Union of Presentation Sisters in Ministry

———————

Sowing Seeds of Hope in a Corrections Facility

“How do you like your job?” “What do you do?” “Do you feel safe?” These are the most frequently posed questions I have fielded since I have been in the position of Catholic Chaplain at Otago Corrections Facility. The questions are easily answered. Nano Nagle, Foundress of the Presentation Sisters, is on record as saying that: “… and if everyone thought as little of labour as I do, they would have little merit. I often think my schools will never bring me to heaven, as I only take delight and pleasure in them.” (To Miss Fitzsimmons, 17 July 1769)

I easily identify with that enjoyment and joy. I love my ministry! It is so different and the context is so far removed from the everyday world: walking alongside men with such broken lives, who for whatever reason have found themselves on the wrong side of the law. These are the people with whom Jesus was found: the poor, the vulnerable, the outcasts – people who have had little hope in their lives: born into poverty, living in violence, members of dysfunctional families, leading unstable lives, with limited or no education. The concepts of love and trust are unknown. They have many acquaintances and no real friends.

As Chaplains, we sow seeds of hope and help the men to find the real person they are when they are not trapped in the socially constructed labels handed out so freely by our society: prisoner, criminal, burglar, murderer, rapist, and paedophile – each label dictating certain behaviours. Finding who they are when they are not imprisoned in these boxes is liberating and opens the path to their finding the dream God has for them.

My ministry would not be possible without the support of, sharing of gifts and creativity by, a large network of Friends of Nano and others. They run Dreams Workshops, Creative Expressions, Art Sessions, and they visit and write letters to those who have no support. Two to three times per year (Christmas and Easter and one other) the men perform a pageant or concert for the wider community. They may write their own music and words and use their own spontaneity for short skits. These performances teach them how to work in a team, cooperation, leadership, self-confidence, communication skills. The performances teach the community that all is not bad in prison: that the people there are human and have amazing talents. This ministry is unique, challenging and addictive!

Jesus would identify with these observations. He knows what it is to be imprisoned, tortured, misunderstood, labelled and rejected by a society which had no interest in his message or his reality. As I go about my ministry I draw strength and inspiration from Nano who walked by the prison every day as she crossed the South Gate Bridge, paid for the release of prisoners, and left money for them in her will.

Veronica Casey of the New Zealand Vice Province

————-oooOooo————-

Promoting and Providing an Innovative Approach to Learning

Warrenmount Community Education & Development Centre is one of a number of centres in Dublin with Presentation involvement. It opened in 1995 to provide for the educational needs of adults in the Dublin 8 area. It is nestled in the ‘Warrenmount complex’, which includes the Convent, Primary School and Secondary School.

The Centre is guided by the charism of the Presentation Congregation and is committed to providing an open, friendly, welcoming atmosphere where people are respected and valued. It runs classes in a wide range of subjects, many of them accredited by FETAC (Further Education and Training and Awards Council). Also available is Literacy and Numeracy one-to-one tuition, and a full range of computer courses. We were fortunate in being able to set up a mobile laptop classroom. This added dimension to the Centre allows computer use at each class and access to the world wide web empowers the ‘techno-phobic’.

Popular courses are Childcare, Interior Design and Storysacks – a course which involves parents making a sack and various items that form part of a story to be read to children while helping adults with their literacy skills. Basic Irish, Local History, Gardening and Horticulture, and Communications are amongst other courses on offer.

The staff and tutors in the Centre consciously promote an innovative approach to learning – aware that the educational system of the past did not work for the majority of our learners. We do this by underpinning our programmes with the Multiple Intelligences approach to teaching and learning. This method identifies eight intelligences including Visual, Rhythmic, Logical and Natural, among others. This allows learners to progress ‘at their own pace’ and also brings a sense of fun and enjoyment to the classes.

‘It is not how intelligent you are but how you are intelligent’

We provide Fair Trade and organic products in the Centre Café. When the need arises, i.e. at times of elections, a specific programme on Voter Education provides a supportive encouragement to exercise the ‘right to vote’.

The Centre sponsors a Community Employment (CE) Scheme where the CE trainees can get valuable work experience in the Playgroup, the Administration Office and the Coffee Shop. Whether you want to learn about your local area, pick up a foreign language, improve your literacy or explore the world of computers or horticulture there is a course for you at Warrenmount.

Pauline McGaley pbvm is the current Director of the Centre. For more information visit our website.

