Sisters of the East End

ISBN: 0091951771

Author: Batten, Helen

Condition: New

"A seconds silence and then an almighty scream. It was the most moving thing I had ever seen A baby, a real live baby, another human life had entered the world. It didnt seem possible and yet I had witnessed it with my very own eyes."Born into a happy working-class North London family in the mid-twentieth century, Katie is determined to "do something" with her life. Working in the impoverished East End in the 1950s, she meets the Sisters of St. John the Divine-a community of nuns dedicated to nursing and midwifery. The Sisters have been present at births, cared for the sick, and laid out the dead of the East Enders for a hundred years, and Katie soon joins them to start her journey to becoming Sister Catherine Mary. As a nurse and midwife, Katie learns to deal with everything from strokes to breech births. Tragedy is never far away, but there are also moments of pure joy as lives are saved and the Poplar residents rally round. As a young novice, Katie rallies against the vow of obedience, yet through the years she learns much about the nature of dedication and love. Full of desperate hardship, humor, and compassion, Katies story brings to life the unique world of these nursing Sisters in Londons East End. Sister Catherine Marys story was written by Helen Batten after in-depth interviews with todays Sisters of the Community of St John the Divine.