A Catholic nun, Sr. Vinaya Mary, native of Kumbalam here, has become the first Indian to receive the prestigious Dyplom Pro Publico Award (award for good public service) instituted by the government of Poland.
The top Polish award for social service, announced once in four years, was presented to Sr. Vinaya, a qualified nurse, at a function at Warsaw on April 11. Six other medical practitioners from Poland were also selected for the award this year.
Geriatric care
She was selected for the award for the geriatric care work rendered to 70 senior citizens at the Pope John Paul-II Centre under the Tarnow diocese. The award carries a gold medal and a certificate of appreciation.
Sr. Vinaya, attached to the Benedictine Sisters of the Reparation of the Holy Face, had originally worked with the congregation at Tangasseri in Kollam, Karichal, and Alappuzha.
She initially worked at Bishop Benziger Hospital here after taking her vows in 1984. She had also served Loka Raksha Hospital and as health coordinator with the Quilon Social Service Society, the charity wing of the Kollam Latin Catholic diocese. Her services abroad began in 2005 when she went to Italy for social work in 1991.
In 2004, she served in the Republic of Congo and in Poland.
Two years later she returned to India and went to serve in Poland again in 2013 and has been serving there since then. Her family belongs to St. Michael’s parish at Kumbalam.
Sr. Vinaya Mary becomes the first Indian to receive the Dyplom Pro Publico Award instituted by the government of Poland.
