Am I called to be a Presentation Sister?
At various times and in various places God invited men and women to be in partnership with Him to continue to build a just and human world. The creative Spirit of God awakens many different responses in people’s hearts.
The call to be a Presentation Sister today is as challenging and radical as it was when Nano first called her companions together to respond to the needs of the poor children and people of Cork and founded the Congregation in 1775.
Called to share in Nano Nagle’s Gospel vision, the Presentation Sisters respond with compassion to the needs of our times and challenge unjust structures which threaten the dignity of the human person. Today, Sisters in five continents follow in Nano’s footsteps, promoting the rights and dignity of people made poor and the poor earth. We do this through a variety of works including education, pastoral work, health care, cathechetics, spirituality, faith development, human rights and ecology.
Would you be fulfilled serving others – particularly those who have experienced marginalisation and would you have a genuine commitment to alleviating the burdens which they carry?
Could you live with the flexibility of the disciples in the Gospel, who were able to leave their familiar way of life behind in order to take on new responsibilities?
Would you find the practice of contemplation in community supportive?
Do you have a reasonably good education and a willingness to engage in the ongoing learning required to be a disciple in a rapidly changing world?
Are you between 25 and 45 years of age, with some experience of working for your living? It is possible to look at individual applications outside this age span also.
Information
Thinking about religious life?
The first steps after exploring my feeling
World Day for Consecrated Life 2020
World Day for Consecrated Life 2019
Message of Pope Francis for the 2020 World Day of Vocations
Message of Pope Francis for the 2019 World Day of Vocations
Letter on Consecrated Life – 18 January 2021: Commission for Consecrated Life
Message of Pope Francis for the 2021 World Day of Vocations
Nano Nagle – inspiring women and men today
Nano Nagle is one of the most widely recognized names in religion in Ireland. Now, she is the subject of a new booklet published by Messenger Publications, The Story of Nano Nagle: A Life Lived on the Razor’s Edge, which is the work of Sr. Anne Lyons, who is herself a member of the Sisters of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the congregation Nagle founded in 18th century Ireland.
The booklet documents the story of Nano Nagle, who was born into a wealthy family in 1718 but later left that life to live and work with people in poverty in the city of Cork. Known as “the lady of the lantern” for her intrepid seeking-out of people on the margins in the dark passageways of Cork, Nagle was voted Ireland’s greatest woman in 2005 in a competition run by RTÉ, Ireland’s national broadcaster.
Anne Lyons said Nagle faced persecution and hardship both as a woman and a Catholic, but she was driven by a passion to help Christ’s marginalized.
“In the centuries since her death in 1784, her message of courage and hope has travelled around the world, changing the lives of the poor and forgotten,” Lyons said.
Today, Presentation Sisters work in 24 countries and operate a network of schools that carry on the vision of Nano Nagle.
Asked in this interview with Sarah MacDonald, for Global Sisters Report – what her were her hopes for the booklet?
“My hope is that the booklet will be like a torch, fanning the flame of Nano Nagle. People are convinced of the holiness of this woman. Pope Francis obviously is.
In her day, Nano was a pioneering woman of great courage, faith and hope as well as a risk-taker. My hope is that the booklet offers a fresh approach to this woman not as somebody back in history, but as somebody whose spirit is alive and who can inspire men and women today in their Christian call”.
You can read the full interview by Sarah MacDonald for Global Sisters Report see Q & A with Sr. Anne Lyons, author of a new booklet about Venerable Nano Nagle
(Note: the text used in this information piece is an extract from this interview).
Coming together to pray …
Called to share in Nano Nagle’s Gospel vision, Presentation people respond with compassion to the needs of our times and challenge unjust structures which threaten the dignity of the human person. Today, present in five continents they follow in Nano’s footsteps, promoting the rights and dignity of people made poor and the poor earth.
We do this inspired by Nano Nagle (Founder of the Presentation Sisters Congregation) to use all the talents and skills at our disposal to ‘make that difference’, and to realise the evolving contribution of the Presentation charism for our times.
We invite you to take time out online to pray with us on this special Sunday 25th April (which is 2021 World Day of Vocations). An opportunity to share and reflect on our lives as Presentation people.
To join us (all welcome) – just use the email below to contact us to confirm your interest, and to receive your Zoom link.
