The English Province of the IBVM Loreto sisters

History of the English Province

It was poverty that drew the members of the Institute to England in 1851. The Irish famine had brought thousands of Irishmen, women and children to the big cities of England and Scotland in search of work and accommodation. Initially they lived in crowded and squalid conditions.

Canon Murray of St Wilfred's parish, Hulme, Manchester was only too aware of their misery and did all he could to alleviate it. He believed that education would enable the children of these poor people to escape from their terrible poverty. He knew that the Institute had an excellent record for education in Ireland so he wrote to ask that they would come to Manchester to start a school for his beloved poor children. Mother Teresa Ball responded generously and sent a party of sisters led by Mother Anne Hickie.

To be continued...

Notes from the English Province leader

Sister Eileen McConnon, who is the English Province Leader, shares something of her recent experience of visiting a number of the Sisters in their work situations. She says:

"I thought I would give you a glimpse of '4 days in the life of a Provincial' drawn from my recent Visitation where I was really inspired by the fruits of the Spirit at work. I mention only the more obvious tangible fruits, passing over the deeper personal ones. Spontaneous reaching out and valuing these that crossed our paths, building up community in neighbourhood and parish, catechesis of children, failed asylum seekers sharing dinner in our home. Working to reconcile factions, faith formation, giving opportunity to prisoners to come out of their cells to listen and share with each other, including sharing tea and biscuits, real involvement and immersion in inter-faith dialogue; in the background supporting the initiatives of others, engaging in conversation with people such as the hairdresser and lost strangers leading to teaching the hairdresser's child failing at school and a family of refugees learning English. I also saw some of our artistic gifts in action - a most striking 12 foot, hand embroidered banner hanging in a sanctuary depicting the Eucharist in symbols, delightful toys heading for Albania and a variety of crosses for the sick and others.

I was uplifted by the way we are using the gifts God has given us in such a variety of ways."

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