Gertrude Lemmens
Encyclopedia
In October 1939, at the age of 25, Gertrude Lemmens (14 July 1914-30 October 2000) traveled from her hometown of Venray
, the Netherlands
, to visit her brother, who was a missionary
priest serving what, at that time, were the Sindh
and Baluchistan province
s of India
, but today are part of Pakistan
. She arrived on November 1 of that year, and she accompanied him for a month on his rounds of social work in under-privileged communities. She came to be tremendously moved by how poor and needy the people were. After her return to her homeland, she felt compelled to live in a way which helped those in such poverty as she had come to know. She returned to India and joined the only indigenous
religious institute
of Sisters
in the region, the Franciscan Missionaries Sisters of Christ the King
.
She then made a committment to the dispossesed of the country, touring the slums and reaching out with heart and mind to anybody who needed her help. She would teach at Christ the King School in Khudadad Colony in the morning and would go out to do social work in the slums of the city in the afternoons. She was particularly concerned with the treatment of the mentally retarded, the real victims in the vicious pecking order of society. Because of the outbreak of World War II
, communication with her homeland had become difficult, and she was able to return for a visit only in 1957. It was an experience which strengthed her commitment to the suffering of the new nation of Pakistan.
In 1969 Archbishop
Joseph Cordeiro
, then the head of the Archdiocese of Karachi, bought a single-story property on Kashmir Road to start an English School. Sister Gertrude convinced him instead to let her utilize the property as a home for the metally handicapped. He agreed, and Darul Sukun
was created.
Sister Gertrude accepted anyone and everyone, so that, far from being simply a home for the mentally handicapped, Darul Sukun became a beacon of hope for all in need. Orphans, the old and destitute, the physically handicapped, disfigured babies all came to the house or were deposited on its doorstep. Realizing that one center could not possibly cope with such diverse demands, Darul Sukun spawned a network of homes including a home for orphan boys called Dugout, one for the old and destitute called Peace Haven, and Janiville for children from broken homes. A chapter of the home for the physically handicapped operates in Lahore.
In 1970 Sister Gertrude again traveled back to Holland and made TV appearances and newspaper appeals for aid for the struggling home. With help from philanthropists and Dutch companies like KLM, they managed to scrape by. The home continues to be supported by the Dutch people with approximately half a million euro being collected to finance the project between 2004 and 2008.
In time, Sister Gertrude came to be described as the "Mother Teresa
of Pakistan." In recognition of her work for the homeless, the needy and the handicapped, on March 23, 1989 she received the Sitara-i-Quaid-i-Azam
(Order of the Great Leader) from the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, one of the highest honors given to foreign nationals. President Ghulam Ishaq Khan
and Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto
attended the ceremony.
Sister Gertrude died in October 2000, and was buried on November 1, which was the sixty-four anniversary of her first arrival in the country. According to an obituary, her colleagues described her as loveable, warm and full of humour. "Her face beamed from pictures on the mantle in the lounge of Darul Sukun".
Venray
Venray is a municipality and a town in Limburg, Netherlands, 115 kilometers southeast of Amsterdam. Venray has about 43,000 inhabitants.- Population centres :...
, the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
, to visit her brother, who was a missionary
Missionary
A missionary is a member of a religious group sent into an area to do evangelism or ministries of service, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care and economic development. The word "mission" originates from 1598 when the Jesuits sent members abroad, derived from the Latin...
priest serving what, at that time, were the Sindh
Sindh
Sindh historically referred to as Ba'ab-ul-Islam , is one of the four provinces of Pakistan and historically is home to the Sindhi people. It is also locally known as the "Mehran". Though Muslims form the largest religious group in Sindh, a good number of Christians, Zoroastrians and Hindus can...
and Baluchistan province
Province
A province is a territorial unit, almost always an administrative division, within a country or state.-Etymology:The English word "province" is attested since about 1330 and derives from the 13th-century Old French "province," which itself comes from the Latin word "provincia," which referred to...
s of India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, but today are part of Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
. She arrived on November 1 of that year, and she accompanied him for a month on his rounds of social work in under-privileged communities. She came to be tremendously moved by how poor and needy the people were. After her return to her homeland, she felt compelled to live in a way which helped those in such poverty as she had come to know. She returned to India and joined the only indigenous
Indigenous peoples
Indigenous peoples are ethnic groups that are defined as indigenous according to one of the various definitions of the term, there is no universally accepted definition but most of which carry connotations of being the "original inhabitants" of a territory....