Please join us – we look forward to welcoming you: from 2.00 pm – 3.00 pm (Irish Time) – Sunday 25th April.
Email us at: enquiry@presprone.com
The Dream of Vocation
“I pray that you will experience this same joy, dear brothers and sisters who have generously made God the dream of your lives, serving him in your brothers and sisters through a fidelity that is a powerful testimony in an age of ephemeral choices and emotions that bring no lasting joy. May St. Joseph, protector of vocations, accompany you with his fatherly heart”!
(Pope Francis, St John Lateran, Rome 19 March 2021).
In his message for the 2021 World Day of Vocations (25th April) ‘St. Joseph: The Dream of Vocation’ Pope Francis writes:
“I wrote the Apostolic Letter Patris Corde, whose aim was “to increase our love for this great saint”. St. Joseph is an extraordinary figure, yet at the same time one “so close to our own human experience”. He did not do astonishing things, he had no unique charisms, nor did he appear special in the eyes of those who met him. He was not famous or even noteworthy: the Gospels do not report even a single word of his. Still, through his ordinary life, he accomplished something extraordinary in the eyes of God”.
Pope Francis adds that the priesthood and consecrated life greatly need these qualities nowadays, in times marked by fragility but also by the sufferings due to the pandemic, which has spawned uncertainties and fears about the future and the very meaning of life. He goes on to explain that St. Joseph suggests to us three key words for each individual’s vocation.
Dream
St. Joseph let himself be guided by his dreams without hesitation because his heart was directed to God; it was already inclined towards him. This applies also to our calling: God does not like to reveal himself in a spectacular way, pressuring our freedom. He conveys his plans to us with gentleness. He does not overwhelm us with dazzling visions but quietly speaks in the depths of our heart, drawing near to us and speaking to us through our thoughts and feelings. In this way, as he did with St. Joseph, God sets before us profound and unexpected horizons.
Service
Detail of Image of St. Joseph, Knock Shrine, Co. Mayo
The service and sacrifices made by St. Joseph were only possible because they were sustained by a greater love: For St. Joseph, service – as a concrete expression of the gift of self – did not remain simply a high ideal, but became a rule for daily life.
Fidelity
There is a third characteristic of St. Joseph’s daily life and our Christian vocation, namely fidelity. He did not yield to the temptation to act rashly, simply following his instincts or living for the moment. Instead, he pondered things patiently. He knew that success in life is built on constant fidelity to important decisions. For a vocation – like life itself – matures only through daily fidelity.
Do not be afraid: these words the Lord also addresses to you, whenever you feel that, even amid uncertainty and hesitation, you can no longer delay your desire to give your life to him. He repeats these words when, perhaps amid trials and misunderstandings, you seek to follow his will every day, wherever you find yourself. They are a refrain accompanying all those who – like St. Joseph – say yes to God with their lives, through their fidelity each day.
This fidelity is the secret of joy. You can read the full text of Pope Francis’ message for the World Day of Vocations 2021 HERE and also in the link at the top of the page.
All brothers and sisters
The WORLD DAY FOR CONSECRATED LIFE – February 2nd, 2021 marks the 25th anniversary of Pope John Paul declaring the feast of the Presentation of the Lord in the Temple as World Day of Prayer for Consecrated Life. On this day in St. Peter’s Basilica at 5.30 pm (Rome Time) there will a service of celebration of Consecrated Life. In addition, the Congregation for Consecrated Life issued a letter to all consecrated persons see Letter on Consecrated Life 2021.
An invitation
Pope Francis invites us to be architects of universal brotherhood, custodians of the common home: of the common home and of every creature (cf. Encyclical Laudato Si ).
Therefore, in the light of this dream that is entrusted to our hands, to our passion and to our perseverance, this coming 2nd February will once again be a beautiful feast to praise and thank the Lord for the gift of our vocation and mission!
To Our Lady, Our Mother and Mother of the Church, faithful woman, and in this year dedicated to St. Joseph, her spouse, we entrust all of you. May you be strengthened in your living and loving faith, certain and joyful hope, humble and active charity.
See also All brothers & sisters
and About the Day for Consecrated Life
Let us remember to pray for all those who have made commitments in the consecrated life, and to be sure to thank them on their special day.
Brothers and Sisters …
Go Forth! Remember the beauty of your first call.
