 |
Sister Mary Alex Illimoottil Sister Mary Alex is one of 650 Medical Mission Sisters in 19 nations trying to be present to others in the spirit of Jesus the Healer. Born the second of nine children in a devout, hardworking family in a small village in Kerala, India, Sister Mary Alex recalls that she had the desire to become a missionary from the age of 7. "I still remember this was my earnest prayer on my first Holy Communion Day," she says. "My greatest desire was to work for the poor and sick." After 2 years of pre-university studies at Alphonsa College, Palai, Sister Mary Alex joined the Medical Mission Sisters. She received her diploma in pharmacy education from Gujarat University. "In 1974, my dream of going to North India as a missionary became a reality," she explains. She served as a junior pharmacist at Holy Family Hospital in Mandar for 3 years, and then at Holy Family Hospital in Delhi. Ghana, West Africa, was the next step in missionary life for Sister Mary Alex. She spent over a decade as a pharmacist at Holy Family Hospital in Berekum. "I felt God working miracles in my daily life," she shares. "I was deeply in love with the Ghanaian people, especially the children, my sisters in the community, and the West African forests." Sister Mary Alex returned to India in 1992. She worked in Mundakayam Medical Trust Hospital's pharmacy and community health departments, and also studied sociology. She began mission in North East India in 2000, and worked with the North East Diocesan Social Forum to empower women and train women leaders. "These years were a time of growth and grace for me, and I am immensely grateful," she says. Now serving as our District Coordinator in North East India, Sister Mary Alex reflects, "I am convinced that God is guiding me step by step in mysterious ways so I can join Mary in saying, 'The Almighty has done great things for me. Holy is his name.'"
home
|
|
|
||||||||
