January 14, 1964, Msgr. Anthony Brouwers, founder of Mission Doctors Association lost his battle with cancer at 51 years old. Today, we strive to continue his legacy by making it possible for Catholic doctors and their families to serve at mission hospitals and clinics.
"As never before, the sufferings of mankind easily transverse oceans and become part of the consciousness and the conscience of the American Catholic medical expert. Their plight is our problem. Their cries of pain and misery are necessarily as personal and impelling as those of our loved ones at our own hearths." Msgr. Anthony Brouwers, 1963
How much more in 2011 are we exposed to the suffering of our brothers and sisters around the world - perhaps to the point of a sense of saturation and increasing sense of impotence. Yet today, when it is easier to stay put and chose comfort over sacrifice, Mission Doctors Association has seen an increase in the number of doctors willing to share their skills.
We pray that more will continue to answer the call to serve and that those who can not themselves deliver a baby in Guatemala, or provide care for emergency patients in Uganda or treat HIV patients in Cameroon will make their service possible.
"Am I my brother’s keeper?...This is no rhetorical question. To be Christ-like each of us has be one declarative statement: ‘I, we and all of us everywhere are our brother’s keepers’." Msgr. Anthony Brouwers, 1959
Mother Antonia (The Prison Angel and Foundress of The Sisters of the Eleventh Hour) reminds us to ask Msgr. Brouwers to intercede on our behalf, and to note when these prayers are answered.
A book on the life and legacy of Msgr. Brouwers is available - contact our office to learn more.
