A CARING GUIDE

Veteran missioner Sr. Cecile Turner helps new missioners adjust to life in Guyana

By Magda vanZyl
Summer 2004

Return to Table of Contents
Print Article

My time in Guyana was blessed with the caring presence of a gentle and wise woman called Cecile. As new Scarboro lay missioners, my husband Peter and I came to a country that has so many needs and a different way of life from what we were used to in Canada. Soon we were full of first impressions and questions. Sr. Cecile Turner gave us insights into life in our new home in the city of New Amsterdam where she and Sr. Doris MacDonell, both members of Our Lady's Missionaries, have lived and worked since 1993.

I often saw Sr. Cecile on her way to visit and offer nursing care to the elderly and infirm in the community. It was a joy to accompany her when I could. Sometimes I went with her on hospital visits. She would stop to chat and offer sips of water to lonely patients, especially those with AIDS.

With Sr. Doris away on medical leave in Canada, Sr. Cecile quickly became part of our family. She often invited Peter and me to her home for a Canadian meal. The aroma of roast chicken enveloped us as we arrived. She even served stuffing and a substitute for cranberry sauce, and always jello and ice cream for dessert. We had great times celebrating special days at each other's homes. I loved hearing stories of her many years in mission to the Philippines, Vietnam, Canada and now Guyana.

I remember the day I phoned Sr. Cecile after receiving the news that our brother-in-law had drowned. She came right over and stayed with me for the rest of the afternoon until Peter came home. I will never forget her loving presence that day.

Sr. Cecile also took care of us when we were ill. She drove us to medical appointments and checked on us at home, bringing medicines to help us get better. Whenever we had to travel out of town, she would drive us to the ferry crossing, often early in the morning, and she always had a little bag of candies to make our journey more pleasant.

At Christmas, Sr. Cecile and Sr. Doris have a tradition of making care packages for patients in the psychiatric hospital and for others in town. Peter and I would get together with other Scarboro missioners at the Sisters' house for a meal and then have a work bee. With Christmas music playing, we would put together 200 packages and then load them into the car for delivery on Christmas day. This was a very special time, as were many other times spent in the presence of this caring missionary.

Return to Table of Contents
Print Article