Life Falls into Life

Written on: January 11, 2016

We know, at least in our head, that life falls into life, that there is no ending without a new beginning, that death always leads to new life.

Every now and then, however, something happens that brings that head knowledge to a much deeper level. That’s what happened on December 22 when Sister Joan Marie McCann was doing her usual volunteer ministry for the “Gift of Life”.

This day she was driving a woman to visit her husband who had recently received a liver transplant. Sister Joan learned that his surgery took place just the preceding week.

Knowing that was when our Sister Caroline Silvestrini died, she asked if she knew who the donor was. The woman only knew that it was a 71 year old nun who had been in Abington Hospital. That confirmed Sister Joan’s feelings.

She told the woman that she is a Grey Nun and so was the donor, Sister Caroline and that they knew each other very well. Since then she has talked to the wife who reports that all is well, they have returned home and are all so grateful.

It doesn’t stretch one’s imagination to picture Sister Caroline rejoicing in heaven that instead of sending candy or cookies to the Motherhouse Sisters for Christmas, as was her custom, she gave the gift of new life to a total stranger! What a privilege!

Perhaps someone reading, this may be inspired to become an organ donor also. If that be true, you may register at www.donors1.org.

This entry was posted in In Loving Memory and tagged: Abington Hospital, Gift of Life, organ donation, Sr. Caroline Silvestrini