by Lisa Murphy MMM Archivist Ireland 11.02.2022
On the 11th of February 1936 Sacra Congregatio de Propaganda Fide issued the decree Constans ac Sedula, enabling religious women to undertake work in all fields of medicine. This permitted Marie Martin’s vision of a congregation of medically trained religious women to be realised. At that time, Marie Martin was on a retreat with the Benedictine nuns at Kylemore Abbey, County Galway which was being directed by Dom Bede Lebbe OSB from Glenstal Abbey.
by Sr. Sheila Campbell MMM Ireland 09.02.2022
Since the Covid-19 pandemic began we have all been with heightened awareness for the need for fresh air and ventilation. We have all our windows and, where possible, doors open. This morning I sat staring at the open door of our chapel when I went in to pray in the early morning.I love the symbol of the open door. It just offers up so much possibility. It is exciting. What is on the other side? I remember entering MMM so many years ago. The open door was a welcoming one. Come and see. Come and join our life. But the open door also has a touch of reality about it. It was kept open so that those who decided otherwise could also leave. The open door is really just an invitation, a liminal space between two worlds.
by Sr. Noeleen Mooney MMM Ireland 07.02.2022
On 21st January this year, the first daffodil, long a long line of shrubs outside our chapel in Beechgrove, Drogheda, burst into bloom.
In retrospect, since I returned to live in Ireland six years ago, this has been a pattern.
At first I was annoyed. It didn’t fit with “my” idea of daffodils. They should be for Easter!
Of course that was before I realised that climate change and its effects has crept into our small island too. I am a slow learner.
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.
