By Mary Stadnyk | News Editor 

Around St. Raphael School, Hamilton, students had an opportunity to become mission-minded during the holy season of Lent by learning about others who are in need.

At a Lenten Mission held Feb. 20, Sister Margaret Anne Meyer shared her wealth of stories and insights with the school community about her work as a doctor with the Medical Missionaries of Mary. For many years, Sister Margaret Anne served as an overseas missionary in several African countries including Uganda, Tanzania and Nigeria, where she cared for people with Hansen’s disease, more familiarly known as leprosy. Now that she is stationed in the United States, Sister Margaret Anne devotes her time and energy to promoting mission awareness throughout the country.

Sister Margaret Anne, whose visit to St. Raphael School was coordinated through the diocesan Pontifical Mission Societies, showed a video that described how medical help and education is provided to the people of Africa as well as their living conditions. The video also captured the people attending Mass, which Ceclia Chludzinski, the school’s campus minister of religious education, noted is celebrated “quite different than what we are used to.” Chludzinski cited several elements that occur during an African liturgy such as the dress in native attire and dancing during the presentation of the gifts.

Sister Margaret Anne enlightened her young audience when she told them how $150 in American money helped to treat a young girl with polio. The money covered expenses for the girl’s surgery, a set of crutches and physical therapy.

Students enjoyed viewing Sister Margaret Anne’s display of unique African-made artifacts, including a bell, a hotplate made of weaving, and necklaces made from the spine of fish and beads.

Besides inviting a missionary to speak, Chludzinski said that during Lent, the students also participate in other charitable works such as taking up collections for the mite boxes. The students are encouraged to “sacrifice snack money or do extra chores or whatever they personally can do to raise money for the children in other countries who are less fortunate than they are.”

Another way students assist the missions, Chludzinski said, is through the student council “penny war” in which each grade tries to beat the other grades in collecting the most pennies.

“It is a fun week of the students trying to out-smart each other and the kids get very excited,” Chludzinski said. “We raised more than $300 in the past with this fun activity.”

Sixth grader James Buba said he was “inspired by the fact that no matter what age you are, you can make a difference.”

“Learning that there are terrible diseases in Africa and around the world, it makes me realize how fortunate I really am.”

Sixth grader Maria DelPo found Sister Margaret Anne to be a “very holy woman” who seemed to be “very close to God.”

“I thought that she was meant to be on earth for a big reason, to help people all over the world,” said DelPo. Adding how inspired she was that Sister Margaret Anne’s presentation took place during Lent, DelPo said she developed a greater understanding of what it means to sacrifice and how people suffer around the world.

“My school helped me to see God through one true inspiring lady,” DelPo said of Sister Margaret Anne. “I firmly think that this was the best experience for a child like me to hear and see someone who has so much faith in God.”