Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth, KS AIDS Ministry
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Having a missionary spirit, she has served as an SCL in various ways, notable missions being with natives in Alaska and American Indians in Montana. During the past 21 years she has worked with the Good Samaritan project in ministering to AIDS patients in Kansas City. Sister Kevin currently lives at the Motherhouse in Leavenworth. She wrote these reflections for AIDS Awareness Week 2010: Sister Kevin Marie Flynn, Sc As I reflect on my AIDS ministry I am very drawn to use the verse from Scripture: “I will allure her into the wilderness and speak to her heart.” (Hosea 2:16) Not only is the verse prophetic and biblical, but it stirs my romantic Celtic heart.
It is easy for me to equate the AIDS pandemic to a wilderness because indeed it has the same characteristics of a wasteland or a wilderness. It carries a starkness and a loneliness. It is a desolate part of the history of the 1980’s into the twenty-first century.
In the wilderness there are small patches of flowers, tenaciously clinging to the strength of a rock for survival. It is as if these flowers reach out and wrap their beauty around me. They seduce me to linger longer there.
And it is in the lingering that I can more clearly hear that Voice that speaks to my heart. It is this Voice that confronts me with the reality of life: I learn how fickle life is, hearing…..“ Where have all my friends gone?” I learn how random life is, hearing……“I never thought this would happen to me?” I learn how precious life is, hearing……..“Today is a good day, I’m living.
I’m blessed” I learn how sacred life is, hearing………“Will you be there to hold my hand when I am dying?” Mysteries of life…. Mysteries of life in the wilderness of the AIDS ministry. Mysteries strong enough to be sometime overwhelming but powerful enough to keep me in the wilderness. And all because I found flowers in a wasteland, became captivated by their beauty, was held by their strength, and cared for by the One who cares for them.
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(Sister Kevin Marie Flynn explains how she became involved in AIDS ministry from 1989 to 2010, and what her work involved.) Good Samaritan is a service organization for people with HIV/AIDS. It was founded in 1986 when the first crisis of the disease hit Kansas City.
People knew very little about HIV/AIDS so there was lots of anger, fear, blame and rejection around it. Good Samaritan not only responded to the needs of its clients but educated the people of Kansas City about the disease. By the number of volunteers during those beginning years it was easy to see that strength was replacing fear, welcoming embrace was replacing blame, and compassion was replacing anger. Our clients were mostly white gay males in their 20’s or 30’s, numbering about 60.
My first assignment at Good Samaritan in 1989 was to call them to inquire about their physical needs. However, my deepest desire was to be a spiritual support to them and their families. I was strongly advised that that should not be the main purpose of my call.
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However, these were the very sort of responses I was receiving from the client, responses like: “Would you mind calling my Mom and explaining to her that I will not go to hell because I have AIDS? Could you tell my family just to tell me they love me instead of sending me money? Would you be able to help me plan my memorial service?
Would you speak at my memorial service? Would you do my memorial service?” On and on the requests went, calling me deeper into the ministry of AIDS. The next new brochure displayed my name with a new title: “Spiritual Support.” It was the first time in my life that I felt called by the people I serve.
It was a bond of grace and love; we brought out the best in each other! I had a variety of duties during my years at the Project. I also had a great reputation for passing some of my duties on to younger staff members—I called it the wisdom that came with age. I coordinated such programs as these: The Mothers’ Group – a support group for mothers of HIV/AIDS sons or daughters.
We met monthly for a two- hour luncheon. Some of them had lost their sons through the years I was with them. I had been with one woman when she went to visit her son and we found that he had been dead for two days in his apartment.
I was glad I had been with her as she went through the shock of finding him. This support group provided a safe place for mothers to talk freely about having a gay family member die of AIDS. They had grown so much in acceptance that tears came to my eyes when one of them took out a picture of her son and his partner to show to the group—and ended by saying, “I’m so proud of him.” For those in the group who were still struggling, it was a powerful example. The group discontinued when I retired, promising they would keep in touch with each other.
The Buddy Program – For about 10 years I coordinated this program where a client was matched with a volunteer and befriended him/her on their journey. This took a lot of time, training and meetings. It gave me a great opportunity to meet the new clients and get to know the volunteers.
The highlight for me was the spiritual connections that I built up through the years with those who had AIDS, their families and partners. My image of God became much bigger and broader, a more inclusive and compassionate God. Every day I had an opportunity of seeing the dying Christ in the pain and suffering of our dying clients, not just the physical pain but the pain of rejection by family, friends and even their churches.
Yet I seldom heard them complain. I walked with them in their good days and bad
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