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Muslim dialogue relevant to the (otherwise known as the World Bank)? present controversy. and UNCTAD? And how are the European- Parliament, Council. Commission. Europe is changing rapidly. Some Court of Justice, etc.. constituted? may be still unaware of the sig- The third contribution in this issue, nificant institutions of the European introduces answers to these ques- Community. Many express the fear that tions. And if Europe becomes a focus the breaking down of 'The Wall', of mission in the 90's. as many which gave rise to a desire to help believe it will, it is important that the countries of Eastern Europe and missionaries know a little more about also, a rush to exploit potential new the answers. markets, will lessen European inter- est in the countries of the Southern The manner of recruiting voca- hemisphere particularly Africa. tions to religious life is causing concern. (see the article by J. There is a fear that the special Kroeger, MM in SEwS Bulletin. June relationship between Europe and 1990, Pp. 183 ff .) We publish Car- Africa and the ACP countries will dinal Jaime Sin's letter on this diminish. "The spirit of Lome is question in the Philippines. dead", they say. But what is "LomB"? Which are the 66 ACP countries? What There are news items and impor- is EFTA? and GATT? and IBRD tant notices of coming events. NEWS SEWS NEW MEMBER We welcome to SEWS SEWS SEMINAR: HEALTH IN A SEARCH FOR the BENEDICTINE WHOLENESS. Eighty par- CONGREGATION of SUBIACO whose ap- ticipants attended this one-day Semi- plication for membership was approved nar which was held at the Generalate by the Executive Committee at its of the Divine Word Missionaries. The meeting on June 20. 1990. The Con- address given by Sisters Sarah Sum- gregation has monasteries in Ghana, mers and Mary Pawath of the Medical Ivory Coast. Burkina Faso. Congo Mission Sisters is in this Bulletin People's Republic. South Africa. (see In This Issue). The Global Brain Brazil, Columbia, Mexico, Haiti. video presented in the afternoon Puerto Rico, Philippines. Vietnam as stimulated much comment. We are well as in Europe, USA and Australia. grateful to all concerned in the or- The Superior General is Gilbert ganisation of this successful semi- Jones, and the SEDOS delegate. Mayeul nar, especially Sr. Patricia Stowers, de Dreuille. Address: via S. Ambrogio SMSM of our Executive Committee. Bro. 3, 00186 Rome; Tel. 654 27 92. Robert Goane, OH.. who moderated the session, Fr. Sean Fagan for his sum- CONGRATULATIONS to SR. CLAIRE ming up at the end of the seminar, HIMBAULT on her re- and the Divine Word Missionaries for election as Su~eriorGeneral of the the use of their hall and facilities. Congregation of' OUR LADY OF THE MIS- SIONS. Continued on p. 222 HEALTH IN A SEARCH FOR WHOLENESS: AN INITIAL EXPLOFL4TION Sarah Summers, MMS Mary Pawath, MMS Introduction Scriptual Reflections When he hetuned to that place Jenun and nhe came up behind him nome Lime laten, wohd went hound that thxough the cmwd and touched hin he wan back; and no many people doah.... And the nouce 06 the bleed- gathe~ed that thehe wan no Loom ing d~edup imtady and nhe && la.. .nome people came bhinging kim in henna that nhe wan cued. Juun a pmdytic cannied by 4 men, but an WM -hlediatdy UUhe that POWWL had the uowd made it itponaible to get gone out &om kim. (Mk. 5:25-30) the pmdytic to kim, they nakipped the too6 oven the place and when they had made an opening they lowened the nhetchen on which the pmdytic lay. The lamp o& the body in the eye. Seeing theix 6aith and ingenuity, It &oUowa that a you eye in hound, Juun naid to the pmdytic, 'You you whole body will be &Pled with nim me &ahgiven. ' (Mk. 2: 1-5) fight. (Mk. 6:22) Thene wan a pool in Jenundem - a place whene at intenvak God'n an- gel came down and dintuhbed the These Gospel accounts relate to watenn and the @t pennon to enten Jesus' active engagement in the heal- the waten &en tl~&dintubance wan ing ministry, an integral dimension cued o& any ailment. One man thene of the proclamation of the Good News. had an illnun which had lanted 38 The stories point out that, in Jesus' yea, and Juun knew tkin and anked, endeavours to bring wholeness through 'Do you want to be well again?' healing, various approaches and un- 'Sin', xepfied the nick man, 'I have derstandings came into play. no one to put me in the pool when the waten in intubed; and while 7 am on The Medical Mission Sisters have the way aomeone elne get4 thehe engaged in this same healing ministry be.