The Power of Presence
November 29, 2024
This article appears in the November Issue of Reflections and Connections
Sister Anne Jude Van Lanen worked with Sister Mary Agreda Touchett and Peg Cerny to establish Hospice Hope in Fond du Lac in 1980. However, her inspiration for that work came from her ministry in Nicaragua beginning in 1961. This story is an abridged version of some of her reflections about that experience.
Early in my missionary experience in Nicaragua, I became aware of how little I had to effectively minister among the people living along the Río Coco. It was during an incident when I expressed my feeling of inadequacy, that a wise old Capuchin missionary, Fr. Philip Casper, reminded me, “Remember, you bring your greatest gift when you come empty-handed.”
These were words never to be forgotten, as Sister Julieta (Portocarrero) said to me shortly thereafter, “When speaking Spanish, don’t worry about your mistakes–-just keep talking—we will understand you.” Words never to be forgotten, when I visited a remote village and during the night was called to a bamboo dwelling in the jungle where a young man was dying of tuberculosis. He was surrounded by his wife and small children, as well as several neighbors. My medicines were all gone, my vocabulary in the Miskito language was limited and I had “nothing I could do” for him. I knelt at his side and expressed my regrets at “having nothing” to offer. He opened his eyes, and with a big smile and raspy voice, said, “Trabil apu, Madriki, man balram.” (“Don’t worry Madre, you came.”) We prayed together, and he died peacefully.
. . .This taught me a lesson for life that I have never forgotten, and it is the power of presence . . .
We have heard the expression, “It was painful, but it was a time of grace.” And, so it was. This entire experience awakened in me a new “call”, when after years of restlessness, the Spirit “moved within” and my religious superiors gave me permission to pursue the establishment of Hospice Hope as part of St. Agnes Hospital in 1980. In this endeavor, credit is due to God and many others, especially Sister Mary Agreda Touchett and Peg Cerny, for their untiring efforts to initiate hospice care in this geographic area of Wisconsin. The death of my family members while I was out of the country was a motivating factor in this pursuit of hospice care.
I publicly credit the Miskito people along the Río Coco for having taught me “How to be born and how to die…” surrounded by those whom they love. And by allowing the God of nature to be God.
Grieving at Any Age
November 22, 2024
This article appears in the November Issue of Reflections and Connections
In 1969, Elisabeth Kübler-Ross identified the five stages of dying in her book: On Death and Dying. She saw that patients who were dying appeared to go through common experiences. Decades later, David Kessler, who coauthored books with her, added a sixth stage. In 2019, he authored a book, Finding Meaning. He acknowledges that for most of us grief will lessen in intensity over time; it will never end. But if we allow ourselves to move fully into this crucial sixth stage—MEANING—it will allow us to transform grief into something rich and fulfilling.
These two authors have influenced me as a hospice spiritual and grief counselor since 2003. My ministry with dying people and their loved ones has taken on a deeper calling. Most of my time is spent with adults who are searching for support to accept the existential pain that they are experiencing. Loss can wound and paralyze. Finding meaning in loss empowers us to find a path forward and helps us make sense of grief. In my work with grieving people, I have often been asked: “Where can I find meaning? The death? The loss? The event? The circumstances? The life of my loved one? In my own life after the loss?” My answer to all these questions is: “Yes, Yes, Yes”. You may find meaning which will lead you to deeper questions and deeper answers.
In recent years, I have put more effort into supporting grieving children, ages 6-14, since I came to realize that they are sometimes forgotten. Children grieve differently than adults, and they can become invisible. Children need to accept their grief in doses and realize that outward signs of grief may come and go. We need to respect the child’s need to be a child during this time. Our society tries to hide the loss, the death, from them, but they need to come to grips with death. Being present is the most important thing one can do to help. They need to know that they are not alone. Physical closeness and comfort are reassuring to children during times of distress. What you say may not be as important as a touch on the shoulder, holding of the hand, or a smile of reassurance. They need to be told the truth, to have their questions answered so they can embrace the hurt and pain. In time, a child will come to a place of peace and trust.
For the past 8 years, I have directed a camp for grieving children called Camp GLOW (Giving Loved Ones Wings). It is a community event: I use a local school, have the Industrial Arts Students make wooden boxes for the children to paint and decorate and use as a memory box, and many businesses donate food, drinks and craft items. Each child has a trained buddy who spends the day listening, accepting, and being present. Each child is given a teddy bear that is held and attends most activities with the child. We take time to talk and journal about their loved ones. The child watches and listens to a magician, who is an ordained minister, as he talks about ways to deal with their emotions. We close with a ritual during which each child chooses some colored sand to pour into a glass heart. We ask an adult to accompany the child, and they have their own group, facilitated by a grief counselor. The adults join us for lunch, the magician’s presentation, and the closing ritual so that they can continue the conversation in the home.
Meaning is all around us. We just have to look to discover it. It is my hope that both the children and the adults who attend this camp will begin to uncover the meaning behind their grief. Death ends a life, but not our relationship, our love, or our hope.
Sister Georgeann Roudebush serves as a Spiritual and Grief Counselor for SSM Health At Home based in Madison, WI.
Land Management Requires Ecological Conversion
November 15, 2024
Dave Gitter, part of the CSA Maintenance Team, carefully trims and prunes shrubs and bushes by cutting away overgrown and dead branches or stems and by removing debris. The process of pruning allows sunlight and water to reach the roots and improves air circulation for the tree or plant. This results in significantly increased growth and fruitfulness. Pruning decreases the spread of disease or decay and promotes new growth. This works wonderfully in yards.
