To the Bishop

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CARITAS him hosti. 1/21/36 3 Minutes dec 18/19/36 Your Eminence A 2023-01-26/484 May I humbly express the great joy and gratitude I feel to God for the pronouncement made by the S.C.de Prop.Fide, asking for Religious Institutes to be founded to come to the spiritual and bodily aid of the Mother & Child in Pagan Countries, as it has answered absolutely all my secret aspirations, desires, prayers, and work of past years and specially after my three years experience on the Mission field in the Vicariate of Southern Nigeria. I have been anxiously awaiting a pronouncement from Rome, before coming forward publicly, and now I wish to put our Scheme before His Holiness & the S.C. giving you a short account of our aim & what we have realised. Scheme - as elaborated since many years, at the request & under the direction of some Vicars Apostolic anxious to see the work started in their Vicariates - Caiabar, Onitshia, N. Nigeria - happens to be in exact conformity with the instruction of the S.C. of P. of F. 11th Feb. 1936. While all branches of medical work were within its scope, the Society, inspired by the example of Our Lady's Visitation to Saint Elizabeth ( and now by the instructions of the S.C.de Prop.Fide) aimed at making special provision for all medical assistance to the Mother & Child. The Society intended to make very special provision for the spiritual safeguard of the Sisters. at we have been able to realise. (b) We have put ourselves, for our spiritual formation under the direction of the Benedictine Fathers in Glenstal Priory, Murroe, Co L., Merick, since 1934. A member of the Community has been appointed as spiritual Director to our little group, giving us conferences twice weekly on the spiritual life in general, & more particularly on the religious spirit & work & obligation of the future Society. He is always at our disposal for all private direction. Our life has been lived as far as possible the regular life of a Noviciate. (a) We have been working on the lines of a secular Society, we have taken & prepared ourselves for private vows. (c) The group at present consists of one fully qualified Nurse, with C.M.B. another with C.M.B.; & two leaving for Maternity training in the National Maternity Hospital Dublin, this spring, having first taken private vows. The other members are being first spiritually tested and formed, with a view of being trained technically; One Med. Student in her 4th year is attending the University, with the intention of joining when qualified. One fully qualified Doctor is considering joining as well as 5 other Candidates, which includes another fully qualified Nurse, with C.M.B. Certificate. (d) Mons. Moynagh, Prefect Apostolic of Caiabar, has a hospital awaiting our first unit to take over; in the meantime we arranged for two catholic secular Nurses to hold the hospital till we are formed into a Religious Society. (e) Financial we have been able to support our members without going into debts. We have the interest…