Jesus continues to call you today
With the same full love and untamed grace.Go Forth! There is always more time to do, to encounter,
To be grateful for, to be astonished by.
Begin and end with the joy of prayer –
The marrow of consecrated life.Go Forth! Each of us has a role to play in the Church.
Witness and sow well each day,
And look to tomorrow with hope.Go Forth! Grow in love for God
So that others will be attracted by the divine light in you.
Welcome the new vocations the lord sends
To continue the work of consecration.~ Pope Francis
(Prayer adapted from the concluding message of Pope Francis for the XX World Day of Consecrated Life – Source: https://pasquiacatholic.com/ )
Here am I. Send me.
The theme given by Pope Francis for World Mission Sunday on 18th October 2020 is:
“Here am I. Send me”. (Isaiah 6:8)
Pope Francis says the Lord continues to ask “Whom shall I send?” This call to mission emerges as an “invitation to step out of ourselves for love of God and neighbour” through service and intercessory prayer”, he writes.
“We find ourselves precisely when we give ourselves to others”, Pope Francis continues.
Our mission, our call, our willingness to be sent originates in the vocation of Jesus as “the missionary of the Father”. “Our personal vocation” is rooted in “the fact that we are sons and daughters of God in the Church”.
Nano’s mission and ours
Words written in 1770 by Nano Nagle in a letter to Eleanor Fitzsimons. Nano Nagle is known internationally as the founder of the Presentation Congregation. Through her life she laid the ground work for what would eventually make a global contribution to the education of girls and women, while also articulating a mission to those kept poor.
Presentation Sisters continue to share in the dream of their founder:
To live Contemplatively,
Walk lightly on the Earth
Witness Prophetically.
“Called to live as consecrated women, we strive to witness to joyful, reflective, compassionate service, constantly calling ourselves to be aware of, and where possible to help those who find themselves on the edge, forgotten and neglected”.
What IF … we consciously spend ourselves for those kept poor?
What IF …we consciously love one another?
Presentation Sisters are in 24 countries around the globe.
See also The evolution of a charism
A Joyous Occasion: Sr. Marion renews her Vows
L-R: Srs. Mary Brennan, Pia O’Neill, Gemma McKevitt, Anne Nevin, Marion O’Raw, Assumpta Lawlor, Stasia Ward, Rosaria King with Sr. Mary Hanrahan (Provincial Leader).
A joyous occasion was celebrated by the Clondalkin/Cluster community on 9th September, 2020 when Sr. Marion O’Raw renewed her vows. Marion renewed her vows in the presence of Sr. Mary Hanrahan, Provincial Leader (NEP), who accepted them on behalf of Sr. Julie Watson (Congregational Leader).
The prayerful and inspirational ceremony was followed by lunch, which was enjoyed by all. Congratulations and Blessings Marion.
Our wish for you: “May love hold you, peace enfold you. May you be held in the palm of God’s hand”. (Mary Southard, CSJ)
Sr. Breeda Walsh
Note: Unable to be present on the day: Srs. Clare Dwyer, Frances Crowe, Angela Dolan & Srs. Mary Casey and Nano Purcell (Mt. Pleasant Nursing Home).
Sister Story Video Series
… get to know a Presentation Sister.
Take a look at short video stories of our sisters speaking about living religious life today.
It is a lively place to work in with young people from 18-25 years who come from various backgrounds. TU Dublin is the university where the arts, business, sciences, engineering and technology converge and its twenty-eight and a half thousand (28,500) students and researchers come from all over Ireland, and from all parts of the globe. There are over three thousand three hundred and fifty (3,350) International Students. And we have three and a half thousand (3,500) dedicated staff who offer an inclusive and welcoming learning experience.
My role as Chaplain is to provide spiritual and practical support to the students in terms of settling in, getting involved, helping them through difficulties in the academic term e.g. relational issues, bereavement issues. “Listening is about being present, not just about being quiet.” We have a small Quiet Room which I look after, and students and staff can go there for solitude, prayer, meditation, mindfulness and time out.
I began my ministry as a secondary teacher of English and Religion, and later went as a missionary to the Philippines where I worked as a community organiser, then as Coordinator of Religious Education in a third level college administered by the Presentation Sisters. All of this shaped my heart and mind to the wider realities, and especially to the lives of the poor. This international experience helps me in my role in a multi-cultural and multi- faith context today.
