What ritual teaches about life, humor and ageing. Or vice versa?

ABSTRACT

Reflective practice, based on narrative case studies, highlights the need for practitioners to observe and integrate their own lifecycle rituals and thus become more open to collaborative ritual-making. This paper reviews 40 years of texts and research that have resourced and informed ritual practice that addressed later life, ageing, life review, spiritual reminiscence and dying. The pastoral and spiritual care formation of the author owes much to patients and parishioners who joined with him in the communitas of liminal moments where ritual transforms and transcends the hierarchy of caregivers in the community of caregiving.

KEYWORDS:

• Ritual
• spirituality
• lifecycle
• ageing
• chaplaincy

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Notes

1. Barbara is a nurse. She is also a pastoral carer for retired Catholic priests.

2. Pseudonym.

3. ‘Betty’ is a pseudonym.

4. Both Paul and James are pseudonyms.

5. Pseudonym.