Mine might be described as a life of two halves or, more accurately, of two continents, South America and Europe. Though my parents were English, I was born and brought up in Argentina, in Buenos Aires. In 1942, at the age of twenty, I sailed to Britain to join the WRNs and ‘do my bit’ for the war effort. Although I returned to Argentina after the war, a desire for a deeper commitment drew me back to Europe and to becoming a member of the Society of the Holy Child Jesus.

For some years I taught modern languages and for a time acted as secretary to the province leader. I was nearly 60 before the two continents of my life came together again. In 1981, at the instigation of Julian Filochowski, I went to work in the Latin American Section of CIIR (the Catholic Institute for International Relations) and I stayed there for a quarter of a century! A number of times during the 1980s I visited Central America, working especially in El Salvador. From these visits, and particularly from my contact with the women there, I developed a new ministry of writing. My first book, Free from Fear: Women in El Salvador’s Church, was published by CIIR in 1989. Since then, in collaboration with Marigold Best, I have written four more books, all concerned with women and faith and reconciliation. Recently I have become a member of the Oscar Romero Trust which is working towards the canonisation of the murdered archbishop.

In 2007, I finally retired from CIIR – now renamed Progressio – where I continued to work as a writer, speaker and translator.

Now a new life beckons in retirement; and I look forward with interest to whatever unexpected events and invitations may be around the corner.