As the only doctor at a hospital serving more than 2 million people, Dr. Tom Catena works seven days a week and is on call every night — and still makes time for morning Mass.
An American Catholic missionary and the only surgeon at Mother of Mercy Hospital in the remote Nuba Mountains of Gidel, Sudan, Catena has spent more than two decades in Sudan in spite of civil war and conflict.
Catena told E...
The narrative presents Dr. Tom Catena as a selfless figure in a dire humanitarian crisis, emphasizing his faith-driven commitment and the severe challenges faced in Sudan. The strongest version of this story highlights the resilience of local humanitarian efforts amid global neglect, framing Catena’s work as both a medical and moral imperative. However, the emotional weight of the piece—descriptions of suffering, scarcity, and unmet needs—could be seen as an appeal to urgency, potentially oversh...