Valued Voices with Maureen Wilkinson
This session will be openhearted, accepting and non-judgemental. Amongst those participating will be Maureen Wilkinson who knows personally the suffering that happens when a relative is tragically shot dead.
Creggan woman Maureen is well known as a local actress performing in many theatre productions over the past twenty years. Monday’s discussion will be kick-started by a short piece of drama (written especially for this morning) featuring both Maureen and her daughter Shannon. Seamus Farrell and Archdeacon Robert Miller will then offer their own insights around resilience and forgiveness feeding into a group discussion where all voices are welcome.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdSays Seamus: “Gordon Wilson is rightly praised for his forgiving nature after the horrific Enniskillen bomb which killed his daughter and ten others. But I am absolutely certain that the last thing Gordon Wilson would have wanted would have been for what he did to become a pressure upon other people. And I know victims who have felt (or actually have been put) under pressure to forgive using examples such as that of Gordon Wilson Or who have been told to forgive “for the sake of peace” Victims need to be treated justly. They need what truth can be uncovered to be uncovered. Victims need society to acknowledge their pain, to help them in every possible way to deal with it and recover their lives and sense of well-being.”
Archdeacon Robert Miller has recently co-authored Forgiveness Remembers with Father Paul Farren. Archdeacon Robert spoke eloquently about the “journey of forgiveness” after the destructive attack on Christchurch just a few weeks ago. Said Robert,
“Faced with the devastation in Christchurch, it wasn’t and isn’t easy to forgive the perpetrator. But that for me is “the direction of travel.” But like Seamus I am aware that we cannot pressurize people into forgiving. But we can support their resilience in the face of the unspeakable hurt that might have been done to them.”
This two-hour session will be the first of a number of sessions exploring these challenging themes.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdAll are welcome to what is a free event which will be followed by a light lunch.
To book a place, please ring Eamonn Baker at 02871261941 or email: [email protected] or come along on Monday morning.