“A tapestry of rich and royal hue”
| 1980 Special Class | | 1983 Folk Group | | 1984 Special Class –Outing | | 1988 Karamoja | | 1995 Karamoja | | Reunion: 30 years after Profession | | 2005: Prison ministry | |
“My life has been a tapestry of rich and royal hue”, so goes Carol King’s song and I can relate to those words very easily. I see the tapestry of my life from the back with all its loose ends, knots, unfinished bits of wool and mistakes. I trust that God is enjoying the colours from the other side as it unfolds before him in all its glory. As I look back on 39 years in the Society I realise just how rich my life has been and what an adventure…… in faith. My favourite scripture passage is found in Jeremiah 29: 11 - 13 “I know the plans I have in mind for you plans of peace and not disaster…when you seek me with all your heart: I will let you find me”. These words have been my anchor for years. I had a “Damascus” experience at the age of 20 when I had a sudden realisation that life is short, and life with God is eternal. That was the call. Consecration appealed to me, things began to loose their glamour and everything seemed passing, I became more and more convinced that the life I was living – the life that is dictated by the circle one moves in - was not for me. I entered at Mount Anville in 1966, unsure as to how this call would work out, but with two mottoes: Amen Alleluia! and You will get the grace. The 1970 Chapter shaped my journey in the Society and gave me a direction which I followed, convinced, that the “Incarnation is now” (p 11 Ch 1970) And that I had to respond and share in Christ’s work. I was also deeply challenged by a call from Concha Comacho to “listen to the suffering world”. These words were reinforced by a verse from the 1982 Constitutions: “The Heart of Jesus opens our being to the depths of God and to the anguish of humankind.”(8) Having worked in our own schools for some years I followed my dream to be with the less fortunate and in 1978 I began working in a State Primary School in a tough locality of North Dublin, teaching children with emotional disabilities. I remained there for eight years living in community among “travellers” and in the inner city of Dublin. In 1986 prompted by the Spirit, by a longstanding desire to work in the third world and a Provincial who thought I needed a change of direction, I found myself in Uganda firstly in an administrative post in the major seminary in Kampala and later in a secondary school for girls in Karamoja. These years had a profound and lasting effect on me and I am so grateful to have had the experience of living and working in the Uganda Kenya Province. On my return home three years later, I retrained as a creative arts therapist and worked with organisation called Children at Risk in Ireland which catered for children who had experienced sexual and psychological abuse, I also counselled children traumatised because of domestic violence and marital break down. This was a natural follow through to my previous work in special education and I loved it. I had just about built up a client base working privately, when out of the blue in 1995 I was asked if I would help on a part time basis as bursar in our house for the sick and elderly in Dublin, while still continuing to work with children. Two years later I became director and superior of Cedar House as well as bursar and remained there until 2002, but regretfully I had to drop my counselling work all together. My years in Cedar House were grace-filled and very privileged. There followed a sabbatical year during which I lived in Armagh, and took a three-month course in Sangre de Cristo New Mexico USA. While in Sangre, I became friendly with a Holy Child sister who was a prison chaplain in Dublin. She spoke of prison chaplaincy as a ministry of healing, compassion and common sense! When the next advertisement came up I applied and that brings me to my present ministry. Since September 2004 I have been working in an open prison for men who are coming to the end of their sentences. In the past months I have met several hundred men in the course of my work. I have been humbled by the strength and courage of some who despite huge personal and social problems are able to overcome addictions and insurmountable difficulties. My job is to be a presence. I offer spiritual support and help of any kind, I listen a great deal and act as a “granny figure”, I try not to judge or condemn, I never report misdemeanours. Like the class teacher of old I see everything but notice nothing, or was it the other way around? In some cases I bring prisoners out for day release either on compassionate grounds or as a pre-release programme. I accompany others to family conferences, funerals, or hospital visits. My work is varied I never know what the day will bring, however I enjoy every moment and God is there in the midst of it, surely this is eucharistic? In many ways this work is a culmination of everything I have done since entering 39 years ago. The people I work with are vulnerable and special and they have definitely added colour to the tapestry of my life. May I also admit that I constantly “get the Grace” to do whatever is necessary. “Amen Alleluia!” Pat Egan rscj
Province of Ireland - Scotland |
