Faith and friendship entwine in prayer

Retired U.S. Air Force nurse, Elisabeth “Beth” O. still recalls a chief nurse telling her, “The road to heaven can be quite bumpy.” Beth says prayer lifted her over many bumps in her years of military service. In later years, she says she “relearned” the power of prayer through the Salvatorian Sisters. Back in 2010, Beth turned to the Sisters of the Divine Savior to pray for her recently deceased father, Joseph, and her brother Mark, as he battled melanoma. “I wrote to the Sisters and they were incredibly kind and reassuring.” When Mark died in 2011, Beth reached out to us again. “I received a lovely note from Sr. Marie (Ensslin) that I will hold in my heart forever.” In 2014, the Salvatorian Sisters prayed for Beth’s younger brother John, during his recuperation from surgery and radiation after a cancer diagnosis.

Beth says, “Every time I request prayers for my sister, Joann, she feels truly ‘lifted up’. SDS prayers for my family and dear friend, Mary mean everything to me.” That dear friend is Mary G., a former flight nurse in the Vietnam War. Beth met Mary while enrolled in an Air Force nursing management course in 1976. “All my classmates respected Mary as an instructor who encouraged us to do our very best and support our fellow Air Force nurses and leaders.” In the ’80s, Mary and Beth became friends while stationed at Travis Air Force Base. Beth recalls, “When Mary suddenly became ill with rheumatoid arthritis, it was an honor to help with her nursing care.” Five years after Mary was medically retired from the Air Force, Beth retired and moved into Mary’s home in Ft. Worth, Texas to help care for her. Beth talks about the blessing of prayers offered in her friend’s name. “When Mary suffered from sepsis two years ago, the Sisters’ prayers were nothing short of a miracle. We thank God for the Sisters.”

Faithfully, Beth and Mary donate online to the Sisters of the Divine Savior every month. They always mention a special intention for our Apostolate of Prayer Ministry. Beth says, “All the  handwritten notes from the Sisters are uplifting and help to strengthen our faith. I am amazed at all the SDS ministries around the world, and our help is very much needed to support their work.”