53 research outputs found
Perceptions of Ghanaian Women Regarding Breast Cancer Screening Behavior
No full textBackground: Breast cancer among women is currently the most diagnosed cancer globally, with
an estimated 2.3 million cases recorded in 2020. In Ghana, breast cancer constitutes 31.8% of all
cancers diagnosed in women in 2020 with an incidence rate of 15 to 35 per 100,000. Research into factors that influence engagement of Ghanaian women in breast cancer screening is limited and the existing literature has produced conflicting results. This research aimed to enhance understanding of Ghanaian women’s knowledge, beliefs and attitudes regarding breast cancer.
This study explored Ghanaian women’s perceptions of breast cancer screening behaviour and
provided insights to how breast cancer is perceived and approached within this context. By investigating these perceptions, the study sought to uncover the factors influencing Ghanaian women’s participation in early detection and breast screening.
Methods: In this study, I employed a qualitative research design based on Interpretive Description by Thorne (2016), focusing on women in the mixed rural community of Apra, Ghana. Data were gathered through semi-structured interviews with 14 local women, with an interview guide
informed by constructs from the Health Belief Model (HBM) and the Theory of Planned Behavior. Key constructs, such as perceived barriers, perceived severity, perceived susceptibility, perceived benefits and subjective norms, were explored. Using reflexive thematic analysis, as outlined by Braun and Clarke (2022), the analysis provided in-depth exploration of participants
perceptions, highlighting key themes related to their health beliefs and behaviors.
Findings: The study revealed that Ghanaian women’s perceptions of breast cancer screening are shaped by cultural beliefs, stigma, and limited knowledge. Key themes included the view of the breast as sacred, leading to reluctance in discussing or undergoing screenings, and the fear of
social judgment, with some seeing breast cancer as a moral or spiritual failure. Participants had limited knowledge of breast cancer symptoms but were open to receiving information from
healthcare professionals. Additionally, faith in divine protection influenced some women’s reluctance to seek medical care. These findings highlight the need for culturally sensitive health
education to promote early detection.
Significance and Conclusion: This study contributes to the academic discourse on breast cancer awareness by providing evidence on the perceptions and screening behaviors of Ghanaian women. It highlights the influence of cultural beliefs, social norms, and limited knowledge on early detection practices. The insights gained can inform the development of community-engaged, culturally sensitive health education programs and may guide policies, aimed at
improving breast cancer screening uptake and access to breast health services in mixed rural Ghanaian communities
Faustina Sáez de Melgar: liberación sin rupturas
No full textDrawing on periodicals as the principal documental source, this article aims to demonstrate how the copious literary production and biography of Faustina Sáez de Melgar (1833?) was closely linked to journalism. The creator of several magazines aimed at women, she seems to regard fashion magazines as a way of encouraging reading habits in the home. She asserts that education is the key to delivering women from their social marginalisation, which she denounced as a form of slavery. Although an active supporter of abolitionism -author of the drama La cadena rota- she did not consider women’s liberation to require any break in social norms, as it can be found within marriage, the maintaining of patriarchal structures and the practising of Christian virtues. Her thought sometimes appears opportunistic and contradictory. This is possibly a result of a cautious strategy, in which she sought to achieve only what was possible in her epoch.Con documentación hemerográfica como fuente principal, el artículo pretende poner de manifiesto la estrecha relación que con la prensa tuvo la extensa obra y la biografía de Faustina Sáez de Melgar (1833?). Creadora de varias revistas dirigidas a la mujer, vio en ellas un medio de fomentar la lectura en los hogares. Afirma que la educación es el medio por el que la mujer puede liberarse de la marginación social que padece y que ella denuncia como esclavitud. Autora del drama La cadena rota, comprometida con el abolicionismo, considera sin embargo innecesario romper ninguna: esa liberación llega además por el matrimonio y la práctica de las virtudes en una sociedad patriarcal cristiana. Sus opiniones parecen en ocasiones contradictorias y oportunistas. Posiblemente subyace una cautelosa estrategia en aplicación del “posibilismo”
Encyclical Letter “Dives in misericordia” in the context of the “Diary” by saint Faustina Kowalska
No full textThe author expresses his deep conviction that the “Diary” by saint Faustina Kowalska was a sui generis inspiration for John Paul II when he tackled the subject of the Divine Mercy in his encyclical letter “Dives in misericordia”. In this article the author attempts to move backwards and find in “Diary” the context for papal statements
The Holy Spirit in the Diary of St. Faustina Kowalska
