Since two decades I know a Doctor Nun who very well fits into a person’s imagination of a “GOOD NUN.” She even after serving lakhs patients in the past four decades believes that each healing is a miracle. She insists, ‘God can do miracle through doctors, provided they pray’. Her life as a doctor was treating patients with medicine and prayer.
Her dedication to the service was so much that she made herself available to patients day in and day out. Many times she did not even get proper rest but got up to join the morning prayers in the convent, despite the physical desire to sleep more. In the morning wake up calls she often hears a voice telling, “It is a call for your soul, as a serious patient needs to your attention’ your soul needs to be recharged for the day, fill in as much as possible, you may not know when you will get time to sleep.” Then she rushes to the chapel. When her sighs reaches to the Lord, at times she hears the voice of the Lord, “What do you need more, I have given you good health and good people around you”. She replies to the Lord, “the gifts of good health and other things are meant the care those sick who comes to ‘me’ but heal those entrusted to my care.” She found the prayer time most precious than any other thing because through prayers she absorbed the Lord and His spirit. Looking at her life one could feel doubtless that it is her inner strength that keeps her going hearty and hale.
In her life as a Nun Doctor she worked in various administrative capacities even under her juniors without being out of place. She was well aware of her duties, never tried to step over the others. She extended maximum cooperation to all those whom she worked with.
It was all of a sudden one-day she felt exceptionally tired. She was taken to a hospital for medical check up and the doctors found symptoms of cancer. Then she was referred to Mumbai. She went through many tests. The doctors said that they were not able to exactly say what sickness she was suffering from. They told her that her blood sells were getting decayed. She needed treatment. Being a doctor she knew that her case had no specific treatment. But as a nun, she knew that the Doctor of all doctors could heal her. She prayed to God to do one more miracle in her life. God did perform a miracle silently. After a few months of treatment again she underwent tests to find the status of her sickness. The doctors could not believe that she was completely well. They said it was a miracle. She knew that her God healed her to continue her service.
Her name is known to most of the Christians in Bhopal. An ecumenical group honoured her with Mahila Ratn Award for her dedicated services recently. She was awarded for not just serving as a doctor but witnessing Christ to the society through her service. She showed that a consecrated person can take up any profession but should become a true professional in fulfilling the vow of witnessing to Jesus through the chosen profession. Sister Dr. Herman Joseph stood the test of the times to prove that she is a NUN DOCTOR!