When Cardinal John Henry Newman famously said ‘To live is to change and to be perfect is to have changed often’, he wasn’t thinking of the Sisters of Mercy, of course, but Mercy presence in the Co Tyrone village of Clogher has surely embodied this aphorism.
Original Convent of Mercy Clogher
As we transition into our new Congregational structure, Northern Province is undergoing two changes at the same time. Like the other Provinces, Province is transitioning into Branch while our Provincial Office is moving from Clogher to Bessbrook, another village in Co Armagh.
The story of Clogher is the story of a small community in a rural village intertwined with all the significant changes in our Congregation over the past fifty-four years.
The story began in 1970, when the Sisters of Mercy in Enniskillen were requested by Bishop Patrick Mulligan, Bishop of Clogher, to take over the Convent in Clogher, about to be vacated by the Saint Louis Sisters, and convert it into a Nursing Home. By August of the following year three Sisters, Sr. Bridie Rogers, Sr. Christine Blake and Sr. Francis Gormley had moved to the village of Clogher and taken up residence in the stately home which had originally been the Church of Ireland Bishop’s Palace. Though stately in structure, the building with its large, lofty rooms did not offer much by way of comfort. However, the spacious and well-maintained grounds were a real bonus. Over the years a walk by the pond or through the woods, when the bluebells were in bloom, would provide balm for body and soul.
The next few years were challenging as the Sisters settled into a new home and ministries in the local schools and facilitated all the renovations required for the repurposing of the building and the setting up of the Nursing Home.
By 1975 the hard work of these pioneering Sisters had paid off and St. Macartan’s Residential Home was opened, and for the next forty years Sisters would provide management, nursing and pastoral care services there. It would also become a home for many of our older, sick Sisters when they needed residential care.
With an expanding community and a functioning Home it was evident that more space was needed, so a new Convent was built adjacent to the Home in 1976.
From these early shoots, the Clogher initiative continued to grow and expand and, at each stage, reflected the changes we were undergoing at Congregational level. In 1976 Clogher Diocese held its first diocesan Chapter and Sr. Rose Marie Keenan, a member of the Enniskillen community, was elected the first General Superior of Clogher. Sr. Rose Marie chose to move to Clogher and set up her Generalate offices in the Gate House, bringing another dimension of life to the community. Successive Diocesan leaders followed suit.
Convent of Mercy, Clogher – New Build
From 1977 until the mid-1980s the corridors rang out with voices of youth and enthusiasm as Clogher became the centre for Initial Formation. Young women choosing to enter in the Clogher Diocese joined the Clogher community for their Postulancy. To accommodate the next stage of formation a new novitiate was built in 1980. There were further developments in 1984 when leaders of the Northern Dioceses came together to explore the setting up of a Regional Novitiate. The chosen venue was Clogher and there was much excitement as the community anticipated the arrival of the first group of young women from other dioceses, and they did not disappoint – with their energy, enthusiasm, music and sense of fun! With increasing numbers space was again at a premium and in 1986 a new convent was completed for the community.
Life and ministry continued to flourish with Sisters taking on management, nursing and pastoral care roles in the Home, teaching and administrative support in the School and pastoral outreach in the parish. Over the years many more Sisters came and went, each bringing her own unique gifts to the community. But by 1998 there were only two Sisters remaining in the community, and it was decided to close the convent
The next significant change came in the Clogher story following our First Congregational Chapter and the formation of Provinces in 1994. The new Northern Provincial Team was faced with the task of finding suitable and convenient living and office accommodation. Once again Clogher rose to the occasion and offered a welcoming space to the new Team. In 1995 our first Provincial Leader and Team took up residence in the original convent and used the novitiate building as office space. (From the mid-1980s the number of young women entering religious life was declining and a common novitiate was no longer viable). For the next thirty years Clogher was to become the Provincial “hub” facilitating communication, interaction and meetings between successive Provincial Teams and members of the Province.
In 2013 St. Macartan’s Home and convent buildings and grounds were sold to Kilmorey Health Care but Provincial offices continued to operate from there until April 2025.
Convent of Mercy, Bessbrook
Now as we reach another phase in our Congregational story and restructure our governance, Clogher is again to the fore. This time, however, we are bringing down the curtain on fifty-four years of true Mercy hospitality and generous adapting to change. Those early Sisters must look from their place of rest with gratitude and joy on how that first seed they planted bore so much fruit. Some of these seeds will now disperse to Bessbrook and become part of a new story.
Sr. Mary deLacy
Northern Branch