religious institute
Religious institute
In the Roman Catholic Church, a religious institute is "a society in which members, according to proper law, pronounce public vows, either perpetual or temporary which are to be renewed, however, when the period of time has elapsed, and lead a life of brothers or sisters in common".-Distinctions...
of Sisters
Nun
A nun is a woman who has taken vows committing her to live a spiritual life. She may be an ascetic who voluntarily chooses to leave mainstream society and live her life in prayer and contemplation in a monastery or convent...
in the region, the Franciscan Missionaries Sisters of Christ the King
Franciscan Missionaries of Christ the King
The Franciscan Missionaries Sisters of Christ the King is a Roman Catholic religious congregation for women that originated in what is now Pakistan and founded schools, orphanages, homes for the aged and disabled and hospitals throughout the country...
.
She then made a committment to the dispossesed of the country, touring the slums and reaching out with heart and mind to anybody who needed her help. She would teach at Christ the King School in Khudadad Colony in the morning and would go out to do social work in the slums of the city in the afternoons. She was particularly concerned with the treatment of the mentally retarded, the real victims in the vicious pecking order of society. Because of the outbreak of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, communication with her homeland had become difficult, and she was able to return for a visit only in 1957. It was an experience which strengthed her commitment to the suffering of the new nation of Pakistan.
In 1969 Archbishop
Archbishop
An archbishop is a bishop of higher rank, but not of higher sacramental order above that of the three orders of deacon, priest , and bishop...
Joseph Cordeiro
Joseph Cordeiro
Joseph Marie Anthony Cordeiro was the first Pakistani cardinal.-Education:He was educated at St Patrick's High School, Karachi, the University of Bombay and Oxford University...
, then the head of the Archdiocese of Karachi, bought a single-story property on Kashmir Road to start an English School. Sister Gertrude convinced him instead to let her utilize the property as a home for the metally handicapped. He agreed, and Darul Sukun
Darul Sukun
Darul Sukun in Karachi, Pakistan is a home for children and adults that are rejected by society and their families because of a deformity or being mentally challenged. With four branches spread across the city, the one at Kashmir Road cares for almost 150 people...
was created.
Sister Gertrude accepted anyone and everyone, so that, far from being simply a home for the mentally handicapped, Darul Sukun became a beacon of hope for all in need. Orphans, the old and destitute, the physically handicapped, disfigured babies all came to the house or were deposited on its doorstep. Realizing that one center could not possibly cope with such diverse demands, Darul Sukun spawned a network of homes including a home for orphan boys called Dugout, one for the old and destitute called Peace Haven, and Janiville for children from broken homes. A chapter of the home for the physically handicapped operates in Lahore.
In 1970 Sister Gertrude again traveled back to Holland and made TV appearances and newspaper appeals for aid for the struggling home. With help from philanthropists and Dutch companies like KLM, they managed to scrape by. The home continues to be supported by the Dutch people with approximately half a million euro being collected to finance the project between 2004 and 2008.
In time, Sister Gertrude came to be described as the "Mother Teresa
Mother Teresa
Mother Teresa , born Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu , was a Roman Catholic nun of Albanian ethnicity and Indian citizenship, who founded the Missionaries of Charity in Calcutta, India, in 1950...
of Pakistan." In recognition of her work for the homeless, the needy and the handicapped, on March 23, 1989 she received the Sitara-i-Quaid-i-Azam
Civil decorations of Pakistan
The Pakistan Civil Awards were established on March 19, 1957, following the proclamation of Pakistan as an independent Republic on March 23, 1956. The announcement of civil awards is generally made once a year on Independence Day, August 14, and their investiture takes place on the following...
(Order of the Great Leader) from the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, one of the highest honors given to foreign nationals. President Ghulam Ishaq Khan
Ghulam Ishaq Khan
Ghulam Ishaq Khan , abbreviated as GIK, was the seventh President of Pakistan from August 17, 1988 until July 18, 1993 and a career statesman from the start to the end of cold war...
and Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto
Benazir Bhutto
Benazir Bhutto was a democratic socialist who served as the 11th Prime Minister of Pakistan in two non-consecutive terms from 1988 until 1990 and 1993 until 1996....
attended the ceremony.
Sister Gertrude died in October 2000, and was buried on November 1, which was the sixty-four anniversary of her first arrival in the country. According to an obituary, her colleagues described her as loveable, warm and full of humour. "Her face beamed from pictures on the mantle in the lounge of Darul Sukun".