Presentation Sisters Union North East Ireland Union of Sisters of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Living as a ‘Pilgrim of Hope’!
Image: Participants at our Province Justice Day in Mt. St. Anne’s.
Each year our Justice Day is a landmark moment in the Province Calendar when we come together to listen, share, inspire and gain insight into key issues in our society today that require our advocacy and action.
Our founder Ven. Nano Nagle was a tireless advocate for social justice, and we continue our commitment to Justice Work as expressed in ‘Our Way of Life’:
“Our mission is to speak and act in partnership with others for global justice from a contemplative stance, in a spirit of oneness with the whole of creation”. (Our Way of Life)
The theme of this year’s day was: “Hope in hard times – open to non-violent resistance”.
The key contributors invited to input to our Justice Day on 12th October in Mt. St. Anne’s Retreat and Conference Centre were: Dr. Jessie Rogers (no stranger to Presentation Gatherings) who brings international and ecumenical experience to her role as Director of the Centre for Mission and Ministries / Lecturer in Sacred Scripture at St. Patrick’s Pontifical University Maynooth, and Mia de Faoite who is a survivor activist with over 10 years’ experience working as a campaigner and policy advisor on the issue of commercial sexual exploitation.
Mia is the Training Lead at Ruhama, Ireland’s national NGO which supports women affected by prostitution, sexual exploitation and sex trafficking. Brian O’Toole, Director of the Presentation Sisters Interprovincial Justice Desk for Ireland and England spoke about Trafficking from the perspective of exploring what resonated with those present from Mia’s presentation and asking: “How can I be a Pilgrim of Hope?” and then, “As a Pilgrim of Hope, what can I do in Justice where I live and where I work?”
This short piece gives a sense of the content and focus of the day from a few key quotations and information pointers from the presentations.
How do we live hope in action?
‘May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. ‘ (Romans 15:13).
Dr. Jessie Rogers spoke about how ‘Hope’ is about solidarity, connection and partnership. It is the about
Image: Dr. Jessie Rogers speaking at our Justice Day 2024.
holding the conviction that death and destruction will not have the final word.
In the words of Jürgen Moltmann (a German Reformed theologian who was a professor of systematic theology at the University of Tübingen and was known for his books such as the Theology of Hope, The Crucified God, God in Creation and other contributions to systematic theology):
“Nothing in the world exists, lives and moves of itself. Everything exists, lives and moves in others, in one another, with one another, for one another, in the cosmic interrelations of the divine Spirit”. (Jürgen Moltmann)
The Holy Spirit is the ‘Spirit of Hope’.
How do we keep hopeful?
By ‘Hopeful Imagination’. There is a dominant consciousness, a dominant view of the world, so we must:
- Criticise and challenge the dominant culture and ways of thinking.
- Energise – create hope in new possibilities. Hope for the future allows people to live differently in the present.
- Do Hopeful Actions – Jesus taught us about non-violence: “You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’ But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also. And if anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, hand over your coat as well. If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them two miles. Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.
“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbour and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous”. (Matthew 5: 38-45).
Non-violence takes back the agency and restores dignity. It sees the humanity in the oppressor as well as the oppressed.
Dr. Jessie Rogers offered the following powerful quotation from Evangelii Gaudium as inspiration for our life as ‘Pilgrims of Hope’:
“Faith also means believing in God, believing that he truly loves us, that he is alive, that he is mysteriously capable of intervening, that he does not abandon us and that he brings good out of evil by his power and his infinite creativity. It means believing that he marches triumphantly in history with those who “are called and chosen and faithful” (Rev 17:14).
“Let us believe the Gospel when it tells us that the kingdom of God is already present in this world and is growing, here and there, and in different ways: like the small seed which grows into a great tree (cf. Mt 13:31-32), like the measure of leaven that makes the dough rise (cf. Mt 13:33) and like the good seed that grows amid the weeds (cf. Mt 13, 24-30) and can always pleasantly surprise us.
The kingdom is here, it returns, it struggles to flourish anew. Christ’s resurrection everywhere calls forth seeds of that new world; even if they are cut back, they grow again, for the resurrection is already secretly woven into the fabric of this history, for Jesus did not rise in vain. May we never remain on the sidelines of this march of living hope!”
(Evangelii Gaudium #278 – Apostolic Exhortation Of the Holy Father, Pope Francis to the Bishops, Clergy, Consecratd Persons and Lay Faithful on the Proclamation of the Gospel in Today’s World)
See Full Text of Evangelii Gaudium HERE
May we endeavour never to remain on the sidelines of this march of living hope!
