Our History

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In the early 1920s, a young Austrian woman, Anna Dengel, came to work as the only doctor for thousands of Muslim women and children living in Northern India. Tradition prevented women from seeing men outside their own families and so from consulting male doctors. Since there were very few women doctors at that time, many women were suffering greatly and even dying, unable to receive adequate medical care.

The situation looked dim and desperate, but Dr. Anna Dengel saw differently. What she saw was a spark of light. “I was fire and flame! This was the answer to my subconscious desires and aspirations, to be a missionary with a definite goal in view, filling an unfulfilled need which only women could fill.”

Dr. Dengel felt privileged that as a woman she was able to offer suffering Muslim women the care and compassion they needed. She wanted to extend this privilege to other women who share the same passion for possibilities. She believed that a religious community of women could carry out this mission of healing.

Anna Dengel went to the United States in 1924 to share her vision. Three women – another young doctor and two nurses – responded to her invitation. They met in Washington D.C. soon after.  September 30, 1925, saw the birth of the Medical Mission Sisters.

More women came to follow the call and invitation to become part of Medical Mission Sisters and were sent to different lands to be present to people’s needs.   In the Philippines, our reason for being has evolved from that of formation and vocation promotion to the inclusion of the apostolate.

As early as 1947, soon after the independence of the Philippines, young Filipino women left for the United States to join the Medical Mission Sisters.   In 1952, Mother Dengel made her first visit to the Philippines upon the invitation of Bishop McSorley, OMI, of the Vicariate of Jolo, to respond to the medical needs in southern Philippines.   However, Mother Dengel had a broader vision for what would be the Philippine foundation.   She envisioned Filipino MMS sisters as missionaries to other Asian countries and as a personnel resource for the whole Society so that the establishment of a novitiate became a priority.

It was in April 1960 when Mother Dengel sent the first two Filipino members of the MMS, Sisters Felicitas Aranda and Angelina Alfafara, to break the ground for the foundation of the Medical Mission Sisters with one purpose in mind: establishment of a novitiate that would ultimately serve as a source of personnel not only for Asia but also for other countries as well.

Over the past 80 years, the Medical Mission Sisters has offered care and compassion to millions of individuals in our world. As the times and needs have evolved, so too has our focus in mission – from curative, to preventative, to promotive, to community-based, to wholistic health care. Filipino MMS sisters have been pioneers in different mission countries and continue to be present to life in the Philippines in a healing way.

Today our specific mission in the Church can best be described as one of healing presence in the midst of oppression, poverty, sickness, political, economic and cultural crisis.

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