Professional Documents
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A Comfortable Cup of Tea: A Symbol of and For The Sisters of Mercy
A Comfortable Cup of Tea: A Symbol of and For The Sisters of Mercy
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ther than the Mercy which symbolizes Cross,2 the embeddednessof the Merry tradition within the larger Christian tradition, "a comfortable cup of tea," is perhaps the rnost popular and ubiquitous of Mercy symbols.Actual teacr:ps; pots, and associated items, aswell astheir imagesand likenesses in photography, art, and artifacts (such as candles, pins, refrigerator magnets, miniatures, figurines, plaques, wall hangings, stamps, stickers,jew-
elry, logos on T-shirts, and the like) are likely to appear anywhere that Sistersand associates of Mercy are found. Why do Mercy Sistersand associates $uround themselves so thoroughly with these "tea things" (teacr,rps,pots and related objects and images)?If you ask them, as I did, many will say that "a comfortable cup of tea," symbolizeslove, friendship, conversation, gathering, sharing, caring, comfort, relaxation, refreshment, healing, wannth, welcome, acceptance, inclusion, equality, generosiry grace, graciousness, hospitality, the spirit of Catherine McAuley, Mercy heritage, identiry uniry and community.3 In a word, the cup is all about relationship.4 Tbe primary function of tea things within Metcy culture is to initiate, cultivate, nurture, maintain, acknowledge, afiirm, enable, enrich, eximagine, Press,entend, empowe4, remembe[ and celebrate rela-
Tea things are commonly used to create ritual environrnents their placementon by altarsand in prayerspaces.For women in particular, altarsand sanctuaries places are set aside,not for sacrific,but for the expression relationship of with God and others.
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tionship with God, Catherine McAuley, one another, the human family (especially the poor relatives, women and children) and the world. Tea things are commonly used to create ritual environments by their placement on altars and in prayer spaces.For women in particular, altars and sanctuariesare places set aside, not for sacrifice, but for the expression of relationship with God and others.5 Tea things also play a major role in the social ritual of gift giving, not only for specifically Mercy events and occasions(such as anniversaries, commissionings, receptions into the community, takirg vows, moving into new ministries, and transitioning into positions of leadership), but for general occasionsaswell (such as birthdays, Christmas, housewarmings, and specialaccomplish- ments).6 Tea things are also a regular feature in the printed media with which Mercys communicate and ritually interact with one another (such as in stationary note cards, graphics on various publications, correspondence, notices, invitations, announcements and printed materials used in connection with Mercy gatherings, celebrations, worship, and rituals).7
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Not unlike crosses and menorahs, tea things are deeply embedded in the everydaymaterial world of Mercy community members. Tea things tend to blend into the local scenery even as they help to color and texturize it. To offer a case in point, I havejust inventoried my own home, which I share with a This, to my own Mercy associate. surprise, is what I discovered. Living Room: a miniature teapot that lives on my piano with other "favorite things." Dining Room: a classicstyleRoyal Albert china teapot with two matching cups and saucers; a "Boyd's Bears" figurine of tr,vo female bearshaving ateaparty; another Royal Albert teapot shaped like a comfortable easy chair occupied by u bear holdirg u tiny teacup;four small teacup and saucer prints on the wall; a miniarure crystal tea service, a miniature porcelain tea service, a miniarure cup and sauceron a stand;one lrish-import teacup, three teacupsand saucersof different shapes,colors, and designs. Kitchen: two full-sized teapotsin the shapes of different kinds of houses; two miniature teacups and saucers; two mugs and tea bag holders on which are printed: "Catherine's Comfortable Tea;" a small gold teapot tea bag holder; a small pewter teapot magnet on the refrigerator; our everyday teapot alwayson the stove. Office: a miniature teacup and saucer; teacuP note cards (some designed by Mercy artists),note pad and stationary;
a teacup magnet; an acrylic stand-up frame holding a piece of graphic art created and given to me by Sister Virginia Farnan (Brooklyn), bearing a transparent teacup with Catherine McAuley's image inside of it, and the superimposed text: "The cup wasno longer separate fro* herself. . . thepoar . . . no longersipped from thecup in her hands.They feasted cup fro* thebrewed of her life! Be sure eaeryone has a comfortable cup of tea."8 Most of these items were gifts from Mercy Sisters and associates. We also have an inventory of a half-dozen teapots, cups, candles, and pins (purchased opportunely at bargain prices) to be given away as gifts some time in the future. My home is not atypical. All except one of the Sisters reand associateswho sponded to this study reported that they have one or more of thesetypesof items "on display" in their homes,haveeither given or received such things, or that they "collcct" them as objectsof delight. Things associated with "a comfortable cup of tea" are simply part and parcel of our multitextured, multicontextual material lives.
