A CHAPLAIN in a busy Kerry hospital has penned a book of poetry which, she hopes, will bring readers to a place of stillness and acceptance.
Having experienced doubt and pain, Margaret Naughton explores her personal journey from hope to loss of hope, from faith in God, in herself and in the world, to doubt, loss of belief and despair.
Margaret, from Killorglin, works as a healthcare chaplain in the Bon Secours Hospital in Tralee, and as a lecturer at Hibernia College, Dublin. She studied English, history and theology at UCC and IT Tallaght and she is currently a PhD researcher in theology and religious studies at Mary Immaculate College, Limerick.
This is her fifth book and first book of poetry and her previous publications include Shattered Fragments: Finding God in the Brokenness of Life, booklets on grief and illness and a history of healthcare chaplaincy in Ireland.
In her book of poetry – entitled Letting Go – said she asks God to show Himself to her as she wants more than anything to believe in His existence.
So often God seems absent and Margaret insists she doesn’t hold back from calling Him to task but, as she explores the darkness that envelopes her during these periods, she said she learns that God is, in fact, always there.
Letting Go will be launched by Flaithais Publishing in July. All proceeds will go to the Kerry Hospice and Deputy Michael Healy-Rae will officiate at local launches in the Manor Inn, Killorglin on July 19 (7.30pm) and the Palliative Care Day Unit in University Hospital Kerry on July 26 (7.30pm).
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