Mary Aquinas Monaghan facts for kids

Sister Dr Mary Aquinas Monahan (born 30 August 1919 – died 28 November 1985) was an Irish nun and a doctor. She was a member of the Missionary Sisters of St Columban. She was one of the first four nuns in Ireland to become a qualified doctor. Sister Mary Aquinas was known as a top expert in treating and managing tuberculosis, a serious lung disease.

Sister Dr Mary Aquinas Monahan

Early Life and Journey

Sister Mary Aquinas Monahan was born Cathleen Monaghan in a place called Cartron, near Loughrea, County Galway, Ireland. Her birthday was August 30, 1919. She was one of nine children in her family.

She went to local schools and then to a convent school in Navan, County Meath. On April 14, 1939, she joined the Missionary Sisters of St Columban. This meant she became a nun. She took the name Sister Mary Aquinas.

Sister Mary Aquinas studied science at University College Galway. Later, she went to University College Dublin from 1941 to 1947. She earned her medical degree there. After finishing her studies, she worked as a resident doctor in hospitals in Dublin. She was among the first four nuns in Ireland to become doctors. This was possible after a church rule that stopped nuns from being doctors was changed in 1936.

Helping People in Hong Kong

Sister Mary Aquinas was first sent to work in Hanyang, China. But due to big changes in the country, she had to leave. She was then sent to Hong Kong.

The Columban Sisters were asked to take over a naval hospital in Hong Kong. It was being turned into the Ruttonjee Tuberculosis Sanatorium. A sanatorium is a special hospital for people with long-term illnesses. This hospital was named after Jehangir Hormusjee Ruttonjee. It offered free healthcare to poor people and was supported by wealthy local citizens. Many patients were refugees from mainland China. Hong Kong had a big problem with tuberculosis at that time.

To get ready for her work, Sister Mary Aquinas studied more about chest diseases in London. She arrived in Hong Kong on January 17, 1949. She was put in charge of the Sanatorium as its medical superintendent. The Sanatorium officially opened on February 24, 1949.

Fighting Tuberculosis

Sister Mary Aquinas helped the Ruttonjee Sanatorium grow. More beds were added for patients. The hospital also became a place for important research into how to treat tuberculosis. She continued her studies and earned more medical qualifications. She visited hospitals in other countries like Scandinavia and France to learn more. She also did more postgraduate studies in London.

Sharing Knowledge Worldwide

From 1952, Sister Mary Aquinas taught medicine at the University of Hong Kong and the Chinese University, Hong Kong. She worked closely with medical research groups in England and Hong Kong. They did studies and trials that greatly improved how tuberculosis was treated around the world. Sister Mary Aquinas was truly an expert on the disease.

She was invited to give lectures all over the world, especially in Asian and African countries. Later in her life, she focused on diseases in central Africa. In 1984, she worked in Ethiopia. She also visited hospitals and gave talks in China and Pakistan. She represented Hong Kong and presented her research at 14 international conferences. She also attended many other conferences as a delegate. Her work was published in many medical journals.

Awards and Recognition

Sister Mary Aquinas received many awards for her important work. She got a special fellowship from the WHO in 1952-1953 for her work on tuberculosis. In 1978, the University of Hong Kong gave her an honorary doctorate degree.

In 1965, she was the first woman to receive the Sir Robert Philip gold medal from a London heart and chest foundation. In 1980, she was awarded an OBE. This is a special honor from the British government. She was even presented to Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace in 1985.

She also held important positions in medical groups. She was vice-president of the Hong Kong Medical Association and president of the Hong Kong branch of the British Medical Association. She also served as secretary and president for the Soroptimist International of Hong Kong, a global women's organization.

Lasting Impact

Sister Mary Aquinas Monahan passed away on November 28, 1985, at the Ruttonjee Sanatorium. She was buried in Hong Kong. By the time she died, tuberculosis was mostly gone from Hong Kong, thanks in large part to her efforts.

After her death, the Sister Mary Aquinas Memorial Fund was set up. This fund helps with ongoing studies of tuberculosis. In 1990, a new Ruttonjee general hospital opened. It has a Sister Mary Aquinas Museum on one of its floors, honoring her memory. In 2019, she was featured in an exhibition about Columban missionaries at the EPIC Museum in Dublin.