You just never know when an angel of mercy will appear. There's a saying right there in the manufacturer's handbook…you know (the Bible) that goes like this: "Ask, and it shall be given you" (Matthew 7:7).

I have the good fortune to be working with the St. Thomas Aquinas Medical Clinic in St. Cloud, Florida. The clinic provides medical care for the poor and indigent. These folks, for a variety of reasons, cannot get care elsewhere. They have no medical insurance, no money, and they don't qualify for other government programs such as Medicaid or Medicare. In short, they fall between the cracks and, for the most part, end up clogging up emergency rooms because they simply have nowhere else to go.

Angels of mercy appeared to help these folks. One was the late Dr. Romualdo Dator, who passed away just a few weeks ago. He and other medical professionals like Dr. Peter Morrow convinced a couple of dozen of their colleagues and scores of nurses and lay people to step up and help with the cause.

It's one thing to get doctors and nurses to volunteer. It's quite another to find the other resources for them to practice medicine. Angels of mercy appeared in the form of Monsignor Fabian Gimeno and the good folks of St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church in St. Cloud, Florida. They came up with tens of thousands of dollars in donations and a building for the good docs to help the poor who could not help themselves.

Along came other angels of mercy, Catholic Charities and Diocese of the Orlando, Florida. Not only did Catholic Charities lend their 501-C-3 tax exempt status to the clinic, they donated a significant sum of money to help get the project on its feet. They too are helping to do God's work.

But even the best intended physicians and surgeons cannot practice medicine with a dull scalpel, metaphorically speaking. You have to have proper equipment.

I have no medical background. The closest thing that qualifies me to lend a hand to this project is that I'm married to a nurse and my son is a nurse. I skip right by the medical channel on television. That stuff makes my skin crawl. But I do know how to beg for money.

Money helps us solve many of our problems, but not all of them. Many groups and individuals have stepped up with donations, but sometimes it takes an angel of mercy to really have an impact.

Another such angel of mercy appeared recently on Easter Sunday. Floyd McAuliffe and his mother were attending 8:30 Mass this past Easter. As they entered the parking lot of the church his mom queried him, "Did you know they are opening a medical clinic here?"

They entered church, sat down, and kneeled to pray. Then he sat back in the pew and opened the Sunday bulletin. His mom pointed to the middle of the page where in bold face type read: "ULTRASOUND MACHINE NEEDED."

"I guess you could say God delivered me to that place at that time," says McAuliffe, founder of SonoDepot, a 24 year old firm that provides ultrasound solutions. He got his start in his back yard in Kissimmee and moved to St. Cloud in 1993, purchasing a commercial building to grow and legitimatize his business.

"My brother Jack and I own a business where we have access to systems that can be used to help the mission of St. Thomas Aquinas Medical Clinic," explained McAuliffe. "We're happy to fulfill the need to provide ultrasound diagnostics."

McAuliffe and his brother are angels of mercy to others as well, doing work for the New Dawn Clinic of Orlando as well as Osceola Women's Pregnancy Center, which is part of First Baptist Church in Kissimmee and other pro-life centers nationwide. "My brother and I believe in the sanctity of life, and we do not work for any center that terminates life."

SonoDepot is a repair source for all major brands of diagnostic ultrasound. They provide service nationwide, but unlike most providers, their service hours are not limited to 8 - 5 Mon - Fri. They work at their client's convenience, not their own.

"At SonoDepot, we think you deserve courtesy, professionalism and a passion for quality," says McAuliffe. "It is our goal to provide exceptional ultrasound service and save you thousands in repair cost."

"Ask and it shall be given to you." So says the good book. Thank God for angels of mercy.