A Day in the Life of...
On this page one of our sisters give a brief account of what life is like for her as she lives her life as a Religious Sister of Charity.
SR. MARIA PORTER
My name is Maria Porter and I am a member of the
Airdrie Community, in Lanarkshire, Scotland. There
are seven sisters in this community, all involved
in different ministries. We opened St. Andrew's Hospice for
terminally ill people on this site 25 years ago
having cared for elderly people in Assumption
House, Airdrie since 1957.
I moved to Scotland in 2004 and have been involved
in the Chaplaincy team in a local General Hospital.
I work alongside ministers of other faiths and a
priest. There are two Eucharistic ministers who
visit the hospital at weekends.
Every day in my ministry is different. My day
begins with prayer and the Eucharist. Then I look
at the computer to see if there are any messages.
On Monday last, I arranged to have furniture taken
from a deceased person's house to one of the
Hospice shops in our area.
I then had lunch and went off to the Hospital. I
visit people of all faiths. Monday was interesting.
One patient, not a Catholic, was anxious to talk
about the Trinity. We talked of it being a
‘Mystery’. I had read on the subject in
one of Sr. Wendy Beckett's books. As this lady was
interested in Art, I promised to bring her the
book. I took it to her a day or so later - so the
discussion continues.
Another gentleman, who is a Christian, when he
realised I was a RC chaplain, pulled off a bracelet
he had round his wrist. There were little wooden
icons all displaying pictures of different Catholic
images - Our Lady of Guadalupe, the Sacred Heart,
the Crucifixion, Our Lady. These gave rise to lots
of talk. This elderly man told me his wife died two
years ago and he had a sixty year old disabled son
whom he cared for. He was such a bright old man. He
told me he was 83 and asked me how old I was - I
said 81. He asked me could he give me a
kiss!!
Another gentleman, a Christian, produced a holy
picture a friend had given him two years previously
of Our Lady and Bernadette at Lourdes. He said this
was a prize possession.
A Church of Scotland lady - an Elder in her church
- asked to see me. She was having tests and just
wanted me to pray with her. In fact I learned a lot
from her. She told me how she just gathers up all
her worries and anxieties and places them at the
feet of the Lord each day. She did four years
training in her church on Scripture, called TLS
(training, learning, serving).
I enjoy my involvement in the Hospital and my
leisure time is spent painting and walking. I
attend a weekly art class and at present am making
preparations for an Autumn Sale of Art in aid of
the Hospice. These paintings are donated from
people around the country.
I am also a member of the group in our Province
which is looking at ways we can enable the
prevention of Human Trafficking.