Sister Sajida, Sister Pauline and Sister Riaz, three nursing Sisters in Pakistan: ‘A sacred commitment,’ is how Sister Sajida describes their mission in Lahore, Faisalabad and Youhanabad, alongside the sick, especially the poor, who are in serious difficulty and have no family network.
Nurses: women of God and servants of humanity
On this International Nursing Day 2025, I find myself reflecting not only on the noble profession of nursing but also on the sacred journey that brought me and so many others to this path. Nursing is more than a profession for me; it is a vocation rooted in faith, compassion, and service.
As a religious sister and educator, I have had the privilege of walking alongside my students and my patients.
Today, I wish to share not just my story, but also the inspiring journeys of two other Sisters—Sr. Pauline Hakim and Sister Riaz Anwar, whose tireless commitment to the sick and the forgotten continues to teach me what it truly means to be a nurse, a woman of God, and a servant to humanity.
I serve at S.K. Royal Nursing College, where I teach and mentor future nurses. Every day, I enter my classroom not just with notes and slides, but with a prayer in my heart that my students will go out into the world with the same conviction and compassion that brought me here.
I teach anatomy and clinical skills, yes but more importantly, I teach them to care with integrity, to listen with empathy, and to touch each patient with dignity. I often tell my students:
“A nurse can be the only light in someone’s darkest moment
so shine with your whole heart.”
My journey began in a small rural clinic where I first saw the power of nursing to change lives. I still remember holding the hand of a dying mother, praying with her as we waited for medication we did not have. She looked at me with peace in her eyes and said, “You are my angel today.” That day, I knew I was not just practicing a skill—I was answering a sacred call.
Sister Pauline: Grace in the Dispensary
One of the most humble and inspiring sisters I know is Sr. Pauline, who serves at a small but vital dispensary in Faisalabad’s 4CHQW area. It is not a big hospital, nor a modern clinic—but within those simple walls, miracles happen daily.
Sr. Pauline is the heart of that dispensary. She provides basic treatments, dispenses medicine, listens with patience, and offers comfort to the sick and elderly. She never rushes a patient. She sees each one with the eyes of Christ.
She often tells me, “We don’t just give tablets here we give time, touch, and tenderness.” Many people in the area cannot afford even basic care, but she treats everyone equally regardless of their background or ability to pay. For those who come with nothing, she gives everything.
I once visited her during a heat wave, and she was sitting with an elderly woman suffering from dehydration, fanning her and offering her coconut water bought from her own pocket. This is the spirit of true nursing—quiet, sacrificial love lived daily.
Sister Riaz by the House of Miracles
Another Sister who humbles me deeply is Sr. Riaz Anwar, who has dedicated her post-retirement years to serving the mentally ill and destitute in the Dar- Ul- Krishma, known as the House of Miracles in Youhanabad. With no salary, no formal support, and no rest, she opens her home to those abandoned by the world.
Her days are filled with simple but profound acts: bathing the neglected, feeding the hungry, comforting those who speak only in silence. She calls each of them “my guests,” and treats them like royalty.
When I asked her how she finds the strength to continue, she answered, “When no one wants them, Jesus wants them. And that is enough for me.” Her work reminds me that nursing is not confined to hospitals—it is wherever love is needed most.
As religious sisters in nursing, we are not separate from the world—we are deeply embedded in its suffering. Our white veils do not shield us from pain; they remind us to walk humbly with those who suffer.
In every bandage we wrap, every student we teach, every dying hand we hold, we encounter Christ crucified and Christ resurrected. Nursing teaches us that healing does not always mean curing. Sometimes it means simply being present. Sometimes it means offering peace when medicine cannot.
I often remind my students: “Never forget that when you step into a ward, you carry both science and spirit. Let your hands be skilled, but let your heart be sacred.”
This International Nursing Day, I celebrate not only the nurses who wear scrubs in ICUs and clinics but also those who carry unseen burdens in forgotten places. Nurses like Sr. Pauline and Sr. Riaz teach us that the heart of nursing lies in presence, sacrifice, and unwavering hope.
To my students and all young nurses reading this: Let your faith guide your care. Let your compassion be your strength. Nursing is not just a pathway it is a pilgrimage.
My Prayer for Nursing Today
May we never lose the wonder of this calling.
May our hospitals be homes of mercy
May our classrooms shape not just professionals, but healers.
And may we always remember that the hands we extend to the suffering are not ours alone but His.
On this International Nursing Day 2025, may we renew our dedication to care deeply, serve humbly, and walk always in the light of God.
Sister Sajida Niamat, Lahore, Pakistan
