Healing the Children

Sisters of Christian Charity welcome child in need of medical care to their Motherhouse

MENDHAM  For almost a decade, the Sisters of Christian Charity here have been involved with a special and unique ministry not usually found in religious orders. They have opened up their Motherhouse to serve as a host family for a child in need. The children — suffering from illnesses or bodily disfigurements — receive care by volunteer doctors of Healing the Children, a non-profit organization dedicated to providing free medical care to needy children.

At Mallinckrodt Convent here, three-year-old Mariana of Peru and her mother, have been staying with the sisters as she recovers from reconstructive surgery to her face. She is the sixth child the Sisters of Christian Charity have welcomed. In the past, the sisters have hosted children from five other countries — Iraq, Kazakhstan, Honduras, Vietnam and the Dominican Republic.

“We love to help,” said Sister of Christian Charity Immaculata Aborline, who along with her fellow sisters takes care of the children that stay with the sisters. “All the children have really been a gift to us. We do spoil them.”

The sisters work with Healing the Children, NJ, the local chapter for the area. According to the organization’s website, Healing the Children, N.J. was founded in 1981 and it has provided care to more than 33,000 children since its inception. Nearly 1,000 children are helped each year. Healing the Children travels to 16 countries with volunteer surgical teams and they have brought children from 100 countries to New Jersey to provide them with donated medical care the children would not otherwise receive in their native lands.

The Sisters of Christian Charity continue to be involved with the organization as part of the order’s mission to help those in need. They learned about Healing the Children more than 10 years ago. A group of doctors came to visit the convent to see if it was possible for the sisters to host a child. They met with the community and gave them information about being a host home. Sister Immaculata believes the Sisters of Christian Charity are the only religious order in the area to host a child in their Motherhouse.

Because of the unique situation at the convent, the children come with a parent, which is uncommon. Usually children come by themselves and stay with a host family, who care for the children for their duration of care while in the United States.

Sister Immaculata said, “Being able to host a child has given us the idea of what this family’s life is like. It also makes us thank God for what we have when you see some of these children with the difficult medical situations they have. You also thank God for everything the doctors have done.”

While the children receive care, the sisters ensure that the children that have stayed with them have as much as a normal childhood as possible. Just recently, they hosted a birthday party for Mariana, complete with a birthday cake and gifts.

“During her time with us, Mariana learned English. So much so, we laugh at some of the things that she says and wonder how did she learn that. She’s vivacious and full of life. She also knows she’s the youngest one at the convent,” laughed Sister Immaculata, “She’s like any regular little girl.”

Mariana will soon return home to Peru to be with the rest of her family, whom she hasn’t seen in several months. She will return here in March to complete her medical care and then be able to live a normal life back home.

The sisters are open to hosting another child as long as there is a need and they are able to do so. There are several ways many of the faithful can also help Healing the Children. Like the sisters, families can serve as a host home for a child. Medical practitioners are also invited to provide pro-bono services to children, both within New Jersey and internationally. The organization also hosts several fund-raising events during the year for volunteers to participate in such as soliciting auction prizes, selling raffles and more.

“This truly is an effort to be there for a child,” Sister Immaculata said. “From the doctors and hospitals, who have been terrific, to the volunteers who drive the children to appointments, so many are involved in this work. The sisters have all been a great help. We are just grateful we are able to change the life of a child.”

Information: www.htcnj.org.org.