I began my life in the St John of God family on January 23, 1989, over half my life ago.

Throughout this time I have been able to enjoy all the values handed down to us, day by day, from St John of God, especially the value of Hospitality which – even though I had experienced it within and internalised it myself for a year before that as my own personal experience – I only recognised it through Him, our Patron.

A year earlier, I was only 21 years old, and had recently set out in my new life with the man who is now my husband, when we were joined in our life by a new tiny member. He was born into a family situation which no child would want, his mother dying within six weeks of his birth, leaving him to be cared for by his grandparents. 

When you know this kind of situation it is very difficult to look the other way. And I began to give the child his bath every day after work, and then began to take him home to stay with us for the weekends, but it broke my heart to take him back to his grandparents every Sunday evening.

He was happy with them, but despite all the care and love they lavished on him, it was difficult for two 70-year-old grandparents, in poor health, to look after the child properly. We could see that the child was downcast and lacked the simulation of younger people. My husband and I discussed the question and decided that we would take the boy to live with us for life. 

Like Saint John of God we were criticised on all sides, and people said that we were crazy and that this would only bring us problems…   In the end, we went ahead and have continued to devote ourselves to him to this day, as a full member of our family.  WHERE THERE IS CHARITY, THERE IS GOD.