 St. Martin De Porres Hospital recently celebrated its 50 years of "tender loving care" for the residents of Chiayi and beyond. What started with a bag of medicines and a God-inspired will to bring love to the mountaintop is today an internationally-recognized healthcare institution with nursing homes in Australia and China, in addition to Chiayi. When the Sisters of Our Lady of China (OLC) were forced to relocate to Taiwan, eventually settling in this area, little did they know their initial tears of sadness would eventually give way to the certain conviction of following the path the Lord has plotted for them.
On October 22, the Sisters of Our Lady of China arranged for a special Mass of Thanksgiving at the hospital and afterwards hosted a banquet for the distinguished guests of honor who had graciously cleared their busy schedules to come share in the joy. The Papal Nuncio to Taiwan, Msgr. Slađan Ćosić, gamely delivered an impromptu homily relating the intercession of Our Lady at the wedding of Cana, when the party had run out of wine. Do whatever He tells you, was the command she gave the servants, referring to her son Jesus. If we, as servants of God, keep our hearts open to His will and earnestly do as Our Lord tells us, we will be amazed at the miracles He can perform through us. How fitting are these wise words of encouragement from the Holy Father's personal representative!
Among the other guests in attendance were Sisters Margaret Mary, Jane Marie, and Madonna, representing the Sisters of St. Francis of Perpetual Adoration (OSF) from Mishawaka, Indiana. This religious community is united in prayer with the Sisters of Our Lady of China and shares the same mission to render healthcare to the poor and neglected. They have been a strong pillar of comfort and support for Sr. Mary Paul, the founder of St. Martin De Porres Hospital, from the beginning, and significant contributors to the success of Chung-Jen College of Nursing. The current mother general of OLC and superintendent of St. Martin De Porres Hospital, Sr. Lucy, credits them for taking her in and encouraging her when she was in the United States to pursue a masters in hospital administration at DePauw University. The OSF mission is manifested in Franciscan Health, a group of 14 hospitals operating in Indiana and Illinois, and Sr. Lucy is fond of saying that everything she knows about running a hospital she learned from Kevin Leahy, the CEO of Franciscan Health.
Another religious community that has helped the OLC tremendously is the Benedictines of St. Procopius Abbey in Lisle, Illinois. Visitors of St. Martin De Porres Hospital on Daya road can see the vast amount of land the Benedictines donated to allow the OLC to build and expand to meet the needs of a changing society. It would have otherwise been impossible for the OLC community to obtain enough land for the larger hospital, and, as the Lord intended, a way was found. The Benedictines were represented in the celebration by the Karches, who can be aptly-described as enthusiastic, humble followers of Christ.
The celebration of St. Martin De Porres Hospital's 50th "birthday" was an opportunity to reflect on the enduring enormity of God's love, a not inconspicuous testimony to the great things that can be accomplished when we put faith into practice. In an increasingly materialistic world, in a smokey spiritual environment that seems to put the cart before the horse, where the Golden Rule is smartly observed as "those with the gold, make the rules," a look into the grateful eyes of God's most humble servants can move one to clear space for a mustard seed.
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| Date¡G2016-10-24 |
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