Welcome to our province ...
Welcome to our Province, one of the 30 administrative areas of the Congregation of the Sisters of St Joseph of Cluny. It was founded in 1860, primarily to provide sisters for the English-speaking missions.
The province established a school in Mount Sackville and, in 1896, another in Ferbane. Sisters from France opened schools in Girvan, Scotland in 1879, and Stafford, England in 1903.
Between 1840 and 1990, more than a thousand young women from this province went to overseas missions.
There are currently two Cluny secondary schools, one primary school and one Cluny Nursing Home in the province.
Ireland
3 communities
32 sisters
founded in 1860
Scotland
1 community
4 sisters
founded in 1879
Let's share love and hope with our world ...
Every sister in Mount Sackville contribute to the warm and welcoming atmosphere of the Nursing Home, and residents told the inspectors that they feel completely integrated into the Mount Sackville Community. Our sisters, whatever their age or state of health, feel they have a mission to our residents, our staff and the many persons who visit. They love welcoming our sisters from overseas, as these visits integrate them into the global mission of the Congregation.
Today ...
Our schools
Our schools are owned to the Congregation and are managed fully by the "The Cheile Trust". They maintain strong links with the Congregation. Mount Sackville has a member of staff tasked with strengthening and further developing the Cluny ethos. To celebrate the 160th anniversary of their founding, two members of staff travelled to Chamblanc to research the foundation of the Congregation, and the school organised a year of celebrations culminating in a book launch.
Since the Convent and Nursing Home are located on the campus, there is wonderful cooperation and interaction between the schools and the Sisters.
The same can be said for our school in Killiney. There are no longer any sisters on site, but they play an important role in all the celebrations and in the future direction of the school.
Our retirement home
For many years, the province had two Nursing Homes, one in Woodlock, in County Waterford, and the other in Stafford, in the United Kingdom. Sisters in need of care retired there. However, they were remote, especially for families, and were poorly served by public transport.
With the closure of the Mount Sackville boarding school, it was decided to use the vacated premises as a Nursing Home for the growing number of elderly sisters in need of care, many of whom were returning from overseas, and to register it with the State. This ensured that each resident receives, as of now, €1,300 per week, free medical and hospital care, the the only condition being that we provide safe, high-quality care. This we would do anyway, but the yearly inspection ensures that we do it.
Our parish communities
St. Joseph's, Ferbane (3 sisters) and Girvan, Scotland (4 sisters), all over 78 years of age, are a gentle presence in their parishes. The parishioners take care of them, and the sisters offer a listening ear and prayerful support to the parishioners.
Mullhuddart, the site of the Cluny Development Office, is our third parish community, where the sisters are actively involved in many aspects of parish life; liturgy, Vincent de Paul, anti-trafficking and parish visits. Sister Gertrude Mensah, who comes from the Province of West Africa has joined our province. She is responsible for development and is also a member of the international steering committee of the "Mission Sustainability Network".
What's next?
We do not see what the future holds, but we do see great needs and feel our poverty. We take courage from the Oscar Romero prayer that emphasizes the role of workers in God's great plan, planting seeds and laying the foundations for a kingdom that lies beyond our vision, ultimately liberating us to do what we can and move forward in hope.
Missionary disciples ... to this call from God, we respond with total availability, ready to leave our country to go wherever the Lord sends us to serve our brothers and sisters.