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Dear Friends,
Join us today in celebrating both the feast day of St. Ignatius Loyola and African Women’s Day.
They each have very special meaning for CMMB: St.Ignatius, founder of
the Jesuits (Society of Jesus), worked to promote social justice
throughout his life. Jesuits throughout history have sought to care for
those who were often neglected – through schools, missions, parishes,
and refugee services. Fr. Jerome Nadal, an early Jesuit, puts it this
way:
Why are there Jesuits? The Society has the care of those souls for
whom either there is nobody to care or, if somebody ought to care, for
whom the care is negligent. This is the reason for the founding of the
Society. This is its strength. This is its dignity in the Church.
We couldn’t have asked for a better model to lead our organization!
For many decades, Jesuit ideals, support and leadership guided CMMB and
helped to inspire our outstanding efforts to help “those souls . . . for
whom the care is negligent.”
This is so true in the case of the women of Africa. CMMB currently
supports health programs in Kenya, Uganda, South Africa, South Sudan and
Zambia. And with our increased focus on the health of mothers and
children, we are strengthening the family unit and the community:
healthy women inspire healthy families and communities.
Today, we celebrate our Jesuit identity. We hope you’ll join us in
prayer in honor of St. Ignatius and in tribute to the brave women of
Africa. May they continue to inspire us.
Sincerely,
Bruce Wilkinson
President & CEO
Catholic Medical Mission Board
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