by Sr. Keresifon Clement Ekanem Republic of Benin 04.02.2022
It was a special day, the long-awaited day – Tuesday 13 August 2013; a day I was to begin another phase of life and I was full of enthusiasm about it. I arrived in our Postulants’ house in Mbribit Itam this day. I had a warm welcome from Sr. Benardette Unamah who was our Postulant Directress, and from my fellow postulants who arrived earlier before me. I was shown my room as well as given a meal. The next day came and we had an introduction of what the programme was all about and we were given time to relax, unpack and settle. Gradually we got rooted in the programme.
by Sr. Sheila Campbell, MMM Ireland 01.02.2022
“Spring starts today”. Well, that is what they say in Ireland, on the Feast of Saint Brigid, February 1st. Now usually there is the whole month of February ahead which can be one of the coldest months of the whole year in the Northern Hemisphere. But, this year, I know they are right. Why? Because our first daffodils arrived early, on January 21st. A sign of an early Spring.
by Sr. Noeleen Mooney MMM Ireland 30.01.2022
No one is immune to the presence of birds in our compound in Tanzania Whether we like them or see them as a nuisance, their presence is real and does affect us.
Most of us like the sound of the dawn chorus which these days can wake us up to the gift of a new day.
I believe we can learn much from birds. This is the story of one bird, a sparrow.
by Sr. Noeleen Mooney, MMM Ireland 27.01.2022
Weeds – what are they? The dictionary describes them as “wild herbs growing where they are not wanted”. This is probably how we think of them most times. Weeds are everywhere. They grow without being asked. They spread with complete abandon if we allow them to. They take a lot of time and energy to remove, if we decide to battle against them.
by Lisa Murphy MMM Archivist Ireland 27.01.2022
Following the death of Mother Mary Martin on the 27th of January 1975, there was an outpouring of sympathy to the Congregation from around the world. Hundreds of telegrams and letters arrived lamenting the loss of MMM’s foundress. Today, those messages of sympathy are held in the MMM archive and offer us a revealing insight into Mother Mary’s impact both at home and abroad.
There are letters from Pope Paul VI, MMM Sisters abroad, the President of Ireland, official dignitaries, members of government, businesses, organisations, benefactors and other religious congregations. However, some of the most poignant messages are those sent by members of the public who had met or been impacted by Mother Mary in some way.
The following excerpts have been taken from just a few of the many hundreds of letters that were received. [Please note that the names of correspondents are omitted for data protection purposes.]
by Sr. Sheila Campbell MMM Ireland 26.01.2022
Tomorrow is the anniversary of Mother Mary Martin’s death. When people ask me “Did you know Mother Mary?” I used to answer, “oh yes, I met her once.” And indeed, I did meet her once, with my parents, when I came to Drogheda to be interviewed before I joined MMM. I always thought I knew her. I had this little memory encapsulated in time. I also had countless stories often told, sometimes rather wryly, by some of the older Sisters. There were stories of her endless kindness, of her soft spot for alcoholics. There were tales about her bad driving, erratic parking and the way she could charm the elderly clerics.
by Br. Joe Eberle M.Afr Germany/Malawi 24.01.2022
I am Brother Joe Eberle of the Missionaries of Africa – White Fathers, living now in Hechingen, South-Germany. I knew the MMM Sisters in Malawi and I am happy to contribute to the MMM Blog.
I was born on 29th April 1932 in Erbach near Ulm on the river Danube and after my professional training I joined the White Fathers in 1957 and after the normal preparation for missionaries I was appointed to the Diocese of Mzuzu, Malawi in 1966, reaching this country in October of that year. The beginning in Africa was for me a fundamental eye-opener. Getting acquainted with a new environment, new faces, a new language; practically everything was so different to what I had experienced before in my life – at that time being 34 years old. All this made me reflect and I reached a point where I told myself: just be open and ready to take things as they come, step by step. And surely the Lord will guide you and remain always on your side.
by Sr. Sheila Campbell, MMM Ireland 20.01.2022
Healing is a word that you hear often in MMM circles. In one sense it is a deeper understanding of what a Medical Congregation is all about. We run hospitals, clinics and out stations not only to cure but also to heal.
When we talk about “cure” the disease is over. You can turn your attention to the next patient. “To heal” is a much slower process. It involves not the physical body but the mind and spirit as well.
by Sr. Noeleen Mooney, MMM Ireland 17.01.2022
I have never had a good sense of direction, though I believed that if I walked somewhere, I would at least be able to retrace my steps. This almost let me down once when I went to a baptism celebration in south Maasailand, Tanzania. Houses there are built in a ‘boma’, a circular compound, housing different family members as well as the livestock. It is all carefully surrounded by a thorn fence to keep the lions and hyenas out at night.
by Sr. Jo Anne Kelly MMM Ireland 15.01.2022
In the fridge in our kitchenette there is a bottle of fruit juice. It has the name “Drench”. The drink is new to me but the word drench is not. Drench brings back many memories of when I was a child on our small farm. My father always kept a few cattle, including small calves. One particular time a small calf was sick. She was lying listless, and looked almost lifeless. My father always seemed to know what was wrong with a calf and what medicine she needed. I never knew if the medicine came in liquid form or if he had to crush something and mix it with water. He had it in a bottle and it was called a “drench”. The process of getting it into the calf was called “drenching”.
