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Today’s missionary hero is Sr. Anna Maria Dengel, a Religious Sister, founder, missionary, and physician.
Anna was born on March 16, 1892 in Steeg, Austria. After her mother died when Anna was nine, Anna went to live at a boarding school. After finishing school, she obtained a position teaching German in Lyons, France.
When Anna was in her mid-20’s, she heard about a Scottish woman who was a physician-missionary in what is now Pakistan. The missionary, Dr. Agnes McLaren, explained that in that area, women could only have healthcare services from women, so there was a big need for women physicians. Anna was totally excited about that, and she immediately wrote to Dr. McLaren. Anna never got to meet Agnes in person, for Agnes died before they could meet. Anna did, however, follow Agnes’ advice to go to school and become a physician.
First, Anna obtained her M.D. from University College in Cork, Ireland and did a 9-month internship. Then, she went to Pakistan which was northern India in those days. She spent four very difficult years, trying to help women and children with physical health problems. She came to the conclusion that she could not do it alone. So, she went to the United States for help.
Anna wanted not only women to help, but she wanted to be part of a religious congregation. She quickly discovered that the Catholic Church had, at that time, a rule that forbade Religious from practicing medicine. Anna, however, recruited like-minded women, wrote up a Constitution for a congregation, and sought necessary permission.
On June 12, 1925, Anna and her small group of women received permission to have a congregation. The other three women were: Evelyn Flieger, R.N. from Great Britain; Johanna Lyons, M.D. from Chicago, Illinois; and Maria Ulbrich, R.N. from Luxemburg, Iowa. The four women, known as “The First Four,” gathered in Washington, D.C. to celebrate the founding of the Society of Catholic Medical Missionaries.
In 1936, after the group had grown, the Catholic Church approved them as a full-fledged congregation called the Sisters of the Catholic Medical Missions, and they were given permission to provide full medical care to those they served. Sr. Anna was elected the first Superior General.
Mother Anna died in Rome, Italy on April 17, 1980 and is buried in the Teutonic Cemetery in Vatican City.