Our prairie and woodlands, on the other hand, provide food and shelter from snowstorms, promote new growth, and become prime nesting material in the springtime. Pruned material is composted or processed as mulch for natural walkways and woodland paths to live more sustainably and justly with gratitude for creation and ecological conversion.
Source: https://www.monarchgard.com/thedeepmiddle/why-you-shouldnt-clean-up-the-fall-garden
Prune bushes. Protect bugs. Provide for birds.
Upper pond at St. Agnes Convent
Pope Francis invites every person to care for our common home.
This call to “ecological conversion” is not only about large-scale policies, but also about integrating sustainability into our daily lives in ways that fit our local context. We can respond in both small and large ways.
Laudato Si’ reminds us that we are all interconnected and share a responsibility to care for creation. Whether you live in a city, a small village, or on a ledge overlooking a lake, there are practical ways to bring the spirit of Laudato Si’ into your daily life. From reducing waste and conserving energy to planting a butterfly garden and pruning shrubs, every step matters. Together, in both small and large ways, each of us can respond to this call to care for our common home. 5 Practical Ways to Live Out Laudato Si'.
Special thank you to: Chelsea Koenigs, Laudato Si’ Animator,
Mary Christopherson, Julie Ann Krahl, CSA, & Patricia Bogenschuetz, CSA
Congregation of Sisters of St. Agnes: https://www.csasisters.org/our-values/creation.cfm
Befriending Life’s Transitions
November 15, 2024
This article appears in the November Issue of Reflections and Connections
On September 27, 2024, many sisters gathered for the CSA Grief & Loss Reflection Day. The day was comprised of prayer, a presentation by Sister Sharon Pollnow, time for personal reflection, and small-group faith sharing.
Sister Sharon welcomed those gathered with a quotation from Sister Mary Pellegrino, CSJ, reminding the sisters that, “tending our grief over our own many and great losses and over the heartbreak of the world …, and inviting others to do that with us is one of the most generous and generative acts of service that we could possibly render for our grieving sisters, for our hurting neighbors, for our broken world. Our own grief is a gateway to grace, not only for ourselves, but for our world.”
Together the sisters explored their own personal and communal history with grief, such as skills and learnings they had gained along the way and how they have coped with the many different types and quantities of loss. As they reflected on their lives, the group explored how they had moved through the various stages of grief and spent significant time working together on how they found meaning within each transition or loss.
While the workshop could certainly have been done virtually, the choice to gather in person was intentional. Sister Mary Ann Czaja was one of the attendees who made a special trip from her ministry in North Carolina to attend. She appreciated that choice, “The value of coming together, being open to a presentation, and having time to both express my thoughts and listen to others made the workshop have character!” The in-person conversation sparked a desire for longer discussion, and several sisters plan to continue their reflection together virtually.
Sister Sharon closed the day with a reminder that, “grief is a gateway to grace, not only for ourselves, but for our world. … It will open us to the vitality that lies deep at the heart of communion with God, with one another, and with the wider world. It will help us to speak new languages and apprehend new images and tell new stories. It will remake us.”
CSA Remains Committed to Transformation of the World
November 08, 2024
The Congregation of Sisters of St. Agnes (CSA) remains committed to transforming the world, the Church, and ourselves by promoting systemic change for quality of life, justice for those who are economically poor, advancing the role of women in the Church and society, and fostering mutuality, inclusivity, and collaboration.
In times of transition, it can be tempting to isolate ourselves or only surround ourselves with like-minded individuals, further polarizing an already divided community. As we move into a new federal administration, we are reminded of the United States motto, E pluribus unum—“Out of many, one.” This motto’s symbol is visible throughout our nation’s capital in the form of a bundle of sticks bound together to create a larger, stronger column, called a fascis (plural: fasces). Fasces are prominently displayed in the Lincoln Memorial, symbolizing our shared values of justice and unity.
In the United States, we are bound by these values of justice and unity. A historically accurate fascis includes an axe bound with the rods, as seen in the symbol of the United States Senate. Originally intended to convey strength, like a sword representing protection, the axe can also be misused, turning into a symbol of punishment and authoritarian power. As the CSA Mission Statement reminds us, we must act with courageous initiative whenever we see threats to human dignity. Let us come together in the days ahead to ensure the symbols of our democracy continue to uphold justice and unity for all.
This same protection must also extend beyond humanity. God’s directive for us to serve as stewards and protectors of this beautiful creation has been transformed into authoritarian power to create and destroy at our leisure. This interpretation gives humans permission to ignore long-term consequences of destroying the world around us and deny the interconnectedness of all things. CSA will instead continue to honor and promote “our interdependence with all of God's creation and in a spirit of nonviolence, personally and communally renew and recommit to care for Earth, home of all living creatures” (CSA Corporate Stance on Care for Earth).
“If the present ecological crisis is one small sign of the ethical, cultural, and spiritual crisis of modernity, we cannot presume to heal our relationship with nature and the environment without healing all fundamental human relationships” (Laudato Si’ #119). As a country of diverse backgrounds and experiences, we invite all our neighbors into a unifying embrace, ensuring that none are left behind. “Love binds us together, and by sharing our lives and our faith in community, we support one another to live with singleness of purpose: that among us and in our world the Risen Christ be discovered and revealed” (CSA Mission).
The CSA Mission is supplemented by CSA’s statements on women and peace and nonviolence as well as corporate stances on anti-racism, caring for Earth, against the death penalty, and against human trafficking.