By Matters India Reporter
Mumbai: Cardinal Oswald Gracias, head of the Catholic Church in India, on January 19 condoled the death of an Italian missionary nun who served the country for more than seven decades.
Mother Giovanna Saveria Alberoni, former superior general of the Ursulines of Mary Immaculate congregation who headed the Holy Family Hospital in Mumbai’s Bandra suburb for years, died January 18 in Mumbai. She was 94.
Auxiliary Bishop John Rodrigues led funeral Mass at 4 pm on January 19 at Bandra’s St Andrew’s Church. She was buried in the parish cemetery in the church compound.
“I send my sincere condolences to the congregation of the Ursulines of Mary on the passing away of Mother Giovanna yesterday,” the cardinal said in a press note issued after a meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the premier’s office in New Delhi.
The cardinal, who is also the archbishop of Bombay, said the archdiocese “owes so much to Mother Giovanna. She was the spirit behind the [Holy Family] hospital; she contributed to its ethos, development and growth.”
Holy Family Hospital has become “the premier institute it is today because of Mother Giovanna’s continued encouragement and spurring on,” he added.
Holy Family was a 22-bed nursing home when the Ursuline nuns took over it from the Medical Mission Sisters in 1978 . Mother Giovanna, a doctor, converted it to a full-fledged multi-specialty institution and medical research center in the western Indian metropolis.
“I have deep personal appreciation for Mother Giovanna. She was elected general and I was appointed Bishop at the same time. I met her several times and she was always optimistic, hopeful, encouraging and planning the development of the hospital. Even in her last days from her room she would continue to ask about the situation and was impatient because she could not help more,” the cardinal recalled.
On January 18, the archdiocese’s press office issued a condolence message recalling Mother Giovanna’s service of humanity.
“Her vision and passion resulted in what is the Holy Family Hospital, Bandra, today. What started as a 10-bed nursing home, in the 1940’s, is now a multi-specialty hospital with 268 beds, which also boasts a medical research center,” the message pointed out.
“The Archdiocese of Bombay is grateful to this pioneer of healthcare for her overwhelming service to humanity and dedication to duty. Our prayers are with her Congregation, friends and relatives. May her soul rest in peace.”