As a Presentation Sister working today in ministry, I find myself on the front line. The lives and prayers of the older Sisters in my congregation support me in my work. It can be a lonely space at times but I find the web of friendship keeps me going. Prayer, companionship and meaningful conversations with others keep the ‘Light of Nano’ alive for me. The attraction of the Light of our founder Nano Nagle, the Love of Christ and community are the elements that sustain me.
Click on the link below or on the image to view video.
Elizabeth explains that her motto has always been: “Use me, Oh Lord” and that this has helped her to always say her “Yes” and to be of service to Presentation worldwide, especially when she became Congregational Leader. She describes how in saying this particular “Yes” she had the privilege of getting to know our Sisters from around the world and sharing in an enriching intercultural experience with them. After Leadership ministry, Elizabeth joined the Presentation community in Slovakia where she was instrumental in setting up the mission to the Roma people in Spišské Podhradie.
Elizabeth is now enjoying her retirement in Mountmellick, and still living out of motto: “Use me, Oh Lord”.
Click on the link below or on the image to view video.
Click on the link below or on the image to view video.
“We ask ourselves the question, if Nano Nagle came back today, what would she be doing? I think she would be doing just this”. It’s the accepting of people – where they are at. I have lived through a lot of changes in religious life. Some took more adjusting than others. But it is a great time to be a religious woman, I think. I think it is a great time to be part of an evolving Church.
Click on the link below or on the image to view video.
Philomena entered in 1958, and two years later (1960) left for Africa. She sailed on a beautiful ship called the ‘Edinburgh Castle’ with two other Sisters who were returning to Africa after their vacation. The journey took three weeks! There was no doubt that she was very lonely leaving her parents and family for another continent. When they eventually arrived in South Africa they took a train to Rhodesia (today Zimbabwe). They spent three days on the train before reaching their destination – Harare!! It was September 1960, and Philomena was to spend 48 years there.
Philomena is now living out her retirement in Ireland.
Click on the link below or on the image to view video.
Click on the link below or on the image to view video.
Click on the link below or on the image to view video.
I have been privileged to work in the northern part of India in my early years. Today we talk of ‘oneness’ but back then it was for me, working together (including many other religions) in order to serve humanity. Nano inspired us to look at the signs of the times and to reach out to people, whether they are Muslims, Hindus or Sikhs. “So with that way of looking, I am very happy that I am called to serve humanity”. I have been a teacher now for the past 18 years. In my ministry this is not just about book knowledge, but to be able to give them something to be able to empower themselves and to be able to look at society and make a difference. It is not easy and often I am inspired by Nano’s words: “The Lord makes use of the weakest means to being about His work”. This has helped me to make this dream of mine “of finding God in the midst of people, in the midst of creation, somehow to come true”.
Click on the link below or on the image to view video.
When I later joined the Presentation Community in Waterford, my vision of my future was that I would spend my life in this place (at the time we were living an enclosed monastic style of Religious Life) and that I would teach in the Secondary School on the premises. But as the poet Patrick Kavanagh says “God must be allowed to surprise us”.
I now find myself living in a housing estate in Dublin. I have not been involved in teaching for many years but have been working in other ways with young people whose lives have been affected by many social and family problems. Where I live has deeply affected what I do … our community goal is to provide a place where all can feel welcome and at home, and where their needs can be listened to and met – whether these are material, emotional, or spiritual. This has also led to involvement in some work with prisoners and with ex-prisoners. While the externals of my Religious Life – from its monastic beginnings to its present form- have “changed utterly”, the inner journey has been following the call of the Lord according to the Spirit and Charism of Nano Nagle.
Click on the link below or on the image to view video.
Click on the link below or on the image to view video.
Click on the link below or on the image to view video.
I went on to continue my studies and got a job – completely forgetting my promise to God. Then God reminded me, but my parents initially didn’t allow me to enter, but I insisted, and when I joined I really felt this is the life for me.
I have been on different ministries and in many different places in India – in education, administration, pastoral, social work – meeting staff and students and being with the people. “After joining the religious life (as a Presentation Sister) I never looked back in my life. My whole life is a faith journey. I would say that”.
Click on the link below or on the image to view video.
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