By DIANE SCHLINDWEIN
Managing Editor 

Sister Mary Gianna Nazar, FSGM, appreciates not only her religious life but also her medical career. Five days a week — and sometimes on Saturdays — she works at OSF St. Joseph’s Hospital in Bloomington and at the OSF medical group imaging site, taking various kinds of x-rays in a number of settings. She also helps with bone density scans and trains x-ray students from a local community college who are doing their clinicals. 

In short, her life is joy-filled and fulfilling. Moreover, the way she came to become both a Sister of St. Francis of the Martyr St. George and a radiology technician is as interesting as what she does on the job. 

Sister Mary Gianna is a convert to Catholicism with a unique family background. “My parents met at a center of East-Indian religion. I was named by a Swami,” she said. “My family moved a lot. I went to 11 different schools before I finished high school. I went to a public high school for performing arts for dance and music for a year in high school. During that time, I became Catholic and heard the Lord inviting me to become a sister.”  Through a program started by Cardinal Burke, she started living with the sisters when she was a sophomore in high school and entered the community when she graduated.

She also went to x-ray school as a sister. “It was a lot of fun. I went to Lincoln Land Community College in Springfield for gen eds and then the x-ray program,” she said. “Our whole x-ray class had a great time together in the midst of stress. I did my clinicals at St. John’s in Springfield. One of the security officers called me ‘Sister Mary Sees-the-Bones.’” While in school, Sister Mary Gianna won an award at the state x-ray convention for her paper on stroke detection in CT and MRI. Upon graduation, she was honored with the Student of the Year Award. 

Sister Mary Gianna credits her father, who worked a wide variety of jobs, as sparking her interest in science. “When I was in preschool, he would tell me bedtime stories about chemical reactions. I loved test tubes and looking in his microscope at salt crystals, sugar, and my own blood,” she said. “He always had an explanation of how things worked. When we walked on the beach, he could pick up rocks and tell me what kinds they were. 

“I grew up with a wonder and fascination with nature,” she said. “As I learned more I was amazed at the order and beauty of creation. I thought it remarkable that anyone could deny the existence of God after seeing that.”  As far back as grade school, Sister Mary Gianna loved science experiments “especially when they involved smoke or making something explode.” 

 In high school her favorite subjects were geography, anatomy, physiology, and chemistry. “I took AP chemistry and a lab course where we could make up own studies and test our hypothesis. Biology was always fun.”

Of course, time has passed since Sister Mary Gianna was a student, and she has acquired more life knowledge after working with patients for many years. She knows that people are naturally anxious during medical tests, so she does her best to put them at ease. 

“I love x-ray because I get to meet a wide variety of people in the midst of their life, when they are not necessarily expecting to meet a sister. Often, they express how pleased they are to have a sister and are tickled that I am a tech,” she said. “Often, I am the first sister they’ve met. When patients are anxious about their test, I am grateful I can sometimes calm them down by simple kindness and gentleness and making them more comfortable insofar as possible.”

Depending on what patients she is assigned to, Sister Mary Gianna may be with someone for just a few minutes, or she may spend a significant amount of time with that individual. “A portable chest x-ray takes five minutes. In that time, I want to be fully present to the person and be attentive to her needs, such as getting a warm blanket or refilling her water,” she said. “Flouro exams (video x-rays) are longer. They can be 40 minutes to several hours, depending on the exam. These give me an opportunity for more conversations with the patients.

“I like to hear their stories and ask about family,” she said. “Inpatients and patients who share their story with me most frequently ask for prayer or are receptive when I offer it. I have had many beautiful encounters with people who tell me how good God has been in their lives and how He has transformed experiences of suffering into healing — not necessarily physical — for the person and his family.”

Sometimes even physicians are surprised to see her on the job. “I love that x-ray goes all over the hospital and into areas where there may not have been a sister before, for example, surgery,” she said. “Surgeons in particular are amazed that I am a sister and a tech, and that I will be in their cases.” 

Sister Mary Gianna also prays during surgery, in-between taking pictures. “I pray for the surgeon when the going is difficult. They know that and remark when things suddenly go better,” she said. “Surgery staff has commented that when I am in surgery the atmosphere is more peaceful, and the surgeon stays calmer. Everyone tries to improve their language and conversation topics when I am around, which makes it a better environment for everyone.” 

On one occasion, a patient made a special request that Sister Mary Gianna fulfilled. “One patient had surgery around Christmas. She was commenting before the case that she loved that the ER doctor had been singing Christmas carols when she came in. She asked if either of the surgery nurses sang, wanting a Christmas carol,” Sister Mary Gianna said. “Neither of them did. We have a German tradition of singing Silent Night through the halls of the convent on Christmas Eve. So, I offered to sing Silent Night for her as the nurse anesthetist gave her medicine to fall asleep.” 

Just as she has loved her job, Sister Mary Gianna wants others to love theirs too. She encourages people to get involved in the fields of science and health. “It’s a beautiful way to appreciate God’s creation and to serve when people are vulnerable and need care and love,” she said. “Caring for people with respect helps them to realize more deeply their dignity and to experience that they are loved by God. 

“The experience of suffering can be shattering but God draws close in that experience and can make the spirit of the person whole even as he experiences the degeneration of his body. The Gospel of redemptive suffering is very needed, especially in a culture which sees all suffering as meaningless.” 

Although Sister Mary Gianna has appreciated her career working in medical settings, life is going to look a little different in the near future. “I’ve been in our community for 22 years and am very happy. I’ve worked in radiology for roughly 10 years at two different OSF hospitals. I’ve worked with students the whole time and was a head clinical instructor at St. Joseph’s Hospital. However, I will be going back to school this fall to study philosophy. I will be studying at Benedictine College in Atchinson, Kan.”  There she will be living in a convent with chemistry teacher Sister M. Lucy Gantt, FSGM, who was featured in the March 30 issue of Catholic Times.

Yet, no matter what she does, or what anyone does in life, Sister Mary Gianna believes all people should be treated with respect. “The way we gaze upon a person and treat that person gives him a sense of his dignity and worth. No interaction is too short to be an encounter and one that communicates to the person his worth and value,” she concluded. “This is so needed in our culture, which tends to put other priorities before the person himself. Wherever your sphere of activity you can preach the Gospel and bring people closer to Christ. I encourage you to embark on that adventure.” 

Note: This is the fourth and final CATHOLIC TIMES article that highlights religious sisters who work in the areas, of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. We hope you have been inspired by their stories.