Our work in Indonesia is one of the hundreds of ways in which Medical Mission Sisters around the world try to be a healing presence to those in need today.

More than 80% of the population of Indonesia is Muslim. The Catholic Church has always been a small minority in this country, and our Sisters actively participate in the mission of forming healing relationships across boundaries of faith, culture, and ethnic difference.

Many Medical Mission Sisters work within the framework of Catholic Social Institutes to help those living in poverty, the majority of whom are Muslim. Our Sisters make pastoral visits to the sick and aged, and sometimes to families that have both Christian and Muslim members. They work to promote the health and well-being of the rag pickers and scavengers, and to promote small-scale businesses and women's development. "They are part of building a network of concern in the local basic human communities," explains Sr. Gertrud Dederichs, Assistant Society Coordinator of the Medical Mission Sisters. "Such a dialogue of life can lead to a dialogue of faith."

In a hospital setting like Pare Pare, our Sisters consistently look for ways to keep the health services within the reach of ordinary people. The main communication with the people is through the institution of the hospital itself, the nurses' training school, and the outreach program. There are many opportunities for pastoral care, and for attentive listening.

"Having seen how Medical Mission Sisters' communities, like a microcosm, reflect the great diversity of Indonesian society, I have come to appreciate the witness value of forming community with women of different ethnic backgrounds, cultures, ages, and outlooks on life," says Sister Gertrud. "Within our own circle, we face the daily invitation to live as members of God's family, equal in dignity and worth."

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