Did you know…? Priya Ramaswamy

Did you know that at Sisters Hospitallers, our commitment to quality care goes beyond culture and religious borders?

In this edition, we would like to introduce you to Mrs. Priya Ramaswamy, a co-worker at the India centre who, despite her religious differences, has fully embraced the hospitaller charism and has played a key role in the administration and sustainability of our project. 

Discover her inspiring history and how her dedication has strengthened the mission of Sisters Hospitallers worldwide.

Tell us a little more about your experience at the centre of the Sisters Hospitallers congregation. What motivated you to join this project?

I consider everyone at the centre as part of my own family. I feel really fulfilled to be part of this hospitaller project through the Sisters Hospitallers congregation. I learn new things every day in my work, which motivates me and gives me a positive attitude both at work and in my personal life.

My motivation to join the project.

To be honest, I was completely unfamiliar with the center and the activities that were done here. In 2021, my family was relocated from Chennai to Kerala and I was looking for a job. Basically, I was a school teacher in Chennai and I applied for a job in this area. But it was God’s destiny that, through a school college, I was blessed to join this hospitaller project. I consider this as a turning point in a crucial stage of my life.

As administrator of the centre, what are your key responsibilities and how do you contribute to the ho-spitaller mission?

Some of my tasks are:

–As administrator of the center, but also with the responsibility of supervising general services, a key task is to supervise the proper working of the centre both internally and externally.

–To make the necessary resources available in an efficient and realistic manner.

–Maintain financial resources according to the planned budget.

–To monitor the financial sustainability of the project and to propose appropriate measures to raise new funds or resources when necessary.

–Support the organisation through participation in the management team.

–Contribute to building and fostering a good atmosphere and relationships with residents, families, volunteers, benefactors and collaborators.

My contribution to the hospitaller missions, to put it more specifically, is to carry out my daily task as best I can, putting my grain of sand in this work that is being done. I bow my head before the mission, vision and values of this center, which is to share love and hospitality with the neediest, who are abandoned by society.

How have you managed to combine your administration skills with the sensitivity needed to care for the residents, always looking to offer the best from your service position?  

I try every day to offer my attitudes or skills:

Compassion, empathy, trying to make happy, and offering the best care to the residents.

I take care of communication with patience and positive attitude, seeking to motivate them.

Desire to learn, passion, interest and responsibility to get the things done.

Relationship and teamwork skills. Being open to active listening

Could you please share some successful initiatives you led in the search for funds for the sustainability of the project?

Some of the initiatives that we realised this year have been:

–Great effort in seeking to improve and expand our contacts with the outside world, both at the level of benefactors and institutions or parishes.

–To carry out a policy of containment and adjustment of expenses.

–Working with the residents’ families to involve them in the needs and initiatives of the center and to help us in the search for new contacts.

–Continue working on improving internal protocols and processes to guarantee the continuity of financial aid from the government.

With these initiatives, we have not only managed to increase the contribution of local donations but all types of aid such as food, hygiene articles, medicines, clothes, etc

As a member of the Management Team. What is your vision for the future of the center and how do you plan to contribute to its development?

As a member of the Management Team, my vision for the centre´s future is to try to continue that vision so bold and generous that our founders had from the beginning of our Congregation, working to help shape the world in the same spirit of hospitality, committed to restoring the dignity, respect and care that our residents deserve.

My contribution to the development will be wholehearted, offering my maximum effort and commitment to spread, to the best of my ability, the hospitaller model of care in our concrete reality. I believe that the teamwork of the Management Team really works.

Being of Hindu religion, how have you experienced and adapted your spirituality to the mission and charism of Sisters Hospitallers?

I believe in one God, with omnipotent power. As I did my studies from pre-school until high school in a Christian school run by Sisters, I have not felt any difficulty in connecting with the spirituality of the mission and the charism of Sisters Hospitallers. I feel truly blessed and fortunate to work here.

Could you please share any experiences that have left a lasting impression on you while  working at the centre?

As I said before, joining this centre was a crucial  period in my life. During this journey, I faced many difficult times in my personal life.

I truly believe that this centre and each and every one of those who are part of the hospitaller family are for me mediations of the grace of God that helped me to shed light and face difficult moments with a new perspective.

Recently, my only child has had a medical problem related to his studies. We have been asking for the intervention of María Josefa and we trust that she is helping him in his recovery.

I thank God and Sisters of this centre for their prayers and support during my difficult times.

How have you seen the work and relationship with residents, families, workers, co-workers and Sisters since you joined the centre?

Everyone is doing great work: I especially highlight the responsibility of the Superior in these difficult moments, the commitment of all the Sisters, the care and attention of the caregivers, the fraternal approach of the nurse, the dedication and enthusiasm of the social worker, the delicious food service offered by our kitchen staff and the support of the gardener… all have a special place in my heart, seeing the great work that they do every day as a team. All the residents deserve the rehabilitation process that we are giving them. Most of the families are very supportive and involved in the process with the residents.

To conclude, what advice or message would you like to send to other collaborators or members of the Congregation who are striving to follow the hospitaller charism worldwide?

Finally, I would like to encourage all the collaborators and members of the Congregation to continue their great work, sharing their love and the gift of the charism in the specific reality of each one. My message is only thanks to the enormous dedication and testimony of Sisters, as mediation of God, can so much good be done. The only thing that we can do is support them with an open heart, to raise awareness to eliminate the myths and stigmas in the society around mental health.

If we do good and love those around us in our families, in our field of work, we will contribute to creating a better world. Let us keep in mind that we will all be rewarded in heaven.

Once again I thank each and every one of you, and I am compelled to express my gratitude to the Hospitaller Congregation for taking into account what I am and can bring to this mandated work.