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Lady of the Lantern - Sister Peggy

Written by Dan Mahli & Ellen Mahli

On our Board visit to Chimbote, we started our second day with the poorest of the
poor in Cambio Puente. We witnessed three students receive Sister Peggy Byrne
Scholarships – one to study medicine, one to study education, and one to be a chef.

In the modest classroom, thoughts of Sister Peggy carrying a lantern with young
people landed firmly on our hearts.

Sister Peggy is a Presentation Sister and co-
founder of the mission in Chimbote. Much
like Nano Nagle, foundress of the Sisters of
the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary
in Ireland 250 years ago, Sister Peggy spent
her days and years educating children. Youth
were loved by Sister Peggy and they would
tell her about family members and friends who were sick or struggling. Sister Peggy
would visit their homes and bring nourishment, comfort, and do whatever needed to
be done.

Three centuries ago, Nano Nagle, known as the Lady of the Lantern, made visits late
into the night carrying a lamp on the roads and alleyways in Cork, Ireland to educate
youth. During that time, it was a crime of treason punishable by death to educate the
Irish. Today, Nano’s courageous influence and that of her Sisters stretch beyond limits
imaginable in responding to the needs of people throughout the world, including Peru.

In our listening and learning, the students stood boldly knowing they are at the center Mother and Son
of the light. We welcome the tender tap on the shoulder that we walk together in the Ellen & Dan Mahli
lantern glow as a symbol of a joyful spirit with whom we share love of our brothers and sisters.
Scholarship Program is in full Swing!

The resumption of the Sr. Peggy Scholarship Fund with new candidates has been exhilarating!
Sr. Peggy is thrilled and grateful. Candidates are exemplary, excited, full of hope and gratitude
and already volunteering and giving back. ACAF is working hard to identify and qualify additional
candidates. Our immediate goal, which also contributes to our community development in
Cambio Puente, is for 10 more candidates to receive sponsored scholarships.
The reason for all of this initial success and excitement? You! We are pleased and grateful
to share with you that Sahomi and Alberto, candidates we profiled in our last newsletter,
were both sponsored shortly after the newsletter landed in mailboxes. Thank
you! We were even able to add a third scholarship recipient in Bryan who is in
medical training and already helping us with in-home visits in Cambio Puente.
The legacy and arguably the most transformational program of our Mission is
education. It is the most proven and sustainable path out of poverty, lifting up
generations of a family. We have over a hundred graduates as proof. A post-
secondary scholarship actually fulfills all of the tenets of the Gospel of Matthew
25 we follow by reducing and preventing hunger, thirst, sickness, incarceration
and other impacts of poverty experienced by our brothers and sisters in
Chimbote and surrounding communities. It is also a bargain at a fraction of the
cost of a United States post-secondary education. Additional candidates are in
the process of being qualified and will be open for a sponsorship!
If you would like to participate or learn more about this transformational, legacy program,
please contact Todd Mickelson at toddm@friendsofchimbote.org.

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