————-oooOooo————-

“Mostly I just listen” – Being a Hospital Chaplain

My name is Sr Colette Iles and my ministry is that of Catholic Chaplain in Tameside Hospital and Willow Wood Hospice in neighbouring Ashton Under Lyne, near Manchester. No two days are the same in this work but there is always someone who likes a chat and feels so much better for it.  Mostly I just listen. A sense of humour is very helpful. It gets through to most people of all faiths and none.

At times there are what I call “God instances” when I could be called to pray with someone who is dying or by the bedside of someone who has died. I always pray that God will give me the right words. I don’t always remember what I have prayed but I feel the right words were given me. One such instance happened recently when I was asked by a patient who was a Methodist to pray with her; she was dying of cancer. I took her hand and prayed and felt a great sense of God’s spirit in the room. I could almost touch it, it felt so strong. The patient slept as a great peace came over her; I think her family who were present felt it too. I left the room in silence.

A very important part of my ministry is giving Holy Communion to patients – it means so much to them. I feel very privileged to do what I do. The benefits are not confined to the patients; relatives who know their loved one has been visited and prayed with are also comforted.

————-oooOooo————-

Sharing and Praying with Solo Mothers

Mary Tait (second from right at back) of the New Zealand Vice Province writes: “This group of solo Mums meet in the neighbouring parish of St Bernadette’s, Naenae each Monday afternoon in one of their homes. It is a time of sharing and praying together about what is going on in their lives and the world around them. The group was originally formed over twenty years ago when I was doing parish ministry there. As you can imagine, the group has changed over the years but still welcomes anyone who comes along. There is no need for me to be present, but it is a meeting I try not to miss going along to.”

————-oooOooo————-

Rallying for Debt Cancellation

This photo was taken during the protest at the meeting of G7 leaders in Cologne, Germany in June 1999 – the year 17 million people worldwide signed the Jubilee 2000 petition for debt cancellation. Mary Salmon (Little Sisters of the Assumption) and Presentations Eileen Adams and Maureen O’Connell, all from Ireland, are where 850,000 people signed the petition. Three bus-loads of Irish supporters travelled to Cologne where the 17mn signatures were presented to the G7. While the G7 capitulated by giving a further $14 billion for debt relief, the total outstanding debt of the lowest income countries was, at that time, well over $200 billion.

————-oooOooo————-

Working with Women to be Self-sustainable in Zambia

This photograph was taken at Kabanga, in the western province, which is one of our rural missions in Zambia. Presentation Sister Inez Fernandes works with the people here.

From left, Bo Ma Pumulo, Presentations Bella Vedamuthu and Maureen Miley are seen at an open well drawing water for the celebration of the opening of the Nano Nagle Centre.

“Since water is a big need in the area we tried to get some funds from our Sisters to line open wells which promote clean and safe drinking water. Until this time people used shallow wells which were not safe; sometimes even animals drank from the same source. We have lined 15 wells so far and 10 more are in the process. The open wells are comparatively cheaper to line and have a longer life span.

Our ministry here is to work with women, children, HIV/AIDS orphans and widows to be self-sustainable. We promote the above through Development Education Program by:

• Empowering women and youth through leadership skills
• Self sustainable projects like chicken rearing, fish and pig farming
• Agricultural sector by sensitising people to grow drought-resistant crops, doing organic farming, conservation farming, making compost, food processing
• Human rights, e.g. re Child defilement
• Health care and nutrition.”

————-oooOooo————-

Promoting and Working for Human Rights in Pakistan

Pictured to the right is Presentation Sister Norris Nawab (far right) working with a group of women in Pakistan. Activities carried out by the Sisters and their staff include:

• Empowering women to stand up for their rights – 30 women have been trained and 66 groups with 1,023 members have been formed throughout the country.
• Helping workers to move towards unionisation in order to empower them to get their rights and assisting them to get legal aid.
• Being involved in peace activities and working in collaboration with church organisations and with like-minded Muslim organisations.

Norris has come to see that justice and peace workers’ focus is to work for a just society where every human being could equally enjoy rights and respect in society, regardless of his/her caste, creed, gender or ethnicity. Norris is engaged in promoting human rights, especially for religious minorities, women and labourers in Pakistan.

————-oooOooo————-

Working for Justice and Peace in England

Nuala Mottley of the UK Province is pictured here (second from left) with the Justice and Peace Commission in Manchester, England.