&o~eme. ' Juun naid, 'Get up, pick of the Church for almost 65 years. We up you mat and walk.' The man wan also have many stories to tell which cued at once and, he picked up kin relate to evolving understandings and mat and wdked away. (Jn. 5:s-9) approaches. We would hope that, in daring- to tell stories from our cor- porate journey, all of us might be encouraeed- and facilitated to reflect Now thexe wan a woman who had on our experience and insights. In nu&&ehed &hum a hemomhage &on 12 this sharing and searching based on yea; &en long and pain,$& heat- our experience we hope to broaden and ment unden vahioun doctom, ahe had deepen our appreciation of the npent nhe had without being any Church's mission of health and heal- the betten &ah it; in &act nhe wan ing as we proclaim the wholeness getting wome. She had head aboLLt which we seek in the Reign of God. HISTDRICAL NOTB ON THE decided to found a religious Con- rnICAL KtSSION SISTERS gregation and for this she went to the USA, where in 1925, she founded Anna Dengel founder of the Medi- the Medical Mission Sisters. The Con- cal Missionary Sisters, was inspired gregation, however, could not be for- by a Scotch woman named Agnes mally instituted as a religious con- McLaren. Agnes was a doctor and an gregation because of Church Law. Thus active participant in the women's for 11 years our religious family suffrage movement in the late 19th functioned as a pious society. In the century. She practiced medicine among meantime, many professionally trained the poor. She learned from Fr. Sisters went to India and Anna Dengel Dominic Wagner, a Mill Hill Mission- challenged Rome to change Church Law. ary who had been working in India, In 1936 the Roman ban was lifted and that the service of women doctors was we were fully recognized as religious indispensable for women in India. women in the Church and allowed to Owing to deeply rooted seclusion cus- practice medicine in its full scope. toms among Muslim women in India, they could not be attended by a male Our beginnings speak of women doctor. Following a trip to India energizing women, of health serving where she saw the situation herself, as a medium for the emancipation of Dr. McLaren devoted her life to make- women. Anna Dengel took major steps ing known this cause and to taking which initiated change and made us action about it. She felt that the responsive to change. She left us a best solution would be to train vision: religious Sisters as doctors and mid- wives. Her initial and enthusiastic "We must have our ideal in view, insight was dampened by the knowledge to become women of solid virtue who that the Church did not allow can be trusted, who are willing to religious Sisters to be doctors or work in a humble and hidden way, but give aid in childbirth. Agnes also who are not afraid to face dif- remained steadfast, however, and with ficulties and responsibilities of a the help of others established a more public life ...We must adapt our- hospital for women in Rawalpindi, In- selves to the needs, the needs will dia. not adapt themselves to us. We must never be afraid to change if it is Anna Dengel, a young lay women needed. " from the Austrian Tyrol was inter- ested in caring for the sick as a missionary. She was encouraged APPROACHES IN THE HEALTEl KINISTRY: through correspondence with Dr. McLaren to study medicine and take charge of this hospital. Having com- I pleted her medical studies, Dr. Den- THE FIRST GENERATION gel went to India for three and a 1925 - 1960s half years as the doctor in Rawal- pindi. It was there that she came in If we trace our journey as women touch with the conviction that she of health and healing, we can iden- was called to religious life and to tify various phases in which ques- help establish the Catholic Medical tions, emphases, and strategies have Mission movement. She felt especially varied and have evolved from one attracted to "doing something that another. We are helped to systematize only women could do for suffering our reflection which is based on our women. This touched the feeling of lived experience by borrowing the womanly kinship within me and fired concept and terminology of Neil Bren- my youthful enthusiasm," she wrote. den and David Korten who speak of (9 generations" of medical mission After much soul-searching Anna strategies. (1) The first generation approach - Are these communicable and was for immediate curative medicine, preventable diseases? primarily hospital based, oriented to the individual as a patient. This - What is the basis of these also included the establishment of diseases; could it be poverty and training schools for nurses and mid- lack of knowledge? wives.