Medical Missionaries of Mary

The Medical Missionaries of Mary are a religious institute of the Catholic Church dedicated to providing health care to the underdeveloped regions of the world. They follow a Benedictine spirituality, with its focus on life in community, shared prayer and hospitality.

Founded in Ireland in 1937 by Mother Mary Martin, they were originally dedicated to serve the missions in Africa. Today they serve in both North and South America as well

Martin grew up in an affluent home raised by her mother after the premature death of her father. Upon the outbreak of the First World War, Martin joined the Voluntary Aid Detachment, a division of the Red Cross, and helped with the nursing of wounded soldiers. After completing her period of service, she returned home to Ireland. There, she was inspired by the Reverend Thomas Roynane, a new curate assigned to her parish, to serve as a missionary in China as part of the proposed new religious congregation of the Missionary Sisters of St. Columban. In the meanwhile, she was called upon to help in nursing victims of the Spanish flu, which had begun to devastate populations around the world. To prepare for her missionary service, she went to England in January 1919 for further medical training. She was scheduled to undertake training in midwifery the following year. Her mother's severe illness prevented her from taking that training, however, as she had to return home to care for her.

By chance, Joseph Shanahan, C.S.Sp., a member of the missionary Holy Ghost Fathers, had just been named Vicar Apostolic for the new Vicariate Apostolic of Southern Nigeria, then still a British colony. He received permission to recruit among the secular clergy to serve there on contracts of five-years duration. Roynane received permission from his own bishop to volunteer for this work.

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