Twilight of Joy: The Spirituality of Elder Women Religious
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Date
2009-04-15T18:33:36Z
Authors
Mewhort, Rose
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Abstract
Research that addresses the implications of a religious/spiritual worldview
is now relevant in clinical, academic, and policy domains. The field of
gerontology is putting greater emphasis on the challenge of understanding the
â inner lifeâ of the aging individual. Person-centered care and strength based
clinical perspectives are dependent on research processes that examine the
content of highly subjective religious experience. Institutional changes in health
care, social services, and pastoral care require research initiatives that challenge
stereotypical views of aging.
This study explored the complex phenomena of spirituality from the
perspective of elder women religious. The interpretive paradigm and an
ethnographic method guided research questions that centered on the lived
experiences of Christian spirituality during the aging passage. I asked nine
volunteer elder women religious to reflect upon the changes in their spiritual
perspective as they encountered the adaptive requirements of aging. Dedicated
women religious explored questions relating to the challenges and possibilities
of aging with emphasis on the spiritual dimension.
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Jungian psychology and feminist theology provided theoretical
frameworks from which to analyze the research data. Depth psychology
encouraged exploration of intuition and metaphorical self-expression. Feminist
theology provided for a feminine sense of the sacred. Analysis included
comparison of definitions, concepts, and theory presented within the academic
literature and the subjective descriptions of the spiritual journey as understood
by the participants in this specific denominational context.
Priorities for spiritual development included a continued emphasis on
prayer, community, and service. The later years invited the respondents to a
deeper appreciation of contemplative prayer. The life-span relational orientation
to God and others persisted into the very late stages of elderhood. The
respondents welcomed new social roles that accommodated changes in physical
status. Their vitality included a positive attitude toward world, self, and others
that transcended hardship and limitations. Transcendence included acceptance of
difficulties as part of authentic human experience. Hopefulness and joy
expressed the capacity to live in the present moment with acceptance of future
uncertainties. Celebration, compassion and social justice characterized a
transformative vision.
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Keywords
Feminist spirituality , Nuns , Spiritual life , Aging -- Religious aspects , Sisters of Charity of Saint Vincent de Paul , Nova Scotia , Older women -- Religious life , Halifax