|
For Immediate Release
September 14, 2005
Mercy Celebrates Almost 200 Years of
Heritage
Oklahoma City—To celebrate the first House of Mercy
that opened this month in 1827 in Dublin, Ireland, Mercy will host a
candlelit evening labyrinth walk Tuesday, September 27, at 8 p.m.
Patterned after the 800-year-old Chartres Cathedral
labyrinth in France, Mercy is the only hospital in Oklahoma, and among
only two-dozen hospitals nationwide with a permanent labyrinth. Like
other leaders in health care, such as Johns Hopkins in Maryland, Mercy
provides Oklahomans a path where they can walk, meditate and pray.
“Labyrinths are an ancient tool for connecting with
what’s really important in life,” said Teri Everhart, director of
Mercy’s pastoral care services. “In the hubbub of all that’s going on
around us, we need to find peace in the present moment. Labyrinths give
us a place to pause and reflect. A labyrinth is very much in line with
our Mercy heritage given that our Foundress Catherine McAuley and the
Sisters of Mercy became known as the ‘walking nuns.’ They were always
out walking and helping the sick and the poor—those who needed them
most.”
Although Mercy’s heritage goes back to Ireland, the
Sisters of Mercy made a long trek in a covered wagon to Indian Territory
in 1884, just five years before the Land Run of 1889. The Sisters
crossed raging rivers on horseback, met up with outlaws and survived
several tornadoes. And unlike any other order of Sisters before them,
the Sisters of Mercy never turned back.
When a mine exploded in Krebs, Oklahoma, in
1892—making it the worst mining accident in state history—the Sisters of
Mercy closed their small school so they could travel from house to
house, caring for injured miners.
Although Mercy’s story began almost 200 years old,
labyrinths venture back much earlier. For thousands of years, labyrinths
have symbolized life’s journey with all its turns and twists.
“Labyrinths provide a powerful metaphor for life,”
said Sister Rose Elizabeth Power, Mercy Ministries Services chaplain.
“All labyrinths have a single path that leads to the center and then
back out again. Unlike a maze that’s designed for people to lose their
way, a labyrinth is designed to help you find your way. It’s an open
path. Just follow the path and you will find the center.”
Pieced together with 13,000 red sandstone and white
limestone tiles, all naturally tumbled stones, the 40-foot diameter
labyrinth is located between Mercy’s patient and visitor entrances. The
labyrinth is open to the public at all hours. Prior to the candlelit
walk, a short overview of the history and how to walk a labyrinth will
be held in the Mercy Chapel at 7:30 p.m.
“Our labyrinth is a place of healing for our health
care team, as well as our patients, their families and our community,”
said Chris Weigel, Mercy’s chief nursing officer. “People walk it, run
it and some even dance on our labyrinth. Others laugh or cry. It’s a
different experience for everyone. It’s a sacred space.”
Timeline "A
Heritage Rich in Mercy"
|
