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Sister Patrice McSweeney Sister Patrice is one of 650 Medical Mission Sisters in 19 nations trying to be present to others in the spirit of Jesus the Healer.
Born to American parents in Colombia, South America, Sister Patrice was educated by the Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary in Albany, New York, and Tampa, Florida. She earned her R.N. from St. Peter’s Hospital School of Nursing in Albany. When she learned of our Community as a teenager, “The same clear unshakeable certainty of my call from God was there then, and remains in me just as strong today,” she shares. “That call has proved to be my anchor in good times and in rough times.” Sister Patrice served as a nurse for 9 years in Maracaibo and Caripito, Venezuela. She returned to the U.S. to study, graduating from the University of Pennsylvania with her Bachelor’s Degree in Nursing, and from the University of Puerto Rico with a Master’s Degree in Public Health. “Christian Communities became my special interest,” she explains. “The richness and depth of community living among the members, their strengths as well as their vulnerability, would teach me many unforgettable lessons.” Returning to Venezuela, Sister Patrice ministered as a rural health nurse, and worked with parishes and Basic Christian Communities. In Barquisimeto, she helped to get schooling for deaf and handicapped children in Barrio La Paz. She lived for many years in Barrio Santo Domingo, where she did parish work and accompanied young people who were growing in their faith. Sister Patrice is grateful for all that she learned in nearly 40 years of mission in Venezuela. She reflects, “We all learned that God is very close and present when there is no one and nothing else to reach out to for help.” Returning to Philadelphia eight years ago, Sister Patrice became active in pastoral ministry. She currently visits the sick, is involved in a literacy program, and works part-time in our Mission Development Center.
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