Sister Jane, a physician, started her lifelong ministry in Guatemala in 1983. She has combined spiritual and medical healing in her ministry with the poorest people.
“My one desire is to help make life more bearable for the people. Before we came (Sister Mary Lou, also a physician, is with me) little or nothing was being done in the diocese to provide even basic health care for the people living in villages along the coast. Our main focus has always been preventive medicine. We are convinced that education and prevention are essential for improving the health of the poorest people in rural areas.
“What we do is not rocket science. Because the need was so great we knew we could not impact the region by ourselves. So, we simply teach health volunteers how to diagnose, treat, and prevent the most common diseases. We follow up with them after they pass a six-week course. They go back into their communities with 20 medicines recommended by the World Health Organization to treat the diseases they have studied. We visit them and work with them and the people they serve. Overall we have 200 volunteers in this small but powerful program. This is what Jesus would do. Teach. Support. And send out to minister.”
Poverty in Guatemala is widespread and deeply entrenched. Approximately 51% of the population lives in rural areas, and most are the poorest of the country’s poor. Curable infections are an everyday problem. One of the causes is poor sanitation, especially contaminated water. The indigenous population is especially affected because of their lack of access to health, education and economic opportunities.
This is why Sister Jane’s ministry is so very important and vital to people desperately wanting a better quality of life but unable to get even basic health care. And this is why your support is such a blessing. Thank you for your assistance for all our Sisters who are deeply committed to making God’s love visible.
Thanksgiving is a time of coming together with family and friends – and sharing a meal together.
Please pray for Sister Jane and all our Sisters serving in the most troubled spots in our world. Thank you for helping us make life easier and happier for the very poor. You are truly a blessing this Thanksgiving.