The trimmings of the Rosary and the conversion of Russia

Jean's Journal with Jean Farrell

I have been brave enough to publish two books, since I retired. ‘Jean’s Journal’ (published in 2018) contains articles from my weekly column in this newspaper. I am proud and happy to say that all 1,000 copies of this book have been sold and I want to sincerely thank those of you who bought it.

‘The Six Marys’ book contains the diaries from my play. Spanning six decades, it tells the story (in diary form) of Mary Black, Mary Brown, Mary Green, Mary White, Mary Grey and Mary Golden growing up in Ireland.

Throughout their lives Mary Grey is grey, dull and boring, while Mary Golden is golden, cracked and wild. She was the girl we all wished we had the courage to be. The other four Marys are ordinary (like most of us!)

The 1950s diaries tell about the comics and catechism they read, as they waited for the stork to come to their houses, again and again. They tell about the nuns, the procession, gym slips and more.

In the diaries from the 1960s the search for Mr Wonderful brought hope, at hops, to their lonely hearts.

In the 1970s, they began married life and discovered that they weren’t exactly going to ‘live happily ever after,’ as the Fairy Tales had forecast!

Throughout the following decades the six Marys meet regularly and discuss their lives, the good and the bad.

In the diaries from the 1970s, Mary Black says that she married a lovely sexy man who has turned into a sofa that grunts.

In the 1980s, Mary Grey remarked that her husband’s idea of foreplay is ‘six pints’ or ‘are you awake?’

As they rear teenagers, Mary White says that she asked her Ashling what she wants to be when she grows up. “An orphan,” her 14 year old daughter replied, “and the sooner the better!”

In the 2000s diaries grey Mary Grey announces, “My husband is great in bed. He goes straight to sleep!”

Eventually the six Marys realise that you make your own dreams come true. The theme is universal.

There are many photographs and pictures in the book, recalling times past. The story of the six Marys is very funny and very true to life. (It would be a lovely Christmas present!)

A Russian girl, called Sofiya, was the graphic designer who put my book together. She is in her 40s and came to Ireland ten years ago. Sofiya and I sat together, for weeks, going through every word in the book.

Her questions were very interesting indeed. One diary entry, in the 1950s, is about saying The Rosary and The Trimmings.

The extract is, “We prayed for The Conversion of Russia, we prayed for President Kennedy and we prayed for a happy death.”

Sofiya sat back and asked, in amazement, “Why were Irish people praying for Russia?” I told her that the whole of Ireland was praying that the Russians would become Catholics. She laughed out loud and said, “You must have been not praying hard enough!”

Her next question really surprised me. “Who is President Kennedy?” I thought that everyone, in the whole world, had heard of him. I told Sofiya, from Russia, that he had been the president of America and was assassinated in 1963. Again she said, “You must not have been praying hard enough for him, either.”

It made me think – was God listening to us at all, as we knelt nightly, on the cold kitchen floor beseeching Him and his mother, Mary, to hear us. We prayed, “To thee do we cry, poor banished children of Eve. To thee do we send up our sighs, mourning and weeping in this valley of tears.”

Such awful depressing language! Aged ten, I wasn’t crying and sighing and mourning and weeping. Were you?

I was glad that Sofiya, from Russia, didn’t ask me what ‘a happy death was.’ How would I explain ‘Extreme Unction’ to her? How would I explain that, regardless of what you had done in life, this sacrament, received on your deathbed, guaranteed that you would go straight up to Heaven? (At least that was my understanding of it.)

Considering the shortage of priests nowadays and different ways of thinking, many people would describe ‘a happy death’ as one free from pain, with family around them.

For those of us who have lived in two different worlds don’t we really fall between two stools regarding our religious beliefs? It’s hard to know what we believe nowadays!

I came upon this lovely piece lately. It’s called ‘MISS GOD’

Miss Him when we stumble on a breast lump for the first time and an involuntary prayer escapes our lips.

Miss Him when we call out His name spontaneously in awe and anger, as a woman in the birth ward summons her long lost mother.

Miss Him when a dove swoops from the orange grove in a tourist village just as the monastery bell begins to take its toll.

Miss Him when the sunset makes its presence felt in the stained glass window of the fake antique bar.

Miss Him when a choked voice at the crematorium recites the poem about fearing no more the heat of the sun.’

Most of us, born before 1970, understand and relate to this very well.

THE SIX MARYS book is on sale in The Athlone Book Shop, under Burgesses and in some other local shops.

I can post it to you, either. Contact me at jeanfarrell@live.ie