certain enjoyable, lighthearted, and even playful quality about it. Several Sisters and associates with whom I have been in conversation in connection with this study have taken particular delight in reminding me of the "inside story" that a "comfortable" cup of tea means, among other things, that the tea is "spiked" with Irish whiskeyleThe fact that a splashof levity is mixed in with the deeper meaning of the symbol in no way dilutes-but enhances-the rich flavor of Merry carried in the cup. Catherine herself is remembered and much beloved for her good humor, clever wit, and willingness to play. In her letters to her Sisters, she reminded them to "dance every eveningl"-ns1 just to keep warm, but to build among them a relationship of unity and community in the "comfort" of one another's hospitable good company. These qualities of life, among the many meaningssymbolizedby "ucomfortable cup of tea," are materializedin the way the symbol is both "played with" and "prayed with" in material Mercy culture and ritual practices. According to Mury C. Sullivan, R.S.M., "The offering of hospitable tea to guests," in "is the literal sense, a longstanding, worldwide tradition of the Sistersof Mercy."lo The bodily, sensoryand socialexperienceof drinking and sharing "a com-
Di Lisia: A CwnfortableCu,pof Tea fortable cup of tea" materially grounds and reinforces the symbolic significanceof material objects and images associated with that experience.ll Sister Paula Diann Marlin (Baltimore)recalls that when she was a Heritage tour guide at the Mercy International Centre in Dublin, a "morning tealprayer ritual was part of every retreat experience." Associate Rita Retzlaff (Brooklyn) writes about an evening ritual she experienced as a retreat guest at the centre, one she found to be "especially meaningful"-and enjoyable. We had spent time reflecting and touring "Catherine's house." We ended up in "Catherine'sparlou4" which was set up for tea. At each of our placeswas a "cup of tea" and "words of wisdom" on Then Catherine[a placecards. li,keness, presumef, I came to
serve us tea. We each read our words of wisdom to each other and then "danced" together. We had a fabulous time]2 "A comfortable cup of tea" has been from-literally, drunk symbolically and ritually-in a variety of imaginative ways. Associate directors Maureen King (Brooklyn) and Kathleen Schiro (New Jersey) shared their joint recollection of a teacup ritual that took place at a regional associates conference in the summer of 2000: We brought a teacup with us when we arrived, we put the teacup at one of six tables that were set up for "a tea party." No one knew at that point whose teacup was whose. The next day after Sheila [Carney] spoke about Catherine, we had to walk around and find a teacup that we liked and sit at that table. Once the table was
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The bodily,sensory,and socialexperience of drinkingand sharing"acomfortable cup of groundsand reinforces tea" materially the symbolicsignificance materialobjects of with that experience. and imagesassociated
full, we drank tea from the new ones we chose while we talked about our memories of tea and the significance of it in our life. The common themes were warmth, hospitality, familiarity, family, comfort. We took them home with us as a gift from one to the other. On the last day, we found the person whose cup we chose and had tea with them while we listened to their story about the cup and why they chose to bring it and also we talked at that time about what brought us to and-qhat keepsus a part of Mercy.l3
Women's Gathering
On another occasion, Patricia Black and Eileen Lennon, two former Sisters of Mercy who were the planners-to-be of a MercyFemin'ist Networkgathering in Brooklyn, happened to be shopping in a mall when they spotted Emilie Barnes'spopular book, If TeacupsCould Talk.ra This book includes not only teatime recipes,but also the stories ofwomen's lives and their memories associated with teacups. Patricia recalls, "When I sawthe display, I immediately associated it with Catherine'scomfortable cup of tea." Patricia and Eileen bought the book and, months later, used part of it in
