to say the least. Thank you, Daddy.
The plan was to meet Sr. Dr. Maureen O’Mahoney in Amsterdam and from there we would travel together to East Africa. This was my first missionary journey, and I felt a little prepared because one of the student nurses in the IMTH, Jane —– had been teaching me Luganda. To my dismay, a Luganda word for king, Kabaka, was on the front headlines of the paper we received on the KLM plane bounded for Uganda. “KABAKA Is Overthrown”. I knew that meant there was a coup, and the country would be in turmoil. I was very frightened. I was glad Sr. Maureen was with me but unfortunately, she soon traveled on to Tanzania after our landing at 2 AM in Entebbe, May 24th, 1966. I said in anguish, “God did you bring me all the way to Africa to have me killed”?
I got no reply but somehow the strength came to stay and to see what would happen next?
by Sr. Sheila Campbell MMM Ireland 12.03.2025
As we celebrate 50 years since Mother Mary’s death this year, I have been finding small nuggets of gold among the many memories of Mother Mary recorded over the years.
This is one of them.
“Sister Monica Prendergast (recently deceased in February this year) recalled that when the hospital was built in Drogheda, the chapel was placed opposite the telephone room. There were complaints that the noise from the telephone room could be heard in the chapel, disrupting prayer. Mother Mary commented, ‘I’ve been thinking about that – that God is in noise as well as in quiet. When I hear about an accident, I think of the staff going out and the patient coming in. I pray for them. The chapel should be in a public area.’ Perhaps this recollection illustrates most clearly how Marie Martin was a woman deeply aware of the world’s realities, who felt a call to contribute to its healing. With gratitude we celebrated her response to that call and the example she gave to others, encouraging them to share in the gift that she received.” Healing and Development 2017.
God is in the noise, as well as in the quiet. These are not words usually heard among religious people. But they gave me heart this morning as I listen to all the “noise” coming from social media, from our politicians, from complainers and protesters of every sort. Can I avoid the desire to flee from the noise and listen to the heartbeat beneath it? As Mother Mary implied, it is the world we live in, and we are called to reach out to the needy of this noisy, fractured world.
Do I also find God in the quiet? Of course, I do! I love walking on a wind-blown beach in Donegal, or sitting at a lake, watching the swans glide by. Especially those of us who are introverts need the quietness and peace, so for me the challenge is not to box God into any one place or situation. God is in everything – even the noise!
by Josephine Namutebi AMMM Uganda 09.03.2025
In John 14:27, Jesus tells us: “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”
This peace is a healing gift, but we must first receive it ourselves before we can pass it on to others. Healing is not a one-time act; it is a continuous journey, and in that journey, we find the capacity to heal others.
There are two kinds of people in this world: the patients and the healers. Yet, the healers cannot truly heal if they themselves remain wounded. We can only share what we possess—our experience, strength, and hope. For many of us who struggle, whether with addiction or other burdens, prayer has been a source of relief and renewal. But more than that, it reveals a deeper truth: healing is not only a personal responsibility but a collective one. We must “carry the message,” not just for others but for our own growth. Only by tending to our wounds can we guide someone else down the path we’ve travelled. If we focus only on others—their crises, their struggles—without attending to our own healing, our capacity to help is limited. The challenges we face are not obstacles; they are our greatest teachers.
Today’s world is filled with immense adversity: poverty, famine, grief, broken relationships, chronic illness, financial struggles, and the weight of uncertainty. These hardships are universal, yet how we choose to respond to them defines the healing we bring into the world. The more we accept healing for ourselves, the more we contribute to the healing of the world.
For me, as Josephine, I find this healing in prayer, faith in God, and sharing my journey with others. As Hebrews 11:6 reminds us, “He is the rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.” Healing comes when we seek it earnestly, and when we allow ourselves to be healed, we become living examples for others. In today’s world, many are sinking into despair. Depression is widespread, and isolation deepens. We need each other more than ever. By lifting others up and encouraging them to continue despite the weight of the world, we become enablers of hope.
