Missionary Month: all to all of sr. Trinitas
Pope Francis proclaimed an Extraordinary Missionary Month in October 2019 and placed it under the theme “Baptized and sent: the Church of Christ in mission in the world”. He invites all the baptized to live this time in four dimensions: the encounter with Jesus, missionary witness, formation in mission and missionary solidarity.
Throughout this month we invite you to discover some missionary testimonies of the Missionary Sisters of Our Lady of Africa.
Today, we present to you the portrait of Sr. Trinitas who lived “all to all” during her entire missionary life.
Sister Trinitas (1912 – 1999)
Sr. Trinitas worked in Malawi as a nurse, midwife, matron and she trained many nurses and midwives to help the women. She believed that “God’s Word would find its way into healthy bodies.” Her love for the people made her creative in helping the poor.
She had discovered that about 60% of children under age four died of various diseases, with malnutrition as their main cause. She then invented a formula for infants, made from local ingredients (corn, peanuts and beans). The “LikuniPhala“ was approved by the Ministry of Agriculture and Health and then by FAO and WHO.
To introduce her “LikuniPhala,” Sr Trinitas would arrive in a village with 6 or 8 helpers, install a screen and a generator. From loud speakers, popular music filled the air and in no time a crowd of children and mothers were assembled ready to listen to nurses teaching them about hygiene, vaccinations and nutrition. The women were given samples of cooked “LikuniPhala” which encouraged them to buy it for their children, and then village grocery stores began to sell it.
She said: “Our mobile clinic prepares people to accept the Gospel We give food to hungry people, we clothe those who are naked and we visit the sick.With audiovisual techniques, we want to show people how they can live in freedom and dignity.”
Sr Trinitas’ greatest quality was always teaching others how to do what she could do. She was an initiator full of apostolic imagination which flowed from her deep love of the people.{gallery}Missionary_Month_2019/sr_Trinitas{/gallery}