the creation of a ritual that rncluded, among other things, a tea party. Everyone brought their own teacup. The planners provided homemade tea bags with "tea-tags." The tags contained quotessuch as "Life is a cup to be "Tea filled, not drained;" quenches tears and thirst;" and 'A woman is like a tea bag. It's only when she'sin hot water that you realize how strong she is." The ritual included an introductory conversation about coming togetheq a blessing-prayer before the tea, a reading from lfTbacupsCould Talk (in which Barnes writes that the whole experience of "preparing and enjoying tea is a ritual in itself " and away to refresh the spirit); the serving of tea to one another; a sharing of stories and memories while drinking the tea; their reflecting together on the fragility of teacups and of life and of the necessityto take risks anyway (as did Catherine McAul.y); and a closing prayer focusingon the nvo elemental essentials needed to brew a cup of tea: fire and waCatherine of ter-symbols McAuley's "fiery passion" for the poor, and of the "river of Mercy" that is her continuing legacy.In this ritual of remembering, blessing, serving, and sharing-remi-
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place in Eucharistic liturgyparticipants experienced Catherine's spirit in the sharing of "a comfortable cup of tea."
ContemplativePrayer
Teacupshave also been used interactively and asenvironmental symbol-objects for contemplative prayer. In their 1996 book, Praying with Catherine McAuley, which features the image of a steaming hot cup of tea on its cover, Sisters Helen Marie Burns and Sheila Carney offer primary source readings, stories, prayers, and questions for reflection on various topics related to Christian spirituality in general and to Mercy spirituality in particular. In each chapter, following some text by or about Catherine McAuley, the reader is invited to "pause" and "prepare a comfortable cup of tea
confessed that she might not use the teacup symbol in her book in this way if she were writing it toduy. Sheila expressed concern that the teacup can become too trivialized ifwe are not very careful with it.16 She believes Catherine McAuley's gesture of offering "a comfortable cup of tea" ought to be the primary focus of attention, rather than the cup itself. The gesture is important, saysSheila, because . . . even as Catherine lay dying, her thoughts were turned to other people. The kind of generositv that characterized her life did not leave her, even in this extreme sihration . . . It is true that the teacup is a symbol of hospitaliry but there is more to it. . . . The teacup represents a rich gesture within the tradition and we don't want to stop too short of understanding what it means as a symbol of generosity, relationship, and concern for community . . . We can use the teacup any way we want, but the important thing is
in a way that could potentially weaken its power asa Mercy symbol. In Sheila'sview, a teacup can be potent as a Mercy symbol only insofar as it points beyond itself to the deeper Merry story. Sheila expressed the hope that, within the larger Mercy community, the teacup symbol can be thought about more seriously, carefully, by and consciously "pausing over it a little while to consider what it really means." After saying this, Sheila began to chuckle. When asked why, she told me she had just swung her desk chair around, as we were talking, and that she noticed something of which shehad becometotally unconscious.Attached to her metal radiator in her instinrte oflice is a teacup magnet, and next to it, a magnetic sign that says:"Women are like tea-they get stronger in hot water." Catherine also cared deeply about Mercy but was very much "of the world" and "in the world" and never took herself too seriously. I could almost hear her, too.
