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Sister Patricia Lowery, M.D. Sister-Doctor Pat Lowery is one of 650 Medical Mission Sisters in 19 nations trying to be present to others in the spirit of Jesus the Healer. A native of Chicago, Sister Pat knew from the age of 12 that she wanted to be a doctor. She also felt the call to religious life, and entered our Community after graduating from Notre Dame High School. Sister Pat earned her B.A. in Chemistry from the College of Notre Dame in California, and her M.D. from Georgetown University School of Medicine. She then went to St. Vincent's Hospital and Medical Center in New York, where she served as a surgical intern, resident, and acting director of the surgical intensive care unit. Sister Pat then moved to Ghana, where she became a surgeon at the Sunyani Regional Hospital. She was the only non-Ghanaian working at the hospital, and one of two senior medical officers. "In terms of surgery, I could start at the head and go down to the feet," she remembers. She also supervised OB/GYN, pediatrics, and female medicine at the 150-bed hospital. "The people of Ghana are among the friendliest in the world," Sister Pat says. "They always have time to stop and help someone, whether stranger or friend." She served in Ghana for over 20 years, then returned to the U.S. For the past 6 ˝ years, Sister Pat has been in mission on the Navajo Nation reservation in Arizona. She is Chief of Surgical Services at the Fort Defiance Indian Hospital, which serves about 30,000 persons. "Before my arrival there had been no surgeon on a consistent basis…my own broad surgical background of the past 30 years has enabled me to offer a wide range of consistent care for the Navajos of the area," she says. "I am supported by a wonderful group of colleagues," she adds. "There is an excellent spirit of everyone helping each other." There is also interaction with the traditional healers in the Navajo Nation. "I have always found the Medical Mission Sisters' spirituality a strong influence in all that I have done," Sister Pat shares. "Our concept of incarnation, our basis of spirituality in scripture and the liturgy, and our practicality in these from the time of Mother Dengel, have all been supportive and formative over the years."
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