2014

Sister Mary Em McGlone was first missioned to Fort Portal, Uganda, where she served as a nurse and midwife and supervisor for six years. Back in the United States of America, she went on to become a practitioner and educator in holistic health, creating the Centre for Human Integration (CHI) in 1981 in Philadelphia, where she served as its director until 2007.  She then moved on to her other passion which is art. 

Sister Mary Em has received several awards for her work.  In an article in 2014 entitled, “Creativity as Part of the Healing Process”, this is how she describes her creative journey: 

“In 2007, I resigned from CHI in order to focus on my other passion, art, which I see as another means to healing. From my background in complementary health care, I am aware of the stress caused by seeing negative images. We are exposed to such images throughout the day. What I am trying to convey in my art is that there is beauty all around us, nurturing us and giving us a sense of being one with all of creation. Another aspect of doing art is sharing the experience with other artists and with those who take my watercolour class.  

Painting is both intensely challenging and peaceful, social and deeply internal. It is mutually therapeutic. I am a firm believer in creativity as part of the healing process.”

Within the Society, Sister Mary Em’s painting of Anna Dengel has become iconic.