by Sr. Prisca Ovat MMM Kenya 18.06.2022
As a postulant of the Medical Missionaries of Mary, I first grasped the concept of lifesaving from the moment I was needed for blood donation to a dying mother of a set of twins. I thought of myself as a heroine until I realized that it was nothing extraordinary as two others also donated at the same time.
But something incomprehensible happened then. A young American doctor volunteered at the time when someone needed a few pints of blood to live on. From the very charity and compassion of her being, the doctor donated blood this the purpose it was needed. What happened next shocked everyone. The recipient vehemently declined this transfusion, on the basis of, “A white’s blood cannot properly mix with a black’s blood”. “What is the difference?”, many of us asked. Although, medically stating, there are some unique protein structures of the red blood particular to certain races, but this has no effect on donors and recipients provided there is blood compatibility.
As a health worker in areas where religion cannot be compromised, blood donation often possess the greatest challenge when life has to be saved. This is the case of worshippers of the Jehovah Witness. As their faith teaches, no one must seek to sustain their life by another’s blood and accepting a blood transfusion is tantamount to drinking blood-according to research. How a dying patient is saved after declining a transfusion decline will not be discussed here within this topic.
In this month of June, which celebrates World Blood Donor Day, the World Health Organization raises a global awareness which highlights the critical contribution of voluntary unpaid blood and blood product donors. For them, several women suffering from bleeding associated with childbirth, severely anemic children, person with blood disorders, victims of trauma and others have been effectively managed. Thanks to everyone who has ever been privileged to donate blood. Many others would but for their health status.
We reiterate the 2022 slogan as thus: “donating blood is an act of solidarity, join the effort and save lives”.
by Sr. Prisca Ovat MMM Kenya 18.06.2022
As a postulant of the Medical Missionaries of Mary, I first grasped the concept of lifesaving from the moment I was needed for blood donation to a dying mother of a set of twins. I thought of myself as a heroine until I realized that it was nothing extraordinary as two others also donated at the same time.
Recently I received an email inviting me to a Spring Day of Delight: Art and Meditation. Now what is this, I thought to myself? It seemed to be a way of reflection on Scripture using Meditative art practices. I was curious, so I enrolled.(more…)
by Sr. Sheila Campbell MMM Ireland 14.06.2022
The other day I wanted to read and I wanted to sew at the same time. Bother! I needed my eyes for the sewing, so I set myself up with an audio book instead of reading and I sat down for a pleasant few hours. Now, the book I had chosen was “Emma”, by Jane Austen. It is an English classic set in the Regency period. But the reader was American. It jarred with me initially but I soon became engrossed in the familiar story.
By Sr. Prisca Ovat, MMM Kenya 12.06.2022
Everyone is born into a family, not by choice, but divine plan. Through the family unit, we learn to appreciate where we are, its goodness and complexities. Pope Francis published the encyclical – Amoris Laetitia, modelling the family after the Holy family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph. In his exhortation, he said, “No family drops down from heaven perfectly formed; families constantly need to grow and mature in the ability to love.” Ethical and cultural values aimed at family togetherness and societal flourishment are essential for this growth process.
St. Mary’s Medical Centre was founded around the slums of Kapsoya in Eldoret, Kenya. One of its initial intents was to offer relief to orphans of deceased HIV parents through daily provisions of lunch and education. Out of the hundreds who have received support, two occasionally return to the facility to work, to give back – one as a medical doctor and the other as a medical student.
A newborn baby is expected to reach certain key developmental milestones. One such milestone is that a baby should “smile with meaning” at six weeks. That means a smile that can focus, and it is a cause of great joy for those with whom the baby first engages with that meaningful smile.Covid ushered in an era of masks and we have heard it said that we must make sure that our smiles reach our eyes. This was brought home to me at least twice in the early days of Covid when somebody, for example, held a door open for me and reacted somewhat angrily when I just sailed on through with no acknowledgement. No hint of my body language said “Thank you.“ My reaction was to say to myself: “But I smiled, didn’t I?” Then it dawned on me that maybe my smile was not reaching my eyes.
by Sr, Ese Idogen MMM Nigeria 08.06.2022
Just recently, the International Red Cross and Red Crescent movement celebrated its one hundred and fifty-nine years of foundation. I decided to look through the pages of some of the national societies on the internet. When I opened the page of the British Red Cross, a question popped “did your ancestor volunteer during the war?” ‘Oh yes’ I said proudly to myself. She did! Marie Martin did!
by Sr. Jo Anne Kelly MMM Ireland 06.06.2022
Vocation –A call from God, Everyone gets that call. In the scripture for Vocation Sunday we read: “The Lord said I have made you a Light for the nations” Who would not want to be a shining light for others? That’s our vocation..
One morning I visited the grave of a close friend of mine who died recently. A quiet unassuming woman she was truly a shining light as a totally dedicated doctor who saved the lives of numerous women and children, helped to keep marriages together through her advice re natural family planning, and passed on her skills to new doctors year after year. She was equally a shining light when she gave a listening ear to us in community, shared her reflections on a passage of scripture, produced a beautiful handmaid Feastday or Birthday card, or sang a song at a party.
by unknown MMM author Undated Ireland 04.06.2022
‘There’s no place like home’, or ‘home is where the heart is’ are expressions we regularly hear and use. Yet when Mary set out to visit Elizabeth she left her own home. The bewildering news she had herself received and the news about her cousin prompted her to go to Elizabeth. All that defined home for Mary could be left. Mary set out, the kernel of home within her; securely rooted, rooted securely. Within herself Mary had Jesus and so she had a place where she was at ease with herself, at home with herself. As she journeyed peace walked with her.
by Sr. Sheila Campbell, MMM Ireland 02.06.2022
Here I am, sitting in my armchair and just looking out the window. What do I see? Just an ordinary street scene. There is a man from the house opposite unloading boxes from his car. A woman and her two small children pass by right below our house. Maybe they are going to school. They will arrive a bit late, I imagine! The traffic is light because the morning rush has passed. An elderly man is walking his dog, stopping every few paces as the dog examines each tree. A fairly typical morning scene, unremarkable.
