Sr. Maria Crowley’s Story
I was born in a small village called Mullinahone at the foot of Slievenamon in Tipperary in southern Ireland. I am the second youngest in a family of six. By the time I was 8 years old I had lost both my parents due to ill health and no doubt the level of poverty at the time was also a contributing factor. Because we were so young some members of the family had to be split up and cared for by relatives.
My first encounter with Sisters /Nuns was at school when I was 14 years old. I found them very caring and understanding and they helped me through my difficult adolescent years. At an early age I found myself having to face life choices, and being from a farming background, my family presumed that I would meet a young farmer and eventually marry. I strongly resisted this expectation and tried to explore other possibilities. With the help of the Sisters I was able to look at other careers as well as other life styles and it was at this time that the idea of becoming a sister entered my mind. Somehow I wanted to be like these women who showed me so much care and compassion.
I was introduced to the Holy Family Sisters by a young woman who had just joined the Holy Family formation programme. I had never heard of the Holy Family Sisters before but I was immediately struck by their hospitality and openness to receiving women from diverse backgrounds. I felt at home with them and from then on, I began to think and pray about a way of becoming such a person. At 17, I joined the Holy Family Sisters. After my own formation period I began to understand the Charism of the Holy Family Association more fully and I continued to be attracted to their Spirituality as well as to the notion of being and building family in all situations where we find ourselves. I discovered that the Holy Family Association is a big international Family where all cultures are respected and there is a wonderful sense of belonging where each one’s giftedness and uniqueness are respected.
Within this Association, there is great diversity in ministry, and the sisters try always to respond to the greatest need.
As a young sister, after my professional training, I worked as a Social Worker for Leeds and Bradford City Councils. This brought me into contact with many families struggling with relationships and other issues. Later on a need arose for a sister to work in a disadvantaged area in Dublin and I was asked to move to Ireland. Here I was in touch with another world of young people especially those caught up in the scourge of drug abuse. It was painful to watch many families fall apart as the direct result of the drug culture. We attempted to set up groups that offered support to parents and young adults as we listened to their stories. At the same time, I became involved with an organisation working with Travellers. Here I came to know and understand the lifestyle and culture of this ethnic group. All of this was a very challenging ministry. It challenged my own faith, prayer and personal growth.
Living in community is an essential part of our lives and this has always been life-giving for me. It has offered me the support and friendship I needed especially when dealing with painful situations.
In recent years one of my dreams of nurturing others became a reality when I was invited to be involved in a healthy eating programme, through the NHS here in Bradford. Last year I had the opportunity to train in Nutrition and Healthy Lifestyle with a view to setting up “Cook and Eat” sessions in the local community. As part of my training I worked in our local primary school, offering Cook and Eat sessions to children with their parents helping me as volunteers. This worked really well and as a result, the school has made it part of their curriculum. I am currently working with three local schools and I am delighted also with the parental involvement. What I offer is education on the value of eating healthily on a low budget. I love this ministry and the opportunity it offers me to be in contact with so many young people and their parents. As a result of the programme many young parents have grown in self-confidence and self-esteem. In a very simple way this offers children and their parents another way of “Choosing Life “for their future.
Here in Bradford we live in an International community in a multicultural area. Perhaps the most challenging part of the call of our corporate commitment “To Choose Life” is expressed in our work with asylum seekers. Our main task is to welcome them and to collaborate with the many organisations which have set up a variety of projects to meet the needs of these people who have left desperate situations in their countries of origin.
I thank God for the many and varied experiences I have had in my life and it is with great excitement that I embrace this quotation from our Corporate Commitment – (General Chapter 2008)
“To choose Life today calls us to an awareness of a new world-view and urges us to change our mentality, so as to understand, feel and situate ourselves in a new way of relating to God, to humanity, to the earth and all of creation.”
Maria Crowley