We do not heal alone; we heal together. When we rise, we help others rise as well. The only way to truly heal is to first allow ourselves to be healed.
by Nadia Ramoutar MMM Communications Coordinator Ireland 08.03.2025
It would make me so happy if we didn’t need to have another International Women’s Day. If things were going so much better for women that we could say “Oh, no need. Let’s not have it this year.” Unfortunately, the opposite is true. The theme this year “Accelerate Action” makes total sense. It’s not enough for us to “celebrate” women when so many women in the world are unjustly suffering. At the rate we are going, women are actually falling further behind even though we make up 51% of the world’s population.
According to Focus 2030’s research “at the current rate of progress, it will take 131 years to achieve gender equality worldwide.” Clearly, this statistic is beyond the current life expectancy of any human so none of us will be here to see if it is right. We seem to be playing on an uneven field where the goals just continue to move further away. In any category we select, women are generally doing worse. Education, health, violence, poverty… over and over we see that women are struggling globally to survive, let alone thrive.
What is also sad is that when a woman suffers, it is usually children that will also suffer. We have entire generations of children who will experience extreme poverty, starvation and even die from dehydration because their mother never stood a chance to make ends meet. At so many levels our MMM missions work to empower women and families so that they can be sustainably fed and keep themselves. The old phrase “give me a fish and I eat for a day, teach me to fish and I can eat for a lifetime” is the logic in creating a way to treat the entire woman and prepare her.
We have not found a way to correct for the injustice of gender inequality in the world, but we cannot give up hope in finding a way to do it. International Women’s Day is a way to remind people that the issues facing working women globally are still dire. It is not a way of saying that women deserve more than men, but to ask for efforts towards equity. For many of us working in this realm the ways of the world at the moment seem to make things seem even more grim.
The challenge here is to carry hope in our hearts and put that into action. We have to do something rather than throw up our hands and shrug. We are standing on the shoulders of giants in terms of efforts to empower women since the pioneering years of the MMMs. We will acknowledge International Women’s Day this year by standing up yet again and saying “yes, you can count us in.”
by Mary Essiet Nigeria 05.03.2025
I think people do not share enough about hearing a “yes” from God. We often hear stories of those who long for a “yes” but instead receive a “no.” Have you ever desperately wanted to clear your doubts on something by wishing that God would say no to you, but His response was a yes? Oh dear!
I feel that most times when people want God to say yes, it’s often because they already feel that the answer would be a ‘no’ but hope within them that He’ll say yes. So it appears easier to handle the outcome because it was expected.
However, when people want God to say ‘no’, the situation always seems different. You know that feeling when you sense something significant but try to run away from it? At that moment, you begin to doubt the authenticity of His voice. You question your spirit of discernment: why would God ask this of you? Ultimately, you wish that the cup would pass from you. Still, you pray, saying, “Lord, if it really is your will, please say yes.” And if you are like me, you give Him instructions and specifications of the signs you need to be sure it is a ‘yes’. Then, against all odds, you hear that dreaded ‘yes’. Sometimes He adds toppings because who are you to try to run away from His calls? Another Jonah?
When this happens, it doesn’t matter that it’s from the all-knowing God. You fidget. Fear sets in about how you’ll handle the demands of the task – the what-ifs, the why me, and all those swirling thoughts. It’s okay. You are not alone. Even Gideon doubted his abilities. He asked God for signs. Remember Moses, the one whom God used to free the Israelites from slavery? He questioned the Lord too, saying: “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh, and bring the sons of Israel out of Egypt?” If it helps, bombard Him with every possible question you can think of.
However, if you give it some time, you will see for yourself why. Because all things work together for our good, and the Lord makes everything right in His time. Moreover, His plans towards us are that of good and not of evil. So, trust in the Lord with all your heart, especially in those moments.
Take it one step at a time.
Peace!
by Nadia Ramoutar MMM Communications Coordinator Ireland 01.03.2023
I am such a lover of words that I receive a Dictionary word of the day. Often it is one I already know or have heard but every now and then a random word pops us and I am very taken with it. Meliorism was one such word. Now, if you have not heard it before either I wouldn’t be surprised but I think it is a word that we need to use more often and to actually bring to life.
