Our Spiritual Legacy
May 13, 2024
This article appears in the May Issue of Reflections and Connections
An individual's ‘legacy’ may be their life stories, lessons learned, values and beliefs, or hopes and dreams for loved ones. Legacies are valuable and often priceless when shared with others, especially those we love. The Congregation of Sisters of St. Agnes took a unique opportunity to pilot a project to share the spiritual legacy of a few of its senior sisters.
CSA learned of a special research project conducted by the Mayo Clinic titled “Hear My Voice,” which was a chaplain-led spiritual legacy pilot study for patients with advanced diseases. CSA reached out to Katherine M. Piderman, BCC, PhD, who worked with patients as part of her role as chaplain at Mayo Clinic in Rochester. She was involved in the development and implementation of the Mayo Clinic’s project. With Katherine’s help, the “Hear My Voice” spiritual legacy research project was adapted for CSA’s women religious and was titled “My Spiritual Legacy.”
Eight CSA members who are certified spiritual directors were paired with eight of the congregation's senior members to conduct interviews. The interviewers used carefully crafted questions to help the senior sisters share their personal life stories reflective of their own spiritual journeys. The interviews gave the sisters an opportunity to share thoughts and stories that were precious to them and may not have otherwise been shared.
The interviews were recorded, transcribed, and then edited for accuracy. From this text, a narrative was written and transformed into a booklet complete with photographs chosen by the sister who was interviewed. The booklet was then given to the sister, and copies were given to her to share with those she chose.
The goals of the “My Spiritual Legacy” project were:
- To provide an opportunity for a sister to reflect on her spiritual journey as a consecrated woman and to share it with a trusted interviewer.
- To develop a printed spiritual legacy document for the sister to keep for herself and share with others as she desires.
- To bolster meaning, dignity, hope, and agency—the benefits reported by those interviewed in the Mayo Clinic study.
Those involved in the “My Spiritual Legacy” project completed evaluations of the experience and overwhelmingly reported that the goals were met. CSA is planning to extend the project to other members of the Congregation in the future.
We all have a legacy to share. Some questions that you may reflect on to begin contemplating your spiritual legacy are: Who was the first person who taught you about faith? Are there others you consider spiritual mentors in your life? Are there any spiritual practices that have been meaningful to you? What practices give you the most hope or comfort? How does your spirituality guide you as you look toward the future?
Maybe you would like to write your very own “My Spiritual Legacy” document to share with your loved ones!