No full textDzienniczek św. Faustyny jest interesującym źródłem dla tych, którzy próbują ukazać Ducha Świętego w perspektywie miłosierdzia. Czy jednak można w Dzienniczku znaleźć wystarczające uzasadnienie teologiczne, aby Ducha nazwać miłosiernym, podobnie jak Ojca i Syna?The Diary of St. Faustina Kowalska, though well known for its description of Jesus as the merciful Savior, lacks a comparable description of the role of the Holy Spirit in relation to Divine Mercy. One must understand the theological context of St. Faustina, of the Holy Spirit and Divine Mercy to see more clearly their connection. Whereas the merciful Jesus is the author of sanctification, the giver of Divine Mercy, the Holy Spirit is the very gift of mercy, gushing forth from His Sacred Heart in the rays of Blood and Water, which both forgives sins and lifts us from our misery to participate in the divine life of the Trinity. The Holy Spirit is the very content of Divine Mercy, for as goodness is ascribed to Him in a pre-eminent way, so too is mercy, removing our defects by filling us with His goodness and perfections
El camino de la fe hacia la confianza en Faustina Kowalska
No full textEntre muchas expresiones de la piedad popular un lugar destacado lo ocupa la devoción a la divina misericordia. El objetivo central de la devoción es suscitar y afianzar en el creyente la confianza en la misericordia divina. Santa Faustina Kowalska documentó en su diario espiritual su propio camino de fe hacia la confianza. Su experiencia de fe es un lugar teológico donde se buscan unas pistas que ayuden al creyente desarrollar y afianzar la virtud de la confianza.
El método del circulo hermenéutico, articuló diferentes elementos del presente trabajo investigativo y lo organizó en tres capítulos. El primero corresponde al horizonte teológico del autor donde se analiza diferentes significados de la experiencia de Dios. El segundo capítulo cosiste en el análisis de la vida y del diario espiritual de sor Faustina Kowalska. El tercer capítulo corresponde al momento de la fusión de los dos horizontes y a la interpretación en la que a partir del resultado arrojado por la investigación se plantean unas líneas para el desarrollo y afianzamiento de la confianza.Among many expressions of popular piety a prominent place is devotion to divine mercy. The central aim of devotion is to arouse and strengthen in the believer the confidence in the divine mercy. St. Faustina Kowalska documented in her spiritual diary her own path of faith toward trust. Their experience of faith is a theological place where they are looking for clues that help the believer develop and strengthen the virtue of trust.
The hermeneutic circle method articulated different elements of the present research work and organized it into three chapters. The first corresponds to the theological horizon of the author where we analyze different meanings of the experience of God. The second chapter consists in the analysis of the life and spiritual diary of Sister Faustina Kowalska. The third chapter corresponds to the moment of the fusion of the two horizons and to the interpretation in which, starting from the result of the research, some lines of development for confidence building are established.Magíster en TeologíaMaestrí
Meaning of mercy in the vocation of a priest
No full textThe author of the article refers to the notion of the Divine Mercy as understood by sister Faustina Kowalska. Due to the fact that there is a problem with defining the term of the Divine Mercy, at the beginning of the article the author attempts to interpret the message to priests included in the “Diary” by saint Faustina. Then he presents his own experience with his priestly service to patients in the Central Clinical Hospital of the Medical University in Warsaw. The third part of the article is a theological analysis of the term “Divine Mercy” in the “Diary” by saint Faustina
The Message of Divine Mercy Entrusted to St. Faustina as the Source of Hope for the Contemporary World
No full textThe author of this paper entitled „The Message of Divine Mercy Entrusted to St. Faustina as the Source of Hope for the Contemporary World” have characterised contemporary threats present now in the world. This characterisation has been based on the teaching of two popes, John Paul II and Benedict XVI. Then he determined the principal elements of the message of Divine Mercy, and, eventually, on the basis of St. Faustina's Diary, he characterised the benefits that flow to us when once we receive Divine Mercy through Jesus Christ. When we put, side by side, the fruits of this reception and the threats to the contemporary world, we can clearly see that the message of Divine Mercy may become a source of hope for those who are open to it
The Bittersweet Taste of Mysticism. The Lexis of the Sense of Taste in The Diary by St Faustina Kowalska
