A wisecracking Catholic nun with stage IV cancer teaches others to live fully until death in “Sister Úna Lived a Good Death.” The documentary follows the final months of Sister Úna Feeney of Sisters of Social Service – a social justice-defending “leader of the misfits” and unconventional Catholic nun – thriving with terminal cancer and teaching her community to live into their death.
Directed by Par Parekh and produced by Ali Hart, this tender and uplifting documentary takes us through the end-of-life journey of Sister Úna Feeney, a Boston-born, SoCal-raised Irish Catholic. She chooses to approach her death with as much originality as she did her life, planning her own funeral, checking off final adventures from her bucket list, and teaching her community to embrace dying with curiosity and humanity.
Sister Úna Feeney, of the Sisters of Social Service, spent her life eschewing stereotypes. With a great sense of humor, she cursed like a sailor, smoked Camels, and wore plaid flannels like a uniform – the raconteur was a rule-breaker and feminist long before it was cool. Úna was the self-proclaimed “leader of the misfits” and her special skill was making kids, particularly LGBTQ youth, feel okay to be their authentic selves. Filmed through her hospice care, Úna got her final wish of making sure her approach to life and death could inspire generations to come.
“Sister Úna teaches us so much, not only about preparing for our own deaths, but also how to show up for others who are dying. I hope viewers feel empowered to live and die more intentionally, and I have no doubt they’ll fall in love with Sister Úna, just like we did,” said producer Ali Hart.
“Sister Úna Lived a Good Death” will premiere at 9 p.m. on Monday, February 5 on Panhandle PBS.