Teacupshavealso been used interactively for and as environmental symbol-objects prayer. contemplative
and think of a time in your own life when you . . . (experienced God's compassion; waited for God; found God in humor; extended hospitality, etc)." According to the authors, the teacup is employed in this way to invite the reader to enter into "a comfortable, centered space in which to meet oneself and our graciousGod." 15 In my telephone interview with Sister Sheila Carney, she
to reflecton who Catherine was and what shewasdoing, both in her life and at the time of her death . . . and to be guided by that in our own lives.t / Sheila shared her concern that teacup jewelry, magnets, stationary, miniatures, images, and the like have become quite trendy, commercialized commodities in today's popular culture.l8 She thought these items could reinforce appropriation ofthe teacup
Hospitality
Among all the things said to be symbolized by the "comfortable cup of tea," hospitality, in the interpersonal as well as broad social, spiritual, and ethical sense of the term stands out over and above, and is inclusive of, them all. In L979, long before it had become the popular object-symbol it is today, Mary Cleophas Costello, past president of Mount St. Agnes College, delivered a speech about hospitality to her Baltimore Province and entitled it "A Comfortable C.tp
33 the development of healthy communities and affordable housing; > seekingwaysto change social, political, and economic systemsthat create and perpetuate poverty, through the Institute Jmtice Ministry which "works for socialjusticeby facilitating access informato tion and resources; collaborating with other justice coalitions . . . mobilizing for public witness and corporate voice; and making available tools for advancing the work of social justice," and making heard the voicesof poor and marginalized people; > educating hundreds of thousands of students from preschool to graduate levels in a way that "nurtures growth of the whole person-spiritually, intellectually, and morally;" > sponsoring or cosponsoringsix health systems and "approximately 140 health-related facilities throughout the United States[and more in Belize, Guam, Guyana, Peru, and the Philippinesl including hospitals, long-term health facilities, rehabilitation centers,and family care and outreach centers,making them one of the largest health care providers in the United States;" > going to, gathering up and taking in poor, sick, uneducated persons (especially women and children) through community outreach services, mental health clinics; sheltersand transitional housing facilities; family and children's services, and a broad spectrum of human sewices as varied as are human needs; > oPerating "retreat centers and housesof prayer where people can come and stayfor a few hours or a few weeks;" > on a lessgrandiose but no lessimportant scale,Mercy hospitality means treating every individual, in the most ordinary of daily situations, with respect,acceptance, and acknowledgment of their human dignity.2o
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thecupof teato menandwqmen doingworksof Mercy. . .22 It seemsa virtual certainty that Catherine McAuley did not think of "a comfortable cup of tea" as a symbol carrying the many meanings attributed to it today. Then again, the same can be said for the traditional Eucharistic symbols of bread and wine and other lirurgical symbols and practices upon which theologians over the centuries have heaped multiple meanings having mythical and questionably historic origins. These Eucharistic symbols are not rendered "flat" and powerless on account of this interpretive activity. Likewise, the livelinessof "a comfortable cup of tea" as a Mercy symbol need not turn on the questionofwhether or not Catherine McAuley expected a teacup to carry the multiple (and polyvalent) meanings it holds for many today. Lives lived in the spirit ofCatherine continue to infuse Catherine's specialblend of contemplation and action with fresh flavor each time the symbol is encountered and interpreted anew.Without such continual renewal,symbolssimply die.23Further, insofar as the spirituality implied by the "comfortable cup of tea" is one ofbeing both empty and full, of receiving an"dgiving, of filling up and spilling over, the symbolis capableofcarrying paradoxical tension. The more compelling and critical questions raised by Cynthia Serjak and Donna M. Ryan have to do with whether or not and to what extent "a comfortable cup of tea" has the power to provoke deep thought, to facilitate encounter with mystery and to challenge someone
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Di Lisio: A CornfortableCup of Tea to the kind of bold risk taking that Catherine's own brand of hospitality entailed. The evidence suggests that "a comfortable cup of tea" does, in fact, have the power to help draw many, though obviously not all, carriers of the Mercy charism into contemplative encounter with "deep mystery"-1fua1transcendentmysterythat paradoxically dwells immanently near in the midst of our loving, compassionate and just relationships and activities in this world, our material world. As theologian Karl Rahner explains,holy mystery can be encountered in the tliings of this world, insofar asall matter is drenched in God's grace-filled presence.24 Mystery can be let loose in the liturgy of our ordinary, daily lives through the most ordinary and even 'ocute" things. 'A comfortable cup of tea" canhave the power to help challenge complacenry, help impel people to action, and help empower creative, practically responsive ministries of hospitality. Cynthia Serjak is quite right, though. For this power to become activated, some "exegesis of the scene" needsto take place.
