Katherine Butler facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Katherine Butler
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| Born |
Katherine Bayley Butler
27 May 1914 Dublin
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| Died | 8 August 2000 (aged 86) |
| Nationality | Irish |
| Education | Alexandra College, Dublin Ursuline convent, Waterford |
| Alma mater | University College Dublin |
| Occupation | Nun |
| Known for | Third woman in Ireland to receive a pilot's licence |
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Notable work
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A Candle Was Lit (1953) |
Sister Katherine Butler (born May 27, 1914 – died August 8, 2000) was an amazing Irish woman. She was a nun with the Religious Sisters of Charity, a teacher, a writer, and even an aviator. Katherine was one of the very first women in Ireland to get a pilot's license.
Katherine's Early Life
Katherine Bayley Butler was born in Dublin. She was the older of two daughters. Her parents were James Bayley Butler and Katherine Butler. Katherine and her sister, Beatrice, went to Alexandra College in Dublin. Later, they attended the Ursuline convent in Waterford.
When Katherine was 17, she decided she wanted to become a nun. However, her parents asked her to wait until she was 21. During this time, she studied science at University College Dublin.
Becoming a Pilot
Katherine became interested in flying after seeing Sir Alan Cobham's Air Circus. This was in the early 1930s. She started taking flying lessons at Kildonan Aerodrome. Her teachers included pilots like John Currie.
On January 15, 1936, Katherine made history. She became the third woman in Ireland to get a pilot's license! Just five days later, on January 20, she joined the Sisters of Charity in Milltown, Dublin. She was first given the name Sr Mary Alphonsus. But she later went back to using Katherine Butler. She joked that "there were no nuns with double-barrel names."
Teaching and Writing Career
After finishing her training as a nun, Katherine became a teacher in 1938. She spent many years teaching. During World War II, she taught in England. Later, in the late 1960s, she studied in Rome.
Katherine taught at her order's secondary school in Mountjoy Street, Dublin. She also helped start new secondary schools. One was in Foxford, County Mayo, where she was the principal. Another was in Walkinstown, Dublin. Her last teaching job was at the Marymount school in Harold's Cross. In 1977, she moved to the order's convent in Crumlin. While in Crumlin, Katherine started a special program. She would visit her students' homes to help them.
In 1953, Katherine wrote a book called A Candle Was Lit. It was about Mother Mary Aikenhead, who started the Sisters of Charity. After writing this book, Katherine felt she had a special gift for writing. She wrote many letters to people who were lonely or in prison. She also sometimes wrote to national newspapers. She wrote for magazines too, especially about ecumenism. This means working to bring different Christian churches closer together. Because of this interest, she attended services of other religions. These included Jewish services, Quakers, and The Salvation Army.
Katherine was also an active member of the Old Dublin Society. She wrote for their journal, the Dublin Historical Record. She even won the Society's award for best paper three times!
Later Life and Legacy
Katherine Butler passed away on August 8, 2000, in Crumlin. She received special permission from her order to donate her body. It was given to the Royal College of Surgeons. This was for use in medical research, helping future doctors learn.
