Eileen Morris facts for kids

Eileen Morris, also known as Sister Mary Francis, was an Irish nun and nurse. She was part of the Medical Missionaries of Mary, a group of sisters who are also trained medical professionals. Sister Mary Francis dedicated her life to helping people, especially in Nigeria, where she worked as a missionary nurse. She lived from 1919 to 1993.

Her Early Life

Eileen Morris was born on September 25, 1919, in Powerstown, Clonmel, County Tipperary, Ireland. She had a twin sister named Peggy, as well as another sister and a brother. Her parents were Margaret and Thomas A. Morris.

Eileen went to primary school in her local area. Later, from 1933 to 1936, she attended Our Lady's Bower in Athlone. After school, she learned shorthand and typing. From 1939 to 1943, she worked in the offices of the Irish Council of Churches.

During World War II, Eileen trained with the Red Cross. This experience sparked her interest in becoming a nurse. From 1943 to 1946, she trained to be a nurse at St Vincent's Hospital in Dublin. While there, she met a nun from a new religious group called the Medical Missionaries of Mary. This meeting inspired her to join them.

Missionary Work in Nigeria

Eileen Morris officially joined the Medical Missionaries of Mary on September 15, 1947. She became a full member, known as Sister Mary Francis, on September 8, 1950. Just two months later, in November 1950, she traveled to the Ogoja area in Nigeria.

Helping Those with Leprosy

In Nigeria, Sister Mary Francis joined other nuns who were already helping people with leprosy. Leprosy is a long-term infection that affects the skin, nerves, and other body parts. For her first six months, she worked at a general hospital. After that, she was assigned to the main leprosy hospital in Ogoja. This hospital cared for patients of all ages and at different stages of the disease.

Sister Mary Francis became a matron, which is like a head nurse, at several hospitals. She worked at Ikom from 1954 to 1959, and again from 1962 to 1964. She was also at Nkalagu from 1964 to 1967, and at Obudu from 1959 to 1962, and again from 1968 to 1979. Even after she officially retired as a matron in 1979, she continued to work with patients who had leprosy and tuberculosis in Obudu.

A School for the Blind

While working in Obudu, Sister Mary Francis met a blind patient who used to be a teacher. This patient had lost his sight due to a condition called filaria. This meeting gave Sister Mary Francis an idea: she wanted to start a school for blind people in the area.

In 1974, a small school was opened. It had limited space for students who lived too far away to walk home. The school helped students with different disabilities. It taught them useful skills. Once a year, a special eye doctor from the Netherlands visited Obudu. This doctor performed surgeries to help people see again and gave other treatments. At that time, there were no eye care services like this outside of Lagos, a big city in Nigeria.

With help from the German Mission for the Blind Society, the school grew a lot. It celebrated its 25th anniversary in 1997. Thanks to Sister Mary Francis's efforts in raising money, the Obudu hospital also got a special ward for blind patients and a fully equipped operating room.

Later Years

Sister Mary Francis's health began to decline. Because of this, she fully retired from her work in 1988. In 1990, she returned to Ireland. She lived near her family for a while in Rosedale, Kilmacow. Sister Mary Francis passed away on December 4, 1993, at her order's nursing home in Drogheda.