One morning, as
I went to say Mass at a mission chapel in Shinyanga, Tanzania, I discovered an
inert baby lying in front of the altar. The mother, explaining that the little
girl was dead, asked if I could say a Mass for her. Just then, the bundle
moved. "She’s still alive," I declared. "But she’s sick and I have no money for
medicine. She’ll be dead soon anyway," the mother replied. Giving the mother
10 shillings, I sent her off to the hospital with the baby. Seven years later a
woman, waving frantically, stopped me on the road. Breathlessly she explained,
"My little girl lived, and here’s your 10 shillings. I’ve spent a long time
looking for you."