A group of nuns joined the humanitarian mission the Church organized in Central Sulawesi, a province devastated by earthquakes and a tsunami on 28 September. Most of them are healthcare specialists from various Franciscan religious orders: the Little Sisters of St Francis (SFD), the Daughters of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary (FCJM) in Pematangsiantar, the Franciscan Sisters (OSF) in Sibolga, the Missionaries Sisters of Mary (FMM), the Sisters of St Francis of the Martyr Saint George (FSGM).

The nuns helped out the people of Palu, the epicentre of the quake, between 25 October and 7 November, on the initiative of the Commission for Justice, Peace and the Integrity of Creation (JPIC). The work was performed thanks to the material help provided by the Sacred Heart of Mary Parish, which is in the heart of the city. From the start of the emergency, the church of the Diocese of Manado served as the coordination centre for Catholic aid. Some young doctors and interfaith activists joined the Franciscan nuns, noted Sr Geovani Purba, who hails from Yogyakarta (Java).Our congregation,” she told AsiaNews, “sent two professional nurses to Palu: Sister Emmanuella Ginting, from Karo district, and Sister Mediatrik Tinambunan, from Simalungun (also in North Sumatera province)”.

For Sister Adelia, FSGM, a nurse at the Panti Secanti Hospital in Gisting (Lampung), the Palu expedition was not her first to a place affected by disaster. She helped quake victims in Aceh and the Mentawai Islands, and, more recently, she was in Lombok and Mount Sinabung, with Caritas Indonesia (Karina Kwi).

Source: www.asianews.it