LifeSigns, July-Aug 2012 - Sisters of the Holy Cross

leaves: Sisters in Ministry
These were enriching moments in my life.
These are my sisters, whose lives teach me to
persevere in my commitment. Their prayerful
demeanor was visible. At the end of my three
weeks, I said goodbye to the sisters and their
caregivers but continued to visit them in the
evenings and on weekends.
For the next two weeks I attended classes in
the nursing department at Saint Mary’s College,
thanks to the efforts of Sister Maureen Grady.
She did all the groundwork and introduced
me to the faculty dean
and professors. This was a
learning experience for me.
I sat in on classes and went
with the student-nurses to
their clinical sessions in
hospitals, homeless shelters,
schools, etc., for more
exposure. I came face to face
with nursing technology.
The students were my
teachers as well. We shared
experiences, and they taught
me how to use the gadgets
and equipment. Some of the
professors gave me copies of
nursing textbooks to use in
my teaching when I go back
to Ghana. For these I am very
grateful.
Meanwhile, I was
preparing to start my hospital
ministry in Boise, Idaho.
The sisters in the Boise
community sent me pictures,
which helped me become
acquainted with their community.
On February 6, Sister Linda took me to the
South Bend airport to continue my journey. It
was with mixed feelings that I left Saint Theresa’s
community because I was happy living there, but
I needed to experience Holy Cross in other parts of
the country. My flight in Chicago was cancelled,
which made me reach Boise at midnight.
However, the sisters stayed awake to welcome me
Sister Scholastica delivers flowers and mail to
patients at Saint Alphonsus Regional Medical
Center in Boise, Idaho.
at the airport. The next afternoon Sister Elsbeth
Mulvaney took me to Saint Alphonsus Regional
Medical Center, where I interviewed with the
coordinator of volunteer services.
I became a Saint Alphonsus volunteer!
Within a short period, I no longer felt like a
stranger among new people and a new culture.
The friendly spirit of the staff and everyone in
the hospital drew me into their family circle.
The sisters introduced me to every unit in the
hospital. I had opportunities to observe heart,
head, kidney and orthopedic
surgeries, which were very
exciting since I was seeing
new technologies for the first
time. As a floating volunteer,
I distributed mail, delivered
flowers to patients, attended
in waiting rooms, escorted
patients and relatives between
departments, and ran errands.
One day, I shadowed
Linda Van Burne, a parish
nurse from Risen Christ
Church, to learn more
about parish nursing. We
visited some parishioners
in assisted-living nursing
homes. Another morning, I
had a ride on the hospital’s
Life Flight helicopter, which
was exciting. And on two
occasions I attended Holy
Cross Associates meetings.
Being with these prayerful
women was inspirational.
They energized me to revive
the Associates group in Ghana when I return.
Another part of my ministry was to assist
in teaching demonstrations for refugee families
in the maternal and child health clinics on
Tuesdays and Wednesdays. I found myself in a
multinational and multicultural society, bound
by the love and esteem we held for each other.
At any given moment, we had no fewer than six
nationalities in the clinic. There were Somalians,
continued, page 18
july / august 2012 ¡ LifeSigns
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