relates " a comfortable cup of tea" to Merry identity, spirituality, and mission: When Catherine McAuley was dying, many of the sistersgathered around her bedside to say goodbye and to pray the prayers fior the dying. Not long before she died, at the end of a long day of waiting, she said to one of the Baggot St. Sisters: "Be sure you have a comfortable cup of tea for them when I am gone." Ever since,the comfortable cup of tea has been a telling symbol for the Sistersof Mercy and those who uphold the Mercv charism. There is nothing pretentious about a cup of tea. Having a cup of tea with someone is a simple homey gesture of hospitality which implies a certain easeof relationship. The comfortable cup of tea is away of expressing how we are together. It is a way of sharing a common space.It is a way to include others. It is a way to give our time, our presence, our love. If you are getting it right in your ministry you will be able to have a comfortable together. If .cup-of tea you are implementing policies that are just and charitable, if you are living the basic human virtues ofintegriry honesty,and trustworthiness, you will feel free to share a comfortable cup of tea with businesscolleagues. If you are really trying to live out the gospel imperative that, in spite of the inequalities that exist between you and others, you can experience a relationship of friendship, then the cup of teawill be assymbolicfor you as the foot washing was for the early disciples. The comfortable cup of tea can be a gauge of how you are doing. If you are not in a position to have it, you can ask yourselves why not? And what would have to change before you could have the comfortable cuppa? Can you change it? Are you willing to change it? Why are things this way? Anna states, "This simple text both inspired me and has shaped the way I see the comfortable cup of tea. The questions that it asks continue to challenge me out of my comfort zorre, especially the one that says,why not?" hospitalityExegesis-and may begin in one's own kitchen, but they need not and do not end there. When the power of "a comfortable cup of tea" is truly engaged, Catherine's identity, spirituality and mission have been demonstrated to spill over into the lives of persons within and beyond the Mercy community, and to excite them as collaborators in ministry. Anna Nicholls took a copy of the above text to the Mercy College in which she teaches and hung it in the staff kitchen. "For the next few weeks you would see people stopping and reading and commenting . . .
Mercy Charism
Anna Nicholls, a Mercy from New Zealand, sees "a comfortable cup of tea" as a symbol of "the hospitality aspect of our Mercy charism, vfr aspect that has been a big factor in my Mercyjourney." Anna's story includes a laminated text that hung on the wall of the kitchen of the first Mercy housein which she lived. This text directly
The evidence that "a comfortable suggests cup of tea" does,in fact, havethe powerto not help draw many,though obviously all, carriersof the Mercycharisminto with "deep encounter contemplative
mystery."
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For our staff, the comfortable cup of tea has become a Mercy symbol that they can embrace."Anna also has a teacup pin that she wears to school. She reports that the staff commented on it so much that teacup pins were ordered for each of them as gifts to celebrate Mercy Duy. "Many still wear them today," she says.The teapot pins, quite apparently, serve as symbols of solidarity in mission and ministry.zs In responseto Anna's story Dolores Liptak, R.S.M., commented: "Still another generation of Mercys has been helped (in fact, excited) to understand how [Catherine's]words and actions reflect and challenge all of us to be the true Catherine-the true Mercy. The new symbols we come up with need the same kind of recovery and development. They must come fromwho Catherinewas."26 Such "recovery and development" efforts were undertaken in earnest at St. Mary's Children and Family Services,a sponsored ministry of the Brooklyn Regional Community. St. Mary's offers "full service," on and off-site hospitality ro troubled children and their families.27 Sister Francene Horan, director of mission effectiveness at St. Mary's, shared this story about how the St. Mary's staff came to thoroughly "bry into" the story and symbol of " a comfortable cup of tea." Three yearsago the Brooklyn Region was interestedin assessing mission effectiveness in our Merry high schools and agencies.We hired S. Maureen Lowry, R.S.M., from the Merion Region to meet with us over a two-yearperiod of time.
