Ruth Lewis (1946 – 20 July 2020) was a Roman Catholic nun of the religious congregation for women, the

Franciscan Missionaries of Christ the King The Franciscan Missionaries of Christ the King (F.M.C.K.) is a Roman Catholic religious congregation for women that originated in what is now Pakistan and founded schools, orphanages, homes for the aged and disabled and hospitals throughout the coun ...

, living and working in

Karachi Karachi is the capital city of the Administrative units of Pakistan, province of Sindh, Pakistan. It is the List of cities in Pakistan by population, largest city in Pakistan and 12th List of largest cities, largest in the world, with a popul ...

Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...

Vocation

On 17 February 1969, she became along with Sr.

Gertrude Lemmens Sister Gertrude (Truus) Lemmens (1 July 1914 – 30 October 2000) was a Dutch nun and founder of Dar-ul-Sukun (Home of Peace), a home for the mentally handicapped, orphans and the aged in Karachi, Pakistan. She received an award from the Pre ...

and Sr. Margaret D'Costa, one of the first to join the staff of

Darul Sukun Dar-ul-Sukun () (House of Peace) in Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan is a home for physically and mentally disabled children and adults, both men and women in poverty or unable to address their challenges. It has three branches across Karachi. The bran ...

, home for around 150 mentally and physically disabled people, mostly children and teenagers, founded by the sisters of the Franciscan Missionaries of Christ the King. Since 2000, she has been in charge of the Darul Sukun. Sister Lewis was assisted by a team of five other nuns. Some of the residents like Cookie Lewis were so attached to the nun that she adopted her surname. She depended on many people and institutions who helped her run a home of this size. She praised the people who come and supply groceries, clothes or whatever the sisters need for the institution. Volunteers from schools and other organisations also help feed the children and play with them. She was also assisted by volunteers from the

Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

who stay to help for as much as three months. Without financial assistance from the Government, she relied on donations to run the institution. She was particularly proud of four of the children who won medals in the

Special Olympics Special Olympics is the world's largest sports organization for children and adults with intellectual disabilities, providing year-round training and activities to 5 million participants and Unified Sports partners in 172 countries. Special Ol ...

held in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

in 1998. Her role included welcoming visitors like American singer Mary McBride and Amanda Claudwell, the US press attaché in Karachi, who visited on October 30, 2011. She has been listed among the people in Imran Aslam's book on the men and women who shaped Karachi.

Making a wish

In January 2015, Make-A-Wish Foundation Pakistan granted the wish of Cookie Lewis from Darul Sukun, to be a teacher for a day. The President of Make-A-Wish Foundation and the Director of Education were also present with Sister Lewis at a ceremony held for the occasion.

Recognition

On 18 January 2014, she received the Pride of Karachi Award, which aimed to recognize and honor those individuals who have worked selflessly and passionately for the betterment of society. In 2018, she received the Hakim Mohammed Said Award for her work for humanity. The award was presented by Sindh Governor Muhammad Zubair. Sister Ruth Lewis died due to complications from

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...

during the

COVID-19 pandemic in Pakistan The COVID-19 pandemic in Pakistan is part of the pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 () caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (). The virus was confirmed to have reached Pakistan on 26 February 2020, when two cases w ...

on 20 July 2020 in Karachi. On 14 August 2020, President

Arif Alvi Arif-ur-Rehman Alvi () is a Pakistani politician who served as the 13th President of Pakistan, in office from 2018 to 2024. He was a member of the National Assembly of Pakistan from June 2013 to May 2018 and again from August to September 2018. ...

announced the posthumous grant of the civil award

Sitara-i-Imtiaz The Sitara-e-Imtiaz () also spelled as Sitara-i-Imtiaz, is the third-highest (in the order of "Imtiaz") honour and Civil decorations of Pakistan, civilian award in the State of Pakistan. It recognizes individuals who have made an "especially me ...

to Lewis for her Public Service.''Dawn'' August 15, 2020
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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lewis, Ruth Female Roman Catholic missionaries Pakistani Roman Catholic missionaries 2020 deaths Date of birth missing Place of birth missing Roman Catholic missionaries in Pakistan People from Karachi 20th-century Pakistani Roman Catholic nuns 21st-century Pakistani Roman Catholic nuns Recipients of Sitara-i-Imtiaz Deaths from the COVID-19 pandemic in Sindh 1946 births