Trasnu is the name we chose for the regular gathering of Mercy Sisters from the Southern Province who have been meeting approximately every six weeks, for the past eight years or so. The group’s focus originally was Our Own Death and Dying. It is a sub-group of the Interconnectedness Group in the Southern Province. Altogether, we were twelve in the beginning and in the past two years, two lay friends have greatly enriched our number. Our gatherings have been very well co-ordinated by a core group of three Sisters and proved to be a beautiful experience of collaboration and rich sharing of personal story, body/energy work, chat, fun but serious study also. To broaden our theological understanding of Death, we shared a wide repertoire of wisely selected readings, suitable music, songs/hymns, poems and dramas. I include a few extracts below from some of our own compositions and adaptations. Hope and Imagination in practice!
We began with a focus on befriending death as our Sister… “Sister Death, in your kind embrace, all living beings are held, we sing your praise!”
And understanding her place in the life cycle: “Life in death, death in life… slowly weaving all in one; Life in death, death in life… In this awesome mystery all beings belong.” This led to a gradual acceptance of the reality and a shared opportunity to make practical arrangements for our funeral including our will, our ritual/ liturgy, choice of coffin etc.
This group also provided support in facing the loss in our daily dying and in understanding the dynamics involved in the many transitions we undergo. Learning to say ‘goodbye’ and ‘letting go’ are central to the process : “Every time we say ‘goodbye’ we die a little; every time we say ‘goodbye’ we change a little; in every letting go, there’s pain thro’ which we grow… every time we say ‘goodbye’.” Completing any unfinished business is necessary to free ourselves for living any unlived life. We learned that dealing with Beauty, Terror and intense Feelings was another crucial part of the preparation. When we allow ourselves experience intense feelings of beauty and terror now, we will be more prepared for dying and death. The richer our inner life is, the easier our dying will be. Essentially life is all about relating at all levels. Karl Rahner believes that we can freely transform our dying into a radically personal passage toward deeper participation in the universe.
In January 2009 we embarked on Stage Two… an interactive Presentation for the Interconnectedness Group… widening our concept of TRANSITION to embrace the Universe Story and its Evolutionary Process This was a challenging and exciting project involving serious hard, but stimulating study. Beginning with the first evidence of life on earth, we traced the story of the Bacteria, giving them a voice and a theatrical shape for the first time in history! We grew in wonder and amazement as we came to understand how ingeniously the bacteria had negotiated the many major crises with which they were faced. We saw that each crisis bought out the creative genius and led to a completely new stage in evolution. “When in a fix and nearly dead- You’re tried and tested and can’t move ahead, in your core you are wise. You will grow thro’ the strife! In your core, you are wise. You’ll find your new place in the mystery of life!”
In the last few months, we embarked on Stage Three … “From Failure Up” – another creative interactive Presentation for the Interconnectedness Group, which took place on April 17th, 2010. This dealt with the Current Major Transition Mercy is undergoing in the wake of the Ryan Report. To explore the conditions under which abuse might be expected to occur, as well as the consequences of denial and the various forms it takes, we drew on the insights of Liberation Psychologist Geraldine Moane, some relevant theories of Political Theorist Hannah Arendt, and a reflection on the Impact of living out of False Images of God. With the aid of poetry, song, and movement, I believe we facilitated a very profound, honest and deeply – touching sharing. To conclude the process, we were guided through a gentle healing of the senses with fragrant oils to the accompaniment of the following healing mantra:
“There is a balm in Gilead to make the wounded whole.
There is a balm in Gilead to heal the aching soul.”
I understand from the feedback that we enabled each other to cross another important threshold – creating a pathway to a genuine acknowledgement of our failures, to a full honest repentance and to a fuller healthier life as part of our growth and evolution as Sisters of Mercy. We had summed up this dream in the song we had composed for the process:
“Let’s lift our hearts! Together we will face our fears and
Hold the pain that seems so hard to bear and
Own the past that now seems all in vain.
Though we shudder and we cower as things fall apart,
We’ll embrace this darkest hour now with all our heart!
And we’ll grow in full repentance through a gentle healing love.”
Noreen Foley rsm
Southern Province