The reality of Ruhama’s work in Ireland today
Image: Sr. Eileen Nash PBVM and Mia de Faoite, Training Lead at Ruhama.
Mia de Faoite spoke about who Ruhama are and what they do. In her presentation she explored what the sex trade looks like in Ireland today, explaining some of the complexities around human trafficking including legislation alongside the harsh realities of the sex trade itself.
Ruhama is an Irish NGO and registered charity that offers nationwide support to women impacted by prostitution, sex trafficking and other forms of commercial sexual exploitation. Founded in 1989, the organisation has extensive expertise in providing a wide range of specialist, holistic support services. Its services are free, confidential and delivered by a committed and experienced team.
Ruhama also advocates and engages in policy work on issues related to prostitution, sex trafficking and the experiences of the women they work with. See HERE
In 2023 we saw the numbers that Ruhama worked with. Of the 1000 – 2000 women engaged in sex work approximately 90% are migrant and this is a complete reversal of the trend 10 years ago. The industry is heavily criminalised, and technology is a key facilitator. Mia explained the trafficking mechanisms that are increasingly in evidence including: Coercion, Targeting pre-existing vulnerabilities, Deception, Debt Bondage, Juju Witchcraft, Repeated Assault, Threats to a woman or her family, Lies and creating mistrust, Abduction, War & Conflict, Loverboy System.
Human Trafficking
Brian O’ Toole spoke about Trafficking. Brian is Director of the Presentation Sisters’ Interprovincial
Brian O’Toole, Director of Interprovincial Justice Desk for Ireland and England.
Justice Desk for Ireland and England and is Ireland’s representative on the Religious in Europe Networking Against Trafficking and Exploitation (RENATE) Working Board and leader of the RENATE law Research team. In July 2024 RENATE launched their research on ‘Legal Practitioners’ work with Victims of Human Trafficking’ at the Bakhita Centre for Research on Slavery, Exploitation and Abuse, at St. Mary’s University, Twickenham. See Independent Catholic News article on launch HERE
Rich in data and direct quotations, the research findings are numerous, not least being the fact that those who are charged with legally supporting victims of human trafficking or modern slavery, very often do so with limited support themselves.
The online launch of the RENATE Research across 5 EU Countries is taking place on October 23rd at 4.00pm Irish Time.
If you wish to find out more about Friends of Nano and the work of Presentation People for Justice you can visit the front page of our website where you will find useful information, links and contact details.
See HERE
Thank you to Brian O’Toole for all of the great images received from the day. Thank you also to Mount St. Anne’s Retreat and Conference Centre, Killenard, Portarlington, Co. Laois for the warm hospitality and for the opportunity to be in such beautiful surroundings.
A profound sense of presence & practice
Province Justice Day 2023
(Image: (L) The Justice Day Gathering in Mt. St. Anne’s, and Sr. Mary Hanrahan (right) makes a presentation to Sr. Ann Marie Quinn in recognition of her contribution and that of the IPA Team, to our Global Justice focus).
Dr. Niamh Brennan through her presentation “A spirituality of presence to a Universe that is sacred” led us in to a deeper sense of realisation of ‘presence’ in the cosmos. Sisters Mary Hanrahan (Provincial Leader, NEP) and Eileen Nash (our delegate at the International Presentation Assembly (IPA), with Brian O’Toole (Director of the Inter-provincial Justice Desk) updated everyone on the proceedings of the 8th IPA Assembly which took place in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador from the 18th to 24th June 2023. This session closed with a presentation by Sr. Mary Hanrahan (Provincial Leader, NEP) to Sr. Ann Marie Quinn, Executive Director of the IPA in recognition of her work, and that of the IPA Team in bringing to fruition a reinvigorated and newly focused IPA, that will support our work for Global Justice until the next Assembly.
Closer to home, Sisters Margaret Mary Healy and Evelyn Byrne outlined the vision & practice of the Challenge to Change (C2C)cProgramme which is informed by the Presentation charism and ethos. Justice, human rights, sustainability and promoting right relationships are central to the work. C2C has been in existence since 2002 enabling students to understand how their local actions can have a global impact. In the final session of the day, Brian O’Toole shared the current work and focus of the Inter-provincial Presentation Justice Desk.
You can find out more about our Justice Work and about the 2023 Justice Day from the Pdf Document Below, an extract from our NE Province Magazine – Words & Deeds (Winter Issue 2023). The full magazine is available at HERE
See 2023 Justice Day from the Pdf Document 2023 Words & Deeds – Autumn into Winter Justice News Extract