No full textArtykuł ma charakter badawczy. Jego celem jest odkrycie znaczeń, jakie św. Faustyna nadała zmysłowi smaku, a zarazem ukazanie poziomów metaforyzacji użytego przez nią słownictwa. Analiza jakościowo-ilościowa dotyczy leksyki opisującej smaki słodki i gorzki – są to bowiem jedyne nazwy smaków wskazane przez autorkę Dzienniczka. Jak wykazała analiza, większość słownictwa z tego pola została użyta do zobrazowania relacji duszy z Bogiem. Smak słodki posłużył na określenie samego Boga, obcowania z Nim. Smak gorzki konotuje głównie mękę Pańską i cierpienia, jakie Faustyna znosi w intencji dusz. W tworzeniu analogii między ciałem a duszą wyzyskuje ona słownictwo potoczne, łącząc je z biblijnym i liturgicznym. Jak wskazuje, dusza także ma swój pokarm – są nim wola Boża, łaska, mądrość Boża, a także Boże miłosierdzie.The article is of analytical character. Its aim is to discover the meanings which St Faustina attributed to the sense of taste as well as to reveal the levels of metaphorization of the vocabulary she used. The quality and quantity analysis involves the lexis which describes the sweet and bitter tastes – those are actually the only names of tastes indicated by the author of The Diary. As the analysis revealed,
most of the vocabulary from this area was used to depict the relationship between the soul and God. The sweet taste served to define God Himself, communing with Him. The bitter taste is associated principally with Lord’s Passion and suffering which Faustina experiences in the intention of the souls. While creating the analogy between the body and the soul, she exploits colloquial vocabulary, combining it with the biblical and liturgical lexis. As she indicates, the soul has also its food – this is God’s will, grace, God’s wisdom and God’s mercy
A holy man with a merciful face
No full textA merciful face should be a characteristic of every Christian, mercy is a synonym for Christianity. Although it is said that every saint has a merciful face; in our times saint sister Faustina from the Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy has become the model of a saint with a merciful face. On the example of saint sister Faustina the author wants to show this original model of sanctity, where the Divine and human mercy shine
The concept of mercy in the “Diary” by saint Faustina Kowalska (part I)
No full textAll the contexts of the usage of the lexeme “mercy” in the “Diary” by saint Faustina give it a new semantic field and they stretch the term “mercy” onto all types of God’s activity – from the creation of the world to the salvation of mankind. It shows that the author anticipated the intuitions of the Second Vatican Council and contemporary research on this Christian notion, which has not been fully presented and understood yet.
For theologians many phrases can be clear evidence that the massage of this text must have come from the revelation, for example such expressions as “depths of tenderness”, “the bosom of the Father”. For a theologian and biblical scholar it is a clear reference to Hebrew rahamīm, about which Faustina could not know. The expression “the bosom of the Father” is rarely used in religious texts even mystical ones.
The image of mercy and attitudes one can adopt in relation to it point out mainly to one notion – worshipping the Divine Mercy. This image is proven by the research of key words – they focus on the priority of worshipping over other attitudes, even over the attitude of trust which is so often mentioned.
Semantic transgressions can be noticed in the texts – shifts of the meaning, which are a particular characteristic of mystical writings. In this research those shifts refer to a semantic field of a lexeme “worship”. They also show that phrases describing a relationship of “mercy” “man – man” where included to a semantic field describing the relationship “man – God” and they mainly refer to the semantic scope of a lexeme “mercy”.
The “Diary” clearly breaks with a common dictionary-based negative image of a situation of humiliating inequality which could be generated by showing mercy. According to Faustina’s text lowering of God to man and, similarly, of man to another man is aimed at making those people and their positions equal, entering into deep mutual participation and experiencing the same situation. Thus, showing mercy does not create a chasm between the giver and recipient but it annuls it.
Such a wide semantic field exceeds a stereotypical (or prototypical) Christian image of mercy, which is mostly limited to a model of the merciful Samaritan or the father of a prodigal son, of Caritas foundation or religious orders which help the sick and the poor. According to the “Diary” every God’s activity demonstrates mercy, every action of Jesus as presented in the gospels, every healing, every meeting with people (with Nicodemus, Mary Magdalene, with a young man from Nain), a selection of disciples and the sermon on the mountain. We should include there a description of the creation of the world, events with the Babel tower and the flood. However if we made a survey and presented three images: of Christmas, of the Samaritan leaning over a dying man on the way from Jericho and the scene of Resurrection and if we asked which picture illustrated the Divine Mercy, people would most often point out the second image. For Faustina, however, there is no greater manifestation of mercy than the incarnation and resurrection.
The issue of sacraments is treated in a similar way. The “Diary” points out that one should not look for the elements of mercy in the Eucharist but that the whole Eucharist should be interpreted as a gift of the Divine Mercy. It cannot be said, for example, that confession is more the image of mercy that baptism, confirmation or Eucharist. Undoubtedly, it can be perceived in this way due to existing stereotypes.
This research, though it seems vast, is only an introduction to a more detailed analysis (hence a note at the title – part 1
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