Living Through the Paschal Mystery: Surviving Cancer Narratives Told by Older Roman Catholic Women

Research has indicated that religious faith can help in coping with cancer. However, studies have not explored the specific faith meanings that support participants in coping with a life-threatening condition into older adulthood. Our narrative analyses of interviews with six British older Roman Catholic women in remission from cancer produced three main themes: simplicity in dealing with cancer, a feeling of inner strength to endure suffering, and a purpose in everything that sustained their acceptance of their situation. All three themes were rooted in the Catholic understanding of the “Paschal Mystery” and the women’s experiences were not explicable without this specific faith narrative.