On the 24th August, 1990 three Sisters of Mercy returned to Blarney to minister after an absence of nearly one hundred years. An earlier foundation from Mallow was short-lived due to different expectations of the Sisters and the benefactors who invited them there. The core purpose of this group of Sisters was to be a Pre-Novitiate formation community in response to the Cloyne Diocesan Mercy Pastoral Plan formulated with the help of Fr. Cassian Yuhaus CP and instigated by Sr. Nora Murphy RIP (Gonzaga), the then Superior General of the diocese.
By 1990 Nora was no longer the Superior General but was one of a group of volunteers chosen for this new initiative. The new community settled in to 6 Castleowen, one of sixty four houses in a local estate. Between 1990 and 1995, before Provinces were formed, a number of young women lived with the community and were involved in the parish and in Cork City. There was no previous association with traditional ministries – no school or hospital. New ploughs had to be furrowed and it became a different insertion into parish community. All three Sisters became involved with the parish in different ways through choirs, the setting up of Meals on Wheels, the founding of a now thriving ICA group, Síol retreats, the GIFT programme for young people, bereavement groups, parenting groups, Victim Support, Liturgical Reflection, Taizé prayer experiences and ecumenical involvement with the Womens World Day of prayer. Latterly, the Circle of Mercy was begun in 2007. This group of ten members has been meeting faithfully for the past four years and has built up a strong relationship of trust, support and community.
View of Blarney from Trocaire, 6 Castleowen, Blarney
In January of this year Sr. Nora became ill and within a week had gone home to the God to whom she had given her eighty seven years. During that unforgettable week of her illness and death there was an outpouring of compassion, quality presence and extraordinary care of Nora that will live long in the memories of those of us privileged to witness this and be a part of it. Because this experience of Mercy was so life-giving in a real sense, despite the pain and sadness of losing Nora, it is appropriate to emphasise that this was due to the reciprocal nature of the compassion shared by the parish of Blarney. Not alone was Nora ministered to with the utmost care by our Circle of Mercy and many dear neighbours, family of Nora, friends and Sisters from the Province but the rest of the Mercy community namely Peggy, Rose and myself were also supported in so many practical and tangible ways.
One of our Circle members has generously shared her experience of this time which speaks of the gift that Nora was in our lives:
“In the Circle of Mercy that I belong to we have been examining virtues of mercy and compassion through a new lens. We have recently been part of an event which has provided us with an experience of compassion in action.”
Our dear elderly friend who was gradually failing, and who had lived a life of total dedication to God, was nearing the end of her earthly journey. We felt that the final days should pass in the appropriately dignified and loving way in which she had lived her life. I’ve read a definition of compassion which is described as “The quivering of the heart in response to another’s suffering” and also that compassion can be demanding, that “it sometimes asks us to just simply ‘be’ with someone – to wait patiently, to experience their powerlessness with them”. So she remained at home, in her own bed, in her bedroom, and with those she knew and loved all her life, close at all times. The cornerstone on which the pattern of life continued in her home for her final week of life was compassion. Her medical and personal needs were met by people from the community and neighbourhood with deep respect and dedication; support for her family members and those who lived with her came in the guise of practical help around cooking, shopping, cleaning and a myriad of other tasks which were undertaken with a smile and a genuine sense of privilege. She was never alone. The Eucharist was celebrated in her bedroom accompanied by some of her favourite music.
Circle of Mercy, Blarney
When she died all those very ordinary people who had been a part of her final journey, felt that they had been a part of an extra ordinary event. A huge grace was known to have enveloped that whole week, the grace which stems from compassion; a grace which confers the feeling that one has really walked with God.
When we marvelled at how everything had happened almost exactly the way in which our dear friend would have wanted it at the end, we were actually acknowledging the palpable and life-giving presence of God in our lives. I have read too that “God is compassion” – I now know it to be true. May she rest in peace.”
Margaret Dwan Blarney
May we all continue to reflect deeply on that ‘heart-quivering’ response that defines mercy and compassion because it is the quality of presence that will endure.
Anne Maria O’Carroll rsm
Southern Province
