An exhibition last April at the Dominican Sisters Resource Centre in Cabra, Dublin, attracted the attention of around 300 students. The travelling photographic display, labelled as ‘Daring to Hope: Irish Religious Sisters Embracing the Unknown (1923-2023)’, offers a glimpse into the social past of 100 years, illustrating the contributions of Irish sisters locally and globally.
Several photographs caught the students’ interest, including a Dominican sister teaching boxing, a Little Sister of the Assumption driving through the city on a motorbike, a sister doctor from the Medical Missionaries of Mary conducting surgery and offering training to local medics in Kampala, Uganda, and sisters publicly protesting against apartheid in South Africa.
The students were particularly moved by the image of a Columban sister who was held captive, shot, and killed whilst visiting inmates during a prison riot in Lima, Peru, in 1983.
The exhibition encapsulates how these sisters have evolved and adapted to the fluid times within the female religious community from 1923 to the present. This centenary journey aligns with the founding of the Irish state, divided into three distinct eras: the pioneering ministries era (1923-1966), the era of significant alterations (1967-2000), and the era of ongoing ministries (2001-2023).
The exhibition illustrates how the sisters expanded their ministries in response to emerging societal concerns. In collaboration with numerous dedicated individuals and groups, they initiated innovative projects to address challenging and often risky realities. Consequently, they transferred ownership and control of several of these services, which remain operational today.
Prominent examples of contributions by religious sisters from Ireland include the homeless charity, Focus Ireland, which was established by member of the Sisters of Charity, Sr Stanislaus Kennedy, commonly referred to as Sr Stan. Another venture is the Clan Credo community finance NGO, an brainchild of Sr Magdalen Fogarty from the Presentation Sisters. Sr Consilio from the Sisters of Mercy was the initiator of Cuan Mhuire, a network of centres across Ireland offering treatment services for addictions like drugs, alcohol and gambling. These instances are symptoms of an ongoing legacy of collaboration and selfless service by these sisters, not only domestically but also on a global scale.
Even now, a sizeable section of these religious sisters from Ireland stay enthusiastically involved in addressing social and environmental issues. A prime example of this would be An Tairseach Organic Farm and Ecology Centre located at Ireland’s Co Wicklow. An Tairseach, an Irish word denoting ‘threshold’, represents the Irish Dominican Sisters’ vision come true — a commitment to earth’s preservation — long before it became mainstream.
This foresightedness encapsulates the underlying narrative of this exhibition — Irish religious sisters dared to hope, embraced uncertainty and made personal sacrifices, which may not get due attention at present, but continue to make a significant difference to so many lives globally.
The exhibition uses photographs, videos and anecdotes to illustrate how these sisters worked tirelessly in challenging circumstances — dealing with poverty, war, discrimination and rigid religious and societal norms — and showed extraordinary courage, determination and initiative to provide support within their communities.
The narrations and images provide a stirring portrait of their strength, creativity, resourcefulness and vivid imagination, put to test particularly in dealing with situations like famines, civil disruptions, health emergencies and natural catastrophes, often in remote parts of the world that most of us may not even be familiar with.
Religious sisters also took on significant responsibilities in setting up and overseeing a plethora of diverse social services provided by the church. The exhibition contains a letter from renowned singer Bing Crosby, seeking support from Irish religious sisters for a hospital project he was dedicated to in California. This stands as testimony to the profound and far-reaching impact, and the indispensable role that these sisters played in health, education and social services across the world.
We’re cognizant of the terrifying maltreatment that women and children suffered during a certain era, as documented in the display. The ongoing horrible aftermath for the victims and survivors, and others impacted by those dark times, is part of the wider narrative hauntingly depicted in the exhibition. This stark truth, focused on a small group of Irish nuns, forms an important part of this narrative.
On the 3rd of October, 2023, the photographic display titled ‘Daring to Hope – Irish Religious Sisters Braving the Unknown’ was unveiled by Caoimhe de Barra, Trócaire’s CEO, at Iveagh House in the Department of Foreign Affairs. The exhibition has since travelled throughout Ireland and has even been showcased in Rome, following an invitation from the Irish Ambassador to the Holy See.
We find ourselves at a fitting moment to ponder upon the journey of these Irish nuns, to broaden our understanding of this significant social historical endeavor. The exhibition’s upcoming display will be at the St John of God Convent chapel in Wexford, during the National Heritage Week. For more details, please visit www.daringtohope.ie.
Dr Toni Pyke of the ‘Daring to Hope – Irish Religious Sisters Braving the Unknown’ project planning team extends an invitation to you all.
The showcase will be held at the St John of God Convent chapel on Newtown Road in Wexford, Y35 K5RK. It will be open from 10am to 4:30pm, Tuesday, 20th to Thursday, 22nd August. For more information, contact St John of God Heritage Centre at 053-9142293 or email donal.moore@ssjg.ie.