A Day in the Life of...
On this page one of our sisters give a brief account of what life is like for her as she lives her life as a Religious Sister of Charity.
SR. FLORENCE
KAVANAGH
My name is Sister Florence Kavanagh, sometimes
known as Flo!
Although past official retiring age, I continue to
do some voluntary work as a Religious Sister of
Charity.
I live in a Community of four Sisters. We are
engaged in various Ministries, which include,
Pastoral/Social Parish work, Primary School, and
Hospital Chaplaincy, all of which are inspired by
our fourth vow which is “Service of the
Poor”.
During the course of my life I have tried to fulfil
the Ministries assigned to me. These included
Parish Visiting, Child Care, Social Work with two
Catholic Agencies and Family Therapy. Now I spend
time engaged in hospitality and administration at a
local agency supported by the “Churches
Together” in our area. The agency is a
valuable resource for the people who avail of the
services.
A special area of my ministry at the moment is
being part of the Spiritual and Pastoral Care Team
in two of the city hospitals. I feel very
privileged being a member of this Team. I am very
grateful to God that I can fulfil this Ministry, it
is a blessed time for me and I hope the patients
experience God’s love too. I feel also that I
receive much more than I can ever give in many
different ways, an experience which leaves me
feeling very humbled.
A day in my life does not often follow the same
pattern. It usually begins at 6.30 to 6.45am.
Having greeted the new day, I thank God for so
much. This is followed by Morning Prayer, after
which is breakfast. Then I am ready to settle to
personal prayer for an hour. Sometimes my prayer
could be based on one of the Psalms, a passage of
Scripture, or a Mantra, all of which I hope sets
the scene for my day. Depending on where my
Ministry is, I leave the house at about
9.00-10.00am, having sometimes attended Mass in our
parish church. My work at the agency is usually in
the morning; hospital work is usually the whole
day. I enjoy the challenges of the work but
hospital work holds a special place in my heart.
The story I am about to relate is about a patient
at the hospital.
I had been visiting a very lovely man for some
time, his name was Andrew, he always welcomed me
graciously with a wonderful smile. His illness was
progressive, but he often went home for short
periods. His treatment was severe but he never
complained. Andrew had a partner and a nineteen
year old son from his first marriage, whom he
loved. Amongst other things Andrew told me that he
desperately wanted to marry his partner, they loved
each other but never got around to marrying
officially. He told me he had spoken to a Chaplain
but nothing happened. Andrew and I prayed to find a
way forward, God intervened with the help needed,
through another person who set the wheels in
motion. Andrew became more ill so “haste was
the name of the game”, he wanted to be
married and his partner and son agreed. We all
worked really hard, and eventually the big day
arrived, Wednesday November 16th. I attended
Andrew’s Wedding in his room at the hospital,
in the presence of his family, the Registrar, and a
Chaplain, who after the official Ceremony blest the
couple, their family, staff members and friends,
Andrew’s joy knew no bounds. One of the
Sisters of the Community, Sr. Joanna, also attended
the ceremony; she had known Andrew, his parents and
family for twenty five years.
Andrew relaxed very much after the wedding, but
sadly his health deteriorated on Thursday and he
died peacefully, on Saturday 19th November, may he
rest in peace. I feel that God was very close to
all of us on that day and truly present in the
whole of this story, and that God continues to
bless the family and through them, all of us. This
was indeed a very special day in my life and in the
lives of family, friends and the staff on the wards
who prepared a special meal and were so kind to
Andrew and all of us.
My days are not so extraordinary, but each day is
very special because one never knows how God, in
his mercy, love and kindness is going to reveal
God’s self to us, through the lives we touch.
Often not knowing what the day holds is such a
challenge, but through prayer and mindfulness of
God’s presence, I am enabled to continue
God’s work.
When I return from the hospital, my evening
continues with a meal, followed by Evening Prayer
and reflection time. After which there is often
time to relax. I like the garden very much and
sometimes I relax by working there, hopefully I
might even get round to growing some vegetables as
well as flowers! My day ends at about 10.30pm with
prayers of thanksgiving for so much received.