“What does it mean to say that we behold the face of Our Lord in the Poor?” That question starts The Catholic Extension Society article on Lumen Christi Award finalist Sister Mary Lisa Renfer from Diocese of Knoxville.
The article continues: “To see the face of the Lord in the poor is to experience a dynamic connection.
“We are compelled to act as Jesus, to stand in solidarity with the suffering and to muster our resources to act.
“Sister Mary Lisa Renfer learned the lessons of what it means to see Jesus, to know Jesus and to act like Jesus throughout her life.”
Sister Mary was one of seven children growing up in a Detroit suburb and during her college years, she responded to Christ’s call to serve the poor after a mission trip to Ecuador where she encountered abused children.
After joining the Religious Sisters of Mercy of Alma, Michigan, Sister Mary Lisa was sent to Michigan State University, where she completed her doctorate of osteopathic medicine, which prepared Sister Mary Lisa to become the medical director of St. Mary’s Legacy Clinic (SMLC), based in Knoxville, Tennessee.
Sister Mary Lisa’s patients come from the outskirts and most are not Catholic. Seventy-two percent of them live in extreme poverty, lack insurance and basic health care. Their first exposure to the Catholic Church is often Sister Mary Lisa, her staff of six and a team of 100 active volunteers.
Pope Francis said, “Even when healing is not possible, care can always be given.”
Sister Mary Lisa says, “Jesus comes to meet you in each person. Sometimes I can’t fix them, but I have to walk with them. And the more you walk with them, the more you know how to help.”
These were a few excerpts from the article. Read the article in entirety here.
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