Sinsinawa
Spectrum
A Congregation News Magazine
Villa Care
by Elizabeth Dunn, OP
The St. Dominic Villa pastoral staff, front row (from left): Srs. Mary Ann Heyd and Joris Binder. Back row: Villa Prioress Arturo Cranston, and Srs. Mary Joan Gibson, Shirley Ann Schreiber, and Patricia Tyson. Photo by Eileen Dushek-Manthe.
The spirit and vision of our St. Dominic Villa at Sinsinawa lives through our Sister residents; the Rice management staff, including Selina Stanaway, OP, social worker; Villa Prioress Arturo Cranston, OP; and Sinsinawa Dominican family caregivers Mary Joan Gibson, OP, Mary Ann Heyd, OP, Joris Binder, OP, Shirley Ann Schreiber, OP, Pat Tyson, OP; and dedicated volunteers and friends.
I am the council liaison to the Prioress of the Villa and the Sinsinawa family caregivers. This relationship has deepened my knowledge of what happens on a daily basis in a long-term healthcare facility. The dedication, professionalism, and faith commitment of all who minister with our Sister residents grace our Villa. Each of us has been privileged to share in the sacredness of our resident Sisters who, through their unwavering faith commitment and fidelity as Dominican Sisters of Sinsinawa, preach to us daily by their lives.
I asked our Villa family caregivers and Villa Prioress to reflect on two questions. Their reflections follow and were full of learnings and grace.
What is the commitment you hold that brought you to ministry at the Villa?
- I took the invitation from Pat Mulcahey, OP, to minister at the Villa very seriously. I would find it difficult to refuse her, because I believe there is grace in the “call.”
- A request by leaders of our Congregation brought me to consider ministry at the Villa. Deep feelings of gratitude for all that the Congregation had offered me formed the basis for thinking it was time to offer something back.
- While visiting the Mound around 1965, I met some older Sisters who were very concerned about who would take care of them in their old age. It was a time when many younger Sisters were leaving religious life. It bothered me that these Sisters should spend their last years worrying. I promised them that they would be taken care of. These Sisters have long since gone to God, but the promise I made was to all of our Sisters.
- Having ministered at the Mound for three years, I had a keen sense of the needs of our Sisters when they were transferred to the Villa. . . . In 2006 Sharon Casey [OP] . . . mentioned some of the needs . . . at the Villa. She had no intention of asking me to come. But after the phone call I felt called (prompted by the Spirit) to assist Sharon in whatever way possible. . . . I loved the Sisters, most of whom I had known at the Mound. The commitment was “to community.”
- My hope and desire is to return God’s love for me by serving my own Sinsinawa Dominican Sisters in daily community life. . . . We need each other to share responsibility just as a family does for one another’s health and happiness. As one of the Sisters told me recently, “The Villa takes good care of its own.” Being part of the pastoral team is a great privilege for me.
What would you like to share about the gifts you have received from being a family caregiver at the Villa?
- I feel I have a deep joy and love for each individual, and as I am able to give, so I receive from each even more deeply―beyond words. It is often a smile, wink, gesture, or thank you; all kinds of expressions of gratitude: a consoling word, joke, or listening ear. It is the very simple and loving things that we do that make a difference. There is a priority to daily life and living. . . . It isn’t so much what we do as much as it is who we are. Our daily preaching is presence and witness, and it is reciprocal. I’m in awe of how the Sisters live with their sufferings. This is life learning for me―more that any course can teach.
- I am slower, more thoughtful, more patient, and better able to sit and take the speed of the person with whom I am speaking. I have read books on the history of our Congregation, but the Sisters in residence at the Villa give a new dimension and perspective to our past. This is all gift.
- I view each Sister as focused; outward; showing interest in one another, employees, guests, and local and world events. I admire the Sister residents for this and for their acceptance of their mental and physical conditions. They more often point to the needs of another rather than their own. . . . The Sisters are happy, content with what they have, and they are always expressing gratitude. . . . It’s a wonderful gift to spend time with happy, holy people.
- I have learned patience from being with our Sisters who are waiting for God to call them home. Most of the Sisters seem not to fear death but to embrace it.
- This has brought me much calm and peace of mind. The Sisters’ prayers help to fortify my strength and commitment. . . . This whole experience has been very rewarding for me. God works in mysterious ways.
- There is no way to put into words the blessings I have received. The Sisters are very grateful for what we do for them. They promise to keep us in their prayers; they share their stories, joys, and worries. . . . I realize what a blessing it is to be among these very holy women. The first year I was at the Villa, I spent an afternoon visiting with one of our Sisters. She told me stories, and we laughed so hard together for a long time. Two days later I was privileged to be at her bedside as she very peacefully went to God. It is very humbling to see these great ladies, some of whom have been my teachers, reach out to us for comfort and support.
- The Dubuque Villa was new when I entered, and I volunteered there a few summers. It was fulfilling for me to meet more Sisters and lay people while learning about ministry from them. I can’t say enough about the many gifts the resident Sisters contribute to me, including courage, joy, fidelity, and forgiveness. . . . Caregiving has brought me into a school of spirituality. Every resident Sister teaches me from her unique relationship with God. Helping to provide for their simple needs through sitting down together―sometimes listening and sometimes just sitting quietly―is all it takes. Their gratitude is shown in many shapes and sizes. How truly they value their community life at St. Dominic Villa.
Thank you Arturo, Mary Joan, Pat, Mary Ann, Shirley, and Joris for gifting us with your presence at the Villa!
How far you go in life depends on your being tender with the young, compassionate with the aged, sympathetic with the striving and tolerant of the weak and strong. Because someday in life you will have been all of these.
George Washington Carver