by Sr. Sheila Devane MMM                           Ireland                                       13.11.2024

Editor’s Note:  Sr. Mary Ellen Sambuco died in September 2024.  As a young Sister, she had been missioned in Malawi and you can read her obituary on our website.

Mary Ellen and I were born in the same year 1945, and each of us was born in one place and moved to another in childhood. We entered MMM the same year 1968, were trained nurses when we joined MMM and as MMMs we both trained as midwives and were first missioned missioned to East Central Africa.

I was the first MMM Mary Ellen met when she came to Ireland – I wish I knew the year exactly but it was winter as you will read; I was sent to the airport to collect her and was supposed to have a companion but at the last minute it was decided as she would have a lot of luggage it would be best if I went alone.

The weather forecast was dreadful by Irish standards: very cold, sleet, light sprinkles of snow, and slippery roads and more to come. At that time, we had no motorways and so I travelled along pretty slowly through the towns of North Dublin to the airport.

While on board the Aer Lingus flight Mary Ellen heard the announcement of seriously bad weather in Ireland, with snow in some places, risky road conditions and a warning to people to only undertake essential travel. Passengers were warned to only travel out of the airport if absolutely necessary. She was reared in Pennsylvania so she had a picture of really bad weather, snow drifts, feet high snow, snow ploughs, cars stuck on highways and much more.

We easily recognised each other in the airport and came outside to cross over to the high-rise car park; I noticed her looking around and taking all in. I paid the parking fee; we got going and headed back on the road home. I believed I was driving on really hazardous roads and felt nervous of skidding or worse for most of the journey.

At about Julianstown Mary Ellen said quietly to me….”We had this announcement on the flight about terrible weather and high-risk road conditions; I thought they were talking about Ireland but I was probably half asleep, thankfully the roads are fine but I see you have a little dusting of snow.”

Well, it’s all about perception isn’t it?!  Every time we met afterwards (and we only met a few times) we talked about this journey and laughed heartily.

I offer this memory as a little consolation to the family, friends and MMM community of this lovely woman who first told me, an Irishwoman, about really bad weather!