On December 3rd, 2022, the Sisters of Mercy celebrated 150 years in the Diocese of Ossory. A beautiful liturgy was celebrated, enhanced by appropriate liturgical hymns and music. Bishop Denis Nulty, Apostolic Administrator of Ossory Diocese, celebrated a special Mass of thanksgiving in the convent chapel. Having given a resumé of Catherine McAuley’s life, Bishop Nulty traced the different phases of the history of the Sisters of Mercy, Callan down through the years. He spoke of the importance of reflecting on and recalling our origins and encouraged us to go back in time and walk the path walked by those Sisters 150 years ago.
The Sisters came to Callan from Convent of Mercy, Athy, in November 1872 at the invitation of Bishop Patrick Moran. A few months later, in February 1873, another group of Sisters of Mercy came to Borris-in-Ossory from Alton, in the diocese of Birmingham. During the intervening 150 years they have ministered in many towns throughout the diocese and beyond.
At the time of the arrival of the Sisters Callan Parish was in turmoil. A dispute had arisen between the parish priest, Fr. Robert O’Keeffe, and Bishop Edward Walsh concerning, among other things, the provision of education in the town. Parishioners took sides resulting in great bitterness and eventually the parish was placed under interdict. Into this turmoil the Sisters of Mercy arrived in 1872, equally welcomed and unwelcomed by the parishioners. They immediately set about visiting the homes of the poor, sick and elderly and were invited to minister in the Callan Workhouse. On the evening of their arrival in Callan 30th November, 1872 Bishop Moran made the following entry in his diary: “The first four of the Sisters of Mercy came from Athy to found our new Convent in Callan. I drove to Callan to receive them there. Thanks be to God that this work is happily accomplished. Fr. O’Keeffe announced that he would go down to the Convent to turn out the nuns, but he did not carry out his threat…”
In January 1873 the Sisters took charge of the female and infant school in the town and set up St. Anne’s Pay School – the fees from St. Anne’s to support the infant school. From these small beginnings education in Callan grew through primary school to secondary top (primary schools which taught subjects to secondary level) to secondary school until present times when the town has a coeducational primary school, Bunscoil McAuley Rice, and a coeducational secondary school, Coláiste Abhainn Ri, both built on the endeavours of the Christian Brothers and the Sisters of Mercy and now in the capable hands of schools trust bodies, ERST and CEIST. The Sisters in Borris-in-Ossory taught to Leaving Cert level until 1991.
The first foray out of Callan was to the Kilkenny Workhouse in 1875. The workhouse eventually evolved into St. Luke’s Hospital where the Sisters served officially until 2008. A convent was established in Thomastown in 1891 and in Ballyragget in 1909. Both of these communities established primary schools which in time incorporated secondary tops. When the Sisters in Ballyragget vacated the original convent for a smaller building in 1997 the convent became the location of the newly established Aislinn Adolescent Treatment Centre.
A unique project was the setting up of a “Missionary School” in 1884. The purpose of the school was the preparation of young women for entry to different religious orders all over the, mostly, English-speaking world. By the time the school closed in 1959, it had been attended by almost 2000 candidates. The building then evolved into St. Brigid’s Boarding School.
In 1884, Bishop Moran was appointed Archbishop of Sydney and soon after his arrival in Australia asked the Sisters in Callan to send a foundation to join him there. The Callan community had now grown to 24 and nine Sisters were selected to form the new community. After six weeks travel aboard The Cuzco they arrived in Sydney and set down roots in Parramatta in November 1888 where they serve to this day.
In the mid-1950’s a new call arrived. Bishop Fergus O’Grady OMI had been appointed to the new diocese of Prince George in British Columbia and made an appeal for Sisters to join him on the mission there. Five Sisters formed the pioneer group and over the following 40 years 48 Sisters served for varying lengths of time in Prince George diocese. Stories of snow and black bears filled the folks at home with a mixture of envy and relief!
One hundred and fifty years have passed. Our numbers have decreased and our average age has increased. Sincere thanks to all who have befriended us, collaborated with us, supported us, laughed and cried with us over those years. We can glorify the past and worry about the future but we can only live in the present and leave the rest to a Loving God.
Maria Comerford rsm and Hannah Frisby rsm
Southern Province