Mission Team will start the year off with a prayer memorial for September I l. It is still in process, but will have "the comfortable cup of tea" as part of the celebration. This comes from the team . . . they have taken this on as a peace-filled symbol that all staff can identify with regardless of race, color, or creed. We also have found out that a few staff members have teapot collections and bring these very special teapots to our gatherings. They have raken on the symbol and find much bonding in this experience . . . All I can say is that the whole idea has taken hold with our staff and hopefully will continue. Catherine'sspirit comes alive through this "comfortable cup of tea."d
PastoralSettings
The "comfortable cup of tea" can and does spill over into non-Mercy ministry environments as well. Sister Rosemary Hudak is the director of pastoral ministry at St. Joseph's R.C. Church, a 6,000-familyparish in Toms River, New Jersey. Sister Rosemary depends on the collaboration of more than two hundred parishioners, many of whom are women, in order to effectively perform her various church and outreach duties. She recently wrote an article about her ministry and "a comfortable cup of tea," which begins with this quote from Catherine McAuley: "You cannot fail to be huppy while the spirit ofyour vocation animates all your actions." Rosemaryrecalls: A few yearsago I planned an
evening for women and called it 'A Comfortable Cup of Tea."
Di Lisio: A ComfortableCup of Tea It gaveme an opportuniry to tell Catherine's story and encourage women to continue the tradition of Mercy hospitality.The Rosary Altar Sociery continues sponsor to this program eachyear.I wasasked to speakon women'sspiritualiry at the last one, and you can imagine my delight when I heardone of the Rosarians tell "comthe storyof Catherine's fortablecup of tea"prior to introducing ffie_.- felt like a I proud pirent!2g Also working in a non-Mercy pastoral ministry environment is Sister Lalemont Pelikan (St. Louis), who saysthe Eucharisticcup and Catherine's "comfortable cup of tea" are "the symbols ofmy Mercy heritage and my Christian heritage." In her office at the Diocese of Lubbock Catholic Pastoral Center, where she works in the Office of Christian formation, SisterLalemont displaysa teapot setin front of her Mercy calendar from the Mercy International Centre in Dublin. She reports that "there are numerous teacups on the bookshelvesin my office, too, and the rest of the staffat the center are well acquainted with their meaning."3o Members of the general public who are not directly engaged in ministries with Sisters and associates Mercy can also of support those ministries with "a comfortable cup of tea." For example, The Catherine McAuley in Center Cedar Rapids, Iowa, operatesa transitional housing program forwomen and an adult education program for women and men. In conjunction with this ministry they also operate Catherine's Tba Store,from which anyonewho happens to be in the neighborhood or has an internet connection can purchase Catherine's tea leaves, tea bags, tea bag holders, teacups and saucers, tea mugs, miniature tea sets, teacup pins, a variety of Catherine's tea note cards and gift baskets containing any combination of the above. The Tea Store's web site tells this story: Our tea is notjust another commercial product. Catherine's Comfortable Tea is a symbol of compassion and dedication to women in need. Throughout her entire life, Catherine McAuley devoted herseH to serving others. Even on her deathbed, sheurged her followers to "be sure you have a comfortable cup of tea for them when I am gone." With her spirit in mind, the Catherine McAuley Center created Catherine's Comfortable Tea. Proceeds fiom the sale of the tea benefit the Catherine McAuley Center Learn about the Catherine McAuley
37 greater the number of these ingredients one can taste at once, the more powerful the punch of the tea-with or without a splash of Irish whiskev.
The "comfortable cup of tea" can and does spill over into non-Mercyministry.
Center organizationand discoverhowCatherineMcAuley's compassion lives on ftrrough .u.h cup of teawe sell.3l The fact that "a comfortable cup of tea" has the power to challenge somepeople to participate in Catherine McAuley'scharism, spirituality, and mission lies in the fact that this simple cup is filled with the following essential ingredients: nnrratiae (Catherine's (as story), menxory remembered), text (as told), material object (as (as sensed),experience lived), interpretation(as reflected upon), and i,mag'ination (as creatively and actively engaged). The Finally, consider the story of SusanManion, a former member of the St. Louis community who cannot remember when she first heard of the teacup symbol because "it seems to have been around forever." For Susan, drops of meaning from American culture, from Irish culture, from secular and spiritual culture, from personal, professional and ministry-related relationships, from the charism of Catherine and her communiry from life experience before, during, and after Merry membership all coalescein a single teacup.
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beyond Catherine'scommunity, creating a unique blend and distinctive flavor that is "Mercy." The taste lingers.