A definition of Meliorism is ‘the belief that the world tends to improve and that humans can aid in its betterment.” According to the dictionary in 1877 British novelist George Eliot wrote about it almost claiming to have invented it though it was used about 40 years before. She used it in her letters and correspondence and really did try to advocate for it. But to little avail.
It most likely has its origins in the Latin word “melior” which means “better”. Considering the condition of the world at the moment, might it be a good time to really promote the concept that humans can make a difference and are capable of doing good in the world too?
As bad as the news can be, there are ways in which we as humans have shown that we are capable of making the world better for one another. We are also capable in aiding in its betterment. This is perhaps why I love working with the MMM because I am continuously uplifted by the efforts of the MMM Sisters and what they are doing and what they have done.
Recently, I was reflecting on the work of the MMM Sisters in medicine and treating people many years ago and realised how pioneering the efforts were and continue to me. If you don’t already do so I encourage you to listen to our MMM Podcasts and read more of our blogs. In there we hear the stories of the Sisters who casually talk about the miracles they performed in dire conditions.
We are celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the death of Mother Mary Martin this year and it is stunning to see how her legacy lives on in the work of the MMM missions so many years after her death. Her vision was so strong that it sustains today and her faith was so fierce.
If we can get passed the fear of the modern politics, I believe it is essential we embrace this concept that humans can be and are capable of being agents of good in our world.
As we face the darkness each day, let us find within ourselves the light to shine on – regardless.
by Sr. Sheila Devane MMM Ireland 26.02.2025
In Ireland, as in some other countries, there is a special devotion to the Child of Prague. Brides seeking a fine day for their wedding traditionally put a statue outside in the open – preferably in the garden- praying that the rain stays away. This works with varying success – a rain free day in Ireland is a big ask and if it happens is a huge gift!
On January 25th here in the Motherhouse in Beechgrove, Drogheda, Ireland we planned a special celebratory event to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the death of our beloved foundress Mother Mary Martin. January in Ireland is winter and can be a month of really challenging weather but it is the variation and changeable nature of Irish weather, especially at this time of year, that proves especially difficult for anyone planning a January event!
I decided to do my bit and play my part in beseeching God for a mild day or at least one without too much rain, snow, sleet, or storms so that guests could travel and the day be honoured. The forecast was looking grim, indeed serious, as the meteorologists, day after day, in the week leading up to the event warned of storms, orange alerts and most of all a red alert – the most serious weather alert possible- for the day before in what has been called ‘Storm Eowyn.’
A friend had travelled to Prague some years ago and decided to bring me back a gift: there it is the tiniest of tiny statues of the Child of Prague. It is sitting beside a teaspoon in the photograph to illustrate its diminutive size. Looking at it I wondered if something so small would “work” but, remembering that ‘small is beautiful’ , I placed it in a shrub outside the door and hoped it would not get lost in the soil or be blown away or indeed forgotten (by me!) I looked at it each time I passed and said a prayer ………..always asking for a mild day.
The bad weather forecast continued – not only was Storm Eowyn forecast but another storm with a Spanish name – Hermina – was coming on its tail. How could this be? So, Friday was to be the apex of Storm Eowyn and Storm Hermina was due to begin on Sunday morning.
I travelled to Drogheda on Thursday as all non-essential travel was banned in Ireland on Friday 24th and we experienced one of the worst and most devastating storms in our recorded history – as I write on Feb 3rd thousands of homes, businesses, and farms still remain cut off from electricity & phone connections and some are still without water too.
Fortunately, the east coast of Ireland did not experience the devastation of those areas on the Atlantic Ocean – all along the western seaboard. Saturday was a beautiful, dry, sunny, mild day in Beechgrove; most guests were able to travel and we had a memorable celebration unmarked by any weather catastrophe. On the following day, returning to Dublin, Storm Hermina was making its presence felt as the wind blew the car along the motorway, trees were shaking, it was raining and the grey sky was ominous.
We were blessed to have had a day of anniversary remembrance between the two storms, to have been able to gather, to travel in safety and not to have experienced the destruction and chaos prevalent in much of the country.
