Canada Honours Canadian Missionaries

Summer 2001

Our Lady’s Missionaries Sister Mona Kelly and Sister Elaine MacInnes were appointed to the Order of Canada, an honour bestowed on Canadians “who exemplify the highest qualities of citizenship and whose contributions enrich the lives of their contemporaries.”

Sr. Mona was presented with her insignia at a ceremony held on November 16, 2000. Sr. Elaine’s presentation will take place later this year.

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Sister Mona Kelly, O.L.M.
Member of the Order of Canada

A nurse by profession and a woman of immense compassion, she has dedicated the last four decades to helping some of the world’s poorest people. Beyond the medical care that she provides, she works selflessly to find practical solutions to the impossible situations facing war victims and refugees in Mozambique, Nigeria and Brazil. Through her extraordinary efforts, she inspires the people she touches with the courage to become self-sufficient and independent.

Sister Elaine MacInnes, O.L.M.
Officer of the Order of Canada

She offers those who are incarcerated a path to hope and peace. Sister Elaine founded and ran a conservatory-style cultural centre near Osaka, Japan. As she introduced Western music to the region, she was introduced to Zen. Later becoming one of the world’s few Zen Masters, she taught meditation to prisoners in the Philippines and Great Britain, helping to improve their concentration, sociability and self-esteem. Her approach flourished, with thousands of inmates benefiting from her persistence and compassion. She has returned to Canada and is now initiating similar programs here.

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