Sisters of Mercy are women who decide to commit their lives to serving God's people, especially those who are sick, poor and uneducated. In the spirit of the Gospel, their mission is to help people to overcome the obstacles that keep them from living full and dignified lives. The Sisters of Mercy and healthcare have gone hand-in-hand since the first Sisters of Mercy began tending the sick poor in Dublin, Ireland, in the 19th century.
One such Sister of Mercy in the Diocese of Providence is retired Sister Constance Monahan.
Since her retirement from "active ministry" in 1998 at the age of 69, Sister Monahan has been part of the health team at area hospitals for the Sisters of Mercy. She and Mercy Sister Gladys Sullivan visit sisters in their order who reside in nursing homes, have been hospitalized, live in assisted-living facilities, or are at home ill in Rhode Island and nearby Massachusetts. Typically, they help make arrangements with the discharge planners, speak with the sister's doctors and are there for the sister's family members.
"I've enjoyed immensely what I'd been doing daily," said Sister Monahan, regarding her continued work in hospital ministry on the Health Team since her retirement. "I've enjoyed meeting so many other sisters and getting to know them. I wouldn't know them all otherwise!"
Before her "retirement," she was both a teacher and nurse during her 50 years of active ministry.
In 1948, just after graduating at the age of 19, Sister Monahan entered the Mercy order in the Diocese of Providence, Cumberland. She earned her degree at Catholic Teacher's College, and taught in Fall River, New Bedford, Woonsocket and her hometown of Manchester, N.H.
When she was in her 30s, she fell ill for a year. After recovering, she was given the choice by her order to go back to teaching or to pursue nursing.
"I had been working for a time in the infirmary, and I enjoyed it, that's why they gave me a choice, I decided to become a nurse," she said.
She obtained her degree in nursing at Sacred Heart Hospital in Manchester, N.H., and went on to practice in both Rhode Island and New Hampshire. She eventually returned to teaching as well, and taught nursing in Manchester and then returned to Providence to teach at St. Joseph Hospital's School of Nursing for 28 years. In 1998, she retired.
She's been "retired" and working on the Hospital Health Team for eight years.
But, during this past year, her health has challenged her and she's needed to limit her visiting to local hospitals. At 77, Sister Monahan has also begun to use a cane when walking to help with her balance. Yet, as always, she continues to visit as many sisters as possible. In recent months, she's had to go for shots to help ease the constant pain in her back and hips. For the first time, it's holding her back from the work she loves.
"I'm now having problems with my hips, back and spine and may require surgery. I hope not," she explained, "I still have a lot to do!"
(This article originally appeared in The Providence Visitor)
