Medical Mission Program
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here to view the Medical Missions to Honduras in 2005 (PDF)
Pope John Paul II has called for greater lay participation in
the life and mission of the Church. In response, the Catholic
Medical Association established the Medical Mission Program.
The Medical Mission Program is dedicated to developing viable
international mission sites, recruiting lay medical and paramedical
personnel, and acting as a central agent coordinating volunteer
physicians and sites.
Volunteers from various medical specialties are needed to work
in established missions in Juticalpa, Honduras; Coari Amazonia,
Brazil; and Haiti at various times throughout the year.
The Medical Mission Committee's venture in Juticalpa holds great
promise for the poor people not only of Juticalpa, but of the
entire Diocese of Olancho - a territory as large as Massachusetts.
At Juticalpa the Brigades work in close harmony with Bishop Maurus
Muldoon, O.F.M., our sponsor. Our work is centered at the Hospital
San Francisco. Patients, many of whom are referred from rural
clinics, are mostly peasants who have suffered intensely during
many years of civil strife. They would not receive necessary medical
care if it were not for the Medical Mission Committee's volunteer
doctors and nurses.
For the last several years, SIX Brigades served in the mission
area—two Gynecologic and Adult Urologic Surgical Brigades,
and one team of Pediatric Urologists, and Oto-Rhino-Layngology.
Hopefully eight or more Brigades will serve the poor in the upcoming
years, including a Pediatric Eye team and an Asthmal-Neurology
Pediatric team. A Brigade usually serves for seven to ten days'
although longer commitments may be arranged.
There is critical need for additional nurse and physician volunteers
from Catholic-sponsored health organizations. By assisting in
our campaign to recruit more volunteers, the Medical Mission Committee
will be able to expand its mission work in Central America. Volunteers
bring not only physical help to the poor and those most in need,
but also, in their pastoral care, the word of God and His Church
into the hearts and souls of the people they help.
The Medical Mission Committee is eager to discuss with interested
physicians and nurses one or more of these important volunteer
opportunities. Caring for the poorest is an extraordinary experience.
In addition to the personal fulfillment of helping those in need,
volunteers are spiritually enriched.
Your help can enable the Medical Mission Committee to continue "caring
for the poorest." Please join us. We need your prayers, your
active participation, and your support.
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