Sr. Nina Underwood was born into a large family of seven children in Boston, Massachusetts. Even at a young age, through the Sisters at school, her extended family, film and stories of the needs of the poor and sick in faraway places, she felt drawn to service. But she resisted being a “nun”. It was only when the family came to be living next door to the Sisters that she was drawn to their openness and hospitality. She loved playing with their dog!

Sr. Nina entered MMM after finishing High School and after her initial formation period she travelled to Ireland to begin nursing studies. She began her studies but then the vision and insight of Mother Mary Martin, our Foundress, stepped in. Mother Mary saw the need of the Sisters, struggling to respond to the suffering in the Turkana Desert in northern Kenya. The distances were huge. Our MMM communities were dotted over the 32,000 sq. miles of desert. There was a famine raging at the time and Mother Mary decided that the only way to get around was by plane. That was the vision. The insight was choosing Sr. Nina to train as a pilot. Nina is such an intrepid adventurer! Even to this day she will turn her hand to anything. There is no such thing as “man’s work” or “women’s work”. There is a job to be done, a problem to be solved and there is Nina taking up the challenge to fix it.

So, as a young 24-year-old woman, off she went every day to train as a pilot. She gained her pilot’s licence in 1967 and then headed off to East Africa. The plane she was flying was a gift by a donor in the U.S. Her training consisted of mechanics and servicing of the plane, i.e. oil changes, tyre repair etc. She flew in the desert for over twelve years. Taking to the sky on a daily basis was most often an emergency situation or visiting clinics, health centres, dispensaries and eventually the two hospitals which were established over the years. Every day was an adventure and sometimes there were hair-raising moments.

In 1982, Nina returned to the USA and did several courses in pastoral ministry and massage therapy. She had a period caring for her elderly mother and a chance to return to Africa in the 1990s with the Maryknoll Sisters in Southern Sudan. During this period, she was abducted by the SPLA and held with rebels for a week or so and then deported “persona non grata”. Fortunately, with the help of the local bishop, she was able to return a month later.

In 2006 she also responded to a crisis famine situation in Niger.

Currently Sr. Nina lives in Somerville MA, continues her pastoral ministry and massage therapy. One thing her experience in South Sudan taught her was that embracing insecurity and uncertainty in a new and different way she really tasted the plight of the poor and marginalized, and this was a real conversion experience for her.