I am thankful to the Child of Prague and I think too that ‘the lady of the day’ – our dear Mother Mary Martin – once again worked her magic or miracle and made sure that we were able to be where we wanted to be. Travelling is so much part of our MMM lives and we all have weathered a few storms too – on that occasion we were certainly living between two of the biggest!
With gratitude for a very happy and safe celebration!
by Nadia Ramoutar MMM Communications Coordinator Ireland 22.02.2025
Many years ago before I began my work as a Communications Coordinator for the Medical Missionaries of Mary, I met a young American woman who worked for ten years in India’s red light district helping women get out of prostitution. Then she moved back to the United States and began an organisation called Rethreaded where she taught sex workers how to make clothing and accessories giving them necessary job experience to keep them off the streets. I remember walking up to the door and her opening it. She had an apron on a sweeping brush in her hand. She was sweeping up dead cockroaches.
“The problem with prostitution,’ she said. “Is that it is largely economic. Women don’t have the money so they get into it to survive and then they don’t have the money to get out of it.”
This year we see that estimated figures for human trafficking of sex workers is expected to increase by 25% and for children it is expected to increase by 30%. Despite the efforts of devoted people, it’s getting worse.
Child trafficking, and other forms of trafficking are rising as poverty, conflict and climate leave more people vulnerable to exploitation, according to the 2024 Global Report on Trafficking in Persons published in January by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).
There is a perversity to this that I cannot comprehend but it is a shocking trend that I know we all need to hear. How cruel that people suffering already in poverty will become enslaved in a system that uses people and their bodies for profit. The idea that because a child is poor then they can be sold or taken is appalling but it is not new. The concept of a human being as a commodity to be traded is one that many countries built empires on and many companies made their fortunes upon not just then, but now. How can we put a price on a human life?
It is important that we really take off our rose-coloured glasses and look closes at how human trafficking really works. If we don’t, we will continue to fall rapidly behind in protecting vulnerable people especially children. Our MMM Sisters are actively working to fight this trend and are doing so in some of the poorest communities in the world. Because human traffickers know that this is where they will thrive.
It seems that in a world which can design faster smart phones and use Ai to write books on anything, we are failing as a species in solving this age old problem of trading in souls. Why is it so hard not just to prevent human trafficking but to stop it from thriving and growing so massively in profit?
I wish I had the answer and I am so proud of the MMM Sisters who continue to fight like David against Goliath. We cannot give up in the face of such startling facts.
by Sr. Liana de Jesus MMM USA/Brazil 19.02.2025
Our life is like a plant, the relationship is very similar. When a plant is a seed, it needs someone to water it until it grows and becomes strong. When a baby is born, he/she needs someone to care for him/her until it grows. As human beings, we are like a plant which needs all loving care. God has given us the freedom to choose what type of plant we want to be in in order to flourish in life.
Do we want to be like a beautiful flower that needs to be cared for our whole life? Do we want to have someone always giving us water, and food and putting us in the sun’s direction? As human people, we need to develop our deep senses of humility and acceptance that we do need each other and should be the source for others to grow as well. One only can be strong like the trees in the forest because they have other trees, to give support when the wind is strong, otherwise they could easily fall. The tree by itself looks for what it needs to grow strong. When growing between the stones, it looks for the spaces that it needs to survive. For the roots to grow deeper it needs water and for the trunk to grow tall it needs to move in the direction of the sun.
Again, like nature, which takes responsibility for the tree’s growth, we too are responsible for our lives and health to grow and to flourish. It does not matter what type of tree you may become a bamboo tree or a mango tree; even if you have a thunderstorm the tree continues to grow strong as it cared for. In our lives, we may need to develop our connection with nature and become aware that we need to believe that God is in control and will never let us down. Our roots are deep, and we will be able to accept the thunder in our lives and will be ready when the time of death comes.
Every person in life has their process and purpose for being born, the grace to grow old, and to die gracefully. If we were conscious of our connectedness with nature our lives would be fruitful and joyful as we relate with other living beings. Let us care for our nature and life on it.
