Columban Sisters celebrate 100th anniversary

The Missionary Sisters of St Columban are marking their 100th anniversary celebrating Mass at 3pm followed by a reception at Wicklow Parish Church, on September 29. The congregation has today 116 members in nine countries where they work with a spirit of compassion and solidarity.

Talking about the celebration of the centenary, Sr Anne Ryan, the community and area leader in Magheramore, Co. Wicklow told The Irish Catholic: “Overall, we would be extremely grateful for the life that we’ve had and the people that we have come to know.

“We have been able to gather and to work for the gospel in different, very different places, with very poor communities very often and it is always amazing for all of us no matter how difficult or how challenging.” Sr Ryan added that throughout all these years, the overall feeling amongst the nuns in missions abroad is a willingness to continue, “we never want to retire,” she said.

Sr Ryan was in Hong Kong from 1979 to 2005, which might seem like a long time to be working abroad, offering all your time to people in need, but the sister mentioned that some other nuns in the Order have been on mission for over 40 years.

The Columban Sisters website says “the life of missionary service” asks for “availability and adaptivity”. Throughout their one hundred years of history, the Columban Sisters have accomplished great results with their mission around the globe. Embracing the different vocations and skills each sister has and adapting to the needs of each community, their missionary services achieved results in several areas.

Since the congregation’s inception, cross-cultural mission work has been a defining aspect of the Columban Sisters’ identity”

Amongst some of the areas the Sisters have worked worldwide in the past century is education: they have established and overseen numerous schools, educational programs, served as principals and engaged in educational ministries, which helped to break poverty cycles and promote social and gender equality.

Their mission also improved healthcare by being involved in hospitals, clinics and healthcare initiatives. Their efforts improved countless lives over the past century.

Their social service work addressed marginalised groups, created programmes focused on the most vulnerable, assisted victims of human trafficking and prostitution, and helped refugees and migrants.

Acting on pastoral care, the Sisters worked in parishes offering spiritual support and guidance and spreading their values by evangelising in compassionate actions.

The Columban Sisters also “promote understanding and cooperation among different cultural and religious groups. They engage in intercultural and interfaith dialogue, fostering peace and mutual respect. Since the congregation’s inception, cross-cultural mission work has been a defining aspect of the Columban Sisters’ identity,” the congregation explained in a statement.

Beginnings

The Columban Sisters were officially founded on September 29, 1924, over seven years since the first mention of the need for women collaborators in mission in China, when the community was incorporated into the Church.

The nuns’ story started with Fr John Blowick, co-founder of the Columban Fathers, in December 1917. Fr Blowick spoke about the urgent need for women collaborators in the mission in China and received a prompt response from many interested women. Amongst those women was Lady Frances Moloney, founder of the Columban Sisters.

In the following three years, many conversations happened to discuss the nature of the new missionary group, and by December 1920 they were granted permission to found a Missionary Religious Congregation of Sisters.

Civil War raged in the background, often disrupting the flow of letters, supplies and personnel to the Motherhouse”

In a document describing the Order’s history, the institution comments on how the Columban Sisters have a historical connection to the foundation of the Irish State. The establishment of the Irish Free State in 1922 coincided with the establishment of the religious order.

“As its first novices prepared for religious life in Cahiracon [Co. Clare], the Civil War raged in the background, often disrupting the flow of letters, supplies and personnel to the Motherhouse,” the document reads.

With the First Professions on September 29, 1924, the young community was officially incorporated into the Church. The inaugural mission of the Columban Sisters happened two years later.

First Mission

The Hanyang Mission (1926-1951), marked an important event in the Order’s history. They established and operated hospitals and clinics, addressing urgent medical needs in Hanyang, a district of the city of Wuhan. The Sisters’ facilities treated illnesses and injuries of the local population and helped in challenging moments such as the Chinese Civil War, Sino-Japanese War and the aftermath of the Yangtze floods.

Throughout the past one hundred years, the Columban Sisters led mission in many countries: the USA, Philippines, China, Hong Kong, South Korea, Chile, Pakistan, Peru and Myanmar.

“The political and societal situation of some countries where Sisters are missioned is very precarious due to conflict, violence and oppression. The majority of Irish Sisters are now residing in Ireland.  Sisters in Ireland are involved in various ministries and services to both Columban Sisters and local communities,” Sr Ryan concluded.