Notes
I http://www.mercyworld.orgll nzlwellin gton/h_symbols. html. In a letter to Sister Mary Cecilia Marmion dated November 12, 1941, eyewitness Mary Vincent Whitty reported Catherine McAulev's deathbed wish: "Will you telf the sisters to get a good cup of tea-I think the community room would be a good place-when I am gone & to comfort one another-but God will comfort them." According to Mary C. Sullivan, R.S.M., it was Sister M"ry Austin Carroll who attributed the phrase "comfortable cup of tea" to Catherine's dying wish in Carroll's biography, The Life of Catherine McAuley (1866). Mary C. Sullivan, Catherine McAuley and the Mercy Tradition (Notre Dame, IN: University of Notre Dame Press,1995), 243. The Mercy cross,designed by Catherine McAuley, was an ebony cross representing Jesus, with an inlaid ivory cross representing the members of the Mercy communiry. InJune, 2002, the author extended an open invitation to Sistersand associates Mercv of to share their insights, obser-' vations, experiences,and reflections about "a comfortable
cup of tea, what it means to them, and how it functions symbolically in their lives. Thirty women (21 Sisters,6 associates,and 3 former members) participated in this study. Colleen McDannell has made an unparalleled contribution to the study of North American-Christian material culture in her book entitled Materinl Christinnity(New Haven: Yale University Press,1995). She begins with the observation that, "Material culnrre in itself has no intrinsic meaning of its own . . . Objects become meaningful within specific patterns of relationships."Ibid., 3-4. "In making their altars, women assembleimages that represent the power of and need for good relationships and positive affiliations. As a visual testimony to the emphasis that women place on creating links ben'veen people, between things, and between realms, the altar specifiesa context for building and sustaining relationship. A center from which women can advocate their worldview, the altar is both a model of and an instrument for relationship. It is a place for understanding the presenceof the Other, certainly in the senseof knowing the Divine, but also in the ethical senseof connecting to otherness and others as a goal of human livirg." Kay Turner, Beaut'iful NeThe cessity: Art and,Meaning of Women's Altars (NY: Thames and Hudson, 1999),79; cf.: Material Christianity,3+35 . On the subject of gift exchange in Christian material culfure, Colleen McDannell adds her own observations to those of anthropologist M"ry Douglas: "Like goods in tribal societies,religious objects 'are used for paying compliments, for initiating marriages, establishing or ending them, for recognizing relationships, for all celebrations,
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maierial side of existence which yields a much richer idea of social meanings . . ." M"ry Douglas and Baron Isherwood, The World of Goods (New York: BasicBooks, 1979),59-607. 19 My thanks to Sister Virginia Farnan (Brooklyn), who provided me with a printed copy of this speech. 20 All of these "works of Mercy," and many others, are included under the banner "Creating a Spirit of Hospitality" at the web site of the Institute of the Sisters of Mercv of the Americas. http :/Avww. sistersofmercy. org/w orks.html. 2 r E-mail ofJune 20,2002. 9 9 E-mail ofJune 5,2002. 23 Paul Ricoeur, "The Symbol . . . Food For'fhought," Philosophy Today4 (1960) 196-207. 24 See Karl Rahner, Nature and Grace,translated by Dinah Wharton (New York: Sheed and Ward, 1963). 25 E-mail ofJune 5,2002. 26 E-mail ofJune 8, 2002. 27 St. Mary's Children and Family Services,provides an on-campus school, group residences,mental health testing and therapeutic services; off-site residential facilities and services;foster care services;community based programs; and preventative servicesfor New York City and Long Island children and families suffering the effects of domesticviolence, alcohol and d*g abuse,mental illness, and poverty. 28 E-mail of August 2, 2002. 29 RosemaryHudak, R.S.M.,untitled, Connections $rly, 2:7 2002),3. 30 E-mail ofJune 5,2002. 3 l Catherine McAuley Center-Gifts: http :i/www. org. catherinestea. 3 2 Reported by Ann Dillon, Detroit associatedirector, telephone conversation of August 3,2002. 33 E-mail ofJune 22,2002.
1ee6).