04/05/2024
The last Missionary Journey
Recently I attended the funeral of one of our sisters. She had been on mission in Brazil and Nigeria. During her wake, the family, friends and her community shared such moving stories of their experience of her. It is amazing how different pieces of our life fall in place after our death. All our experiences, both good and bad form a pattern and it becomes clear that nothing is a mistake or happens by chance.
Such was the case with this sister. She was a missionary through and through, and her whole childhood and life's experiences helped build that up; from a Tom Boyish childhood to a daring, risk taking youth.
All prepared her for the Missionary work in tropical Africa and Brazil where she worked with the locals trekking long miles on foot and horse back.
All this was about a deep love for God planted in her in her family and bringing that love to others.
Of the stories of her last days, one told by her community stands out. It happened that, as she was wheeled out of the house to be taken to the hospital for the last time, at the door, she asked those pushing the stretcher to pause. Then she raised her voice and began singing our Missionary song. This song is sang for each sister as she leaves the novitiate or community to go on Mission:
"Go ye afar
Go teach all Nations
Bear witness unto me
In every land and clime
And I with you shall be
Until the end of time."
Sister knew well this was her last missionary journey. For her, the process of dying itself was a missionary journey and she lived it as such. Though she was in excruciating pains, she did not complain, but accepted it graciously with humor and a kind word for those who came near her. Her pains were a sharing in the pains of Jesus and like Bishop Shanahan our founder, united with those of Jesus and offered up to God our father, for the intentions of others.
Her life's work over, She crossed over to the great beyond peacefully. The Mission was successfully accomplished!
(C) Sr. Bernadette Nyam
In honor of Sr. Elizabeth McKenna MSHR.
