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A new international community in Lahore, Pakistan Beginning a new community outreach is one of hundreds of ways in which Medical Mission Sisters around the world try to be a healing presence to those in need today. In 2006, three of our Sisters from different nations formed an international community in Lahore, Pakistan – a large city of about 10 million people. Pakistani Sister Pauline Sadiq, Filipina Sister Jean Amar, and Indonesian Sister Agatha Titi Prawati are living and working together in this new mission. All three are new to Lahore, which is the center of culture and formation in Pakistan.
“We found ourselves trusting only in God’s Providence,” says Sister Jean of their first months. “Meeting and making connections with different people and feeling the tensions of the political/religious conflicts were opportunities to hold on only to God. Amidst our struggles, we took strength and inspiration from our love and support for each other, the concern of the Salvatorian Sisters, and the care, thoughtfulness, and encouragement of our new-found friends…we discovered God’s presence in many peoples and events that we encountered.
Our Sisters have begun a pastoral involvement with St. John’s Catholic Parish in Yuhannabad, one of the largest parishes in the Lahore Archdiocese. They bring Holy Communion to the sick, and are working with the youth ministry in the parish. “Becoming a healing presence here in the Archdiocese of Lahore is unfolding as we continue to explore and be rooted in the reality of our people and our Church,” Sister Jean shares. Our Sisters have identified two very poor communities, heavily populated by Christians, with inadequate sanitation. Many of the residents are suffering with preventable diseases, such as malnutrition in children, diarrhea, anemia, and TB. The Sisters hope to improve the health conditions of these two neighborhoods by conducting training for health workers and mothers, establishing a nutrition program for malnourished children, and providing education through the school health program. They envision an opportunity to provide direct health care service to patients as well. “We have been amazed by the goodness and generosity of people,” says Sister Jean of the new ministry. “Many times we have counted the ‘angels without wings’ in our journey.
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