“There comes a time when we Veterans return to civilian life carrying more than our mottos and ways of living that were instilled in us in the military. We return different than we were when we left, to a world which is also different. Some of us carrying a heavy load in that process.” – Rasheeda, former Marine
From the very beginning of Cranaleith’s unfolding, we held a particular place for the stories of women. As a ministry deeply grounded in the passion of Catherine McAuley and Rachel Foster Avery, we could do no less. The mission of mercy impelled us to tend the wounds of our suffering world where women suffered disproportionately….to address the roots of those wounds in our culture…and to reveal our belonging to one another. Deeply woven in the wounds of our time was the experience of Women Veterans, who were often hidden and discounted in our midst.
As we held space to listen to their stories, Cranaleith’s ministry to Women Veterans was shaped by the women. They told us that what they needed were the simplest of gifts…a safe place where they could name what they carried…an invitation to know their journeys as sacred…experience that reveals they are not alone…and a horizon of hope and meaning for their lives. Nurturing space and reflection, reverence for the truth of their voice, strength and healing through the bonds they shared: this was the consistent fruit of time at Cranaleith. Through warm hospitality, silence, poetry, art, music, ritual and the wisdom of creation, the women lived into the vision of Cranaleith’s program: “Coming Home, Becoming Whole.” They told us that they had access to treatment, to meds, to counseling and to services, but these days offered something intangible and immeasurable. “Everyone wants something from us for funding…or throws meds at us.., but here you ask nothing but to come as we are.”
As Cranaleith continued to cherish a desire to support Women Vets in integrating their journeys, another dimension of our mission became clearer: the impetus to address the underlying wound of violence in our society. The effect of war’s brutality and the violence that shattered so many lives in our society was mirrored in the stories of the women. Trauma, profound disconnection and isolation, fear of the “other” and hostility to those “different”…all took their toll on the world and local communities. Misuse of power masquerading as strength, weaponry that destroyed enemies, rhetoric that divided and inflamed…the spiritual root of violence continued to betray and devastate the world and lives entrusted to us. This story was embedded in the stories women told, most especially the stories of military sexual violence, silent for so long.
In recent years, Cranaleith has grown to understand and share the concept of “moral injury”…the wound all of us carry because of the violence we participate in each day. Cranaleith’s colleagues, Chaplain Chris Antal and Dr. Kelly Denton-Borgaugh have helped us to recognize the moral injury we hold as a society. They have trained ministers to tend it in their congregations. They have developed learning and rituals to provide healing to Veterans. In a very real way, the Women Veterans Cranaleith has welcomed are prophets of the moral injury carried by the larger culture because of violence. We hope to extend their powerful voice to a larger community.
As the privilege of Cranaleith’s days of reflection continue, we are grateful to each of the women for entrusting their stories here, and grateful to all who have supported our desire to accompany them. As Rasheeda says, “I know I can speak for my sisters in service when I say it I our prayer that these retreats will be available for 25 plus more years.”
