Knock, Glendalough, Mercy convents, Maynooth, Manresa, Santiago de Compostella – all places of prayer where I have been blessed to minister this past year. Anyone who has had the privilege of being involved in spiritual direction and retreat work – these ministries of presence – knows that what we are really doing is providing space. Space for those who are seeking and searching, space for those who hunger for meaning, space for those who yearn for peace and silence amidst the busyness of life: space to encounter God.
In Glendalough praying with pilgrims who come from around the world as well as around the country, seeking and finding God – transcendent and immanent – in solitude and the beauty of nature.
This also describes the yearnings of those who attend the ‘Whisper of God’ retreats in Knock. Or those who drop in for the spiritual direction which is available every Friday, Saturday and Sunday in the Reconciliation Chapel.
‘Oh, the joy of being able to speak freely!’
exclaimed one woman, having unburdened herself of pain she had never before been able to share with another.
For some, the discovery of the benefits of spiritual direction leads them to come to Knock for monthly appointments. This past year I have also been a mentor to one of the trainee Prayer Guides in Knock.
Another aspect of my Spiritual Direction ministry is being a member of the ‘Towards Peace’ panel. This involves accompanying survivors of abuse on their journey to connect with their spirituality and sense of God. Towards Peace – an initiative of the Irish Bishops – provides a safe space, something requested by survivors themselves, when they asked for a service offering spiritual support. In encountering the God of all mercy, they also encounter themselves: the person God created them to be, perhaps for the first time.
A growing awareness of loss and unarticulated grief within the Congregation, coupled with hearing a very sad and oft repeated sentiment, ‘Sure you just have to get on with it,’ led me to offer days of reflection and retreat to some of our larger Mercy communities, on the theme, ‘Honouring our Grief and Loss’. I came to these retreats thinking of the loss of family members; Sisters; ministries being handed over; convents closing; the dissolution of our Provinces. While recognising the validity of all these losses, the Sisters I met also taught me of losses from decades ago, that they never had the time or the space to grieve, resulting in an accumulation of grief and no way to express it. It has been a privilege to hold a space for the honest tears of these women. I have witnessed again and again the infallibility of the motto on my ring:
‘The truth will set you free.’ John 8: 32
An unexpected gift of these retreats has been the warm hospitality I have received in Mercy convents around the country. Sisters I have never met before, telling me they watched my Final Profession, has touched me and warmed my heart, again and again.
Last summer, I had the opportunity to accompany pilgrims who had completed all or some of The Camino, as they gathered in a small room in Santiago de Compostella, to celebrate and reflect on their achievement – often spiritual and emotional as much as physical – and to share insights with their fellow pilgrims. And because of the mutuality of ministry, to recognise myself in their stories, and how through them, God continues to work in my own life. This ministry is hosted by the FCJ Sisters.
In Maynooth, on Friday afternoons, I gather with a small group of students studying Chaplaincy and Youth Work, along with seminarians, for two hours of reflection on their ministry placement. Irish students, as well as those from around the world pray, share and reflect on the joys and challenges of ministering in a faith context in an increasingly secularised Ireland.
I am grateful to God for these continuing ministry opportunities and also for the fact that I am following in the steps of so many Mercy Sisters who have ministered in these places before me. In listening to others, I become aware of our common humanity. I never cease to be amazed at the power of being listened to – an all too rare experience in our contemporary world. It is with humility and gratitude that I am privileged to watch God at work in these sacred places of trust and prayer.
How
Did the rose
Ever open its heart
And give to this world
All its
Beauty?
It felt the encouragement of light
Against its
Being,
Otherwise
We all remain
Too
Frightened.
Hafiz
Maire Hearty rsm
South Central Province
