A MODERN DAY ST. FRANCIS
They say the age of saints is long gone. Yet Missio Malta often allows us to meet extraordinary people, who dedicate their lives for others, like the classical saints did. People in whom we can still glimpse saints walking among us. People like Brother Walfred from Pakistan, a Franciscan friar who has dedicated his life to helping his brothers and sisters in the mission, not only spiritually, but also medically and socially.
Brother Walfred was born in Khipro, Pakistan, into poverty and hardship. His calling from a very young age to help others, was as natural as needed in his community. As a child, he contracted polio. In these parts of the world, an illness that in the West we consider eradicated by a simple vaccine could easily mean a death sentence for a child. Thankfully, Brother Walfred’s mother acted quickly and he received the care he needed. Even so, the disease left him with lasting mobility problems that he still carries to this day.
When he was just five years old, tragedy struck again. His mother fell ill with tuberculosis, but was misdiagnosed, and so she never received the necessary treatment that might have saved her. After a year of suffering, she died.
These painful experiences inspired young Walfred to become a nurse, so that he could serve his community from e professional medical perspective. After concluding his studies, he opened a clinic, which today treats around 1,400 people every year! By his own estimate, throughout his career he has saved the lives of more than 14,000 people through the care he provides.
“I feel lucky to be able to save people’s lives,” he says.
He recalls, for instance, the story of a woman who was suffering from severe kidney pain. The local hospital sent her home, saying there was nothing they could do. Brother Walfred did not give up. He took her to another hospital, where he was told the same. Finally, he decided to take her to a larger, better equipped hospital in Karachi, facing a gruelling 17-hour drive. There the woman was given the treatment she needed, and her life was saved.
Brother Walfred is truly a modern-day St Francis. Born into poverty himself yet choosing to dedicate his life to serving the poor. Every day, he strives to be a positive force in his community.
Too often, we make the mistake of thinking that missionary work is only about those who travel abroad to help others. But there are countless people like Brother Walfred, brave, saintly local men and women, who do their utmost to serve their brothers and sisters. All they need is our support to continue.
“I want to thank the Maltese people who support us, because their help makes all the difference!”
On this World Missionary Day, join Missio Malta in continuing to sustain courageous missionaries like Brother Walfred, so that they can carry on helping and saving lives in the communities that need it most.
