Mary Bernard Kirwan facts for kids
Reverend Mother Mary Bernard Kirwan, P.B.V.M. (born 1797 – died 1857), was a very important leader for the first group of Presentation Sisters in North America. She was also a dedicated teacher who helped many children learn.
Her Early Life and Mission
Mary Bernard Kirwan was born in 1797 in Monivea, a place in County Galway, Ireland. Her family was part of the well-known Tribes of Galway. In 1823, she decided to join the Presentation Sisters in Galway.
Ten years later, a bishop named Michael Anthony Fleming visited the convent. He wanted to find religious sisters to teach in Newfoundland, which is now part of Canada. Bishop Fleming hoped to start a new education system there. He believed it would help people feel better when they were sick and make the hard winters easier by spreading Christian kindness.
Four Sisters, including Mary Bernard Kirwan and Mary Xavier Molony, bravely volunteered for this mission. On August 8, Kirwan was chosen to be the leader, or "Superioress," of the new convent in St. John's, Newfoundland.
The nuns left Ireland with Bishop Fleming on August 11. They arrived in St. John's on September 21. The journey was very tough for Kirwan. She later wrote that she was so sick for ten days that she barely knew what was happening. The other Sisters thought she might not even make it to St. John's.
Starting a New School
That same year, Kirwan opened the very first Presentation school in St. John's. In her first letter home, Kirwan wrote that Newfoundland was not as gloomy as they had heard. She found the bay and the surrounding country beautiful.
The Sisters lived in a building that used to be a tavern. They had only two bedrooms and a small room that served as their chapel, dining area, and community space. The rest of the building, along with an old slaughterhouse nearby, was used for teaching.
By 1848, the school offered many subjects. Students learned spelling, reading, writing, and English grammar. They also studied history (both religious and general), geography, and arithmetic. Natural history was taught from a book used in Irish schools. The Sisters also taught spinning and needlework. Over time, they even began training new teachers. In some places, they held classes for older girls who worked as house servants and could not read or write. This was an early form of adult education in Newfoundland.
Kirwan first worked in St. John's. Later, she moved to Admiral's Cove, a community along the Southern Shore. The convent in Admiral's Cove opened on September 23, 1853.
Her Legacy and Memorial
Sadly, Mary Bernard Kirwan died after only one year in the Admiral's Cove community. Records from the convent say she was known for her kindness, strong faith, great generosity, and a strong desire to help others. Her death was as holy as her life. She was buried under the chapel of the convent.
In 1876, the Admiral's Cove convent burned down. The five Sisters who lived there moved to the main part of the parish in Renews. In 1940, the local priest decided to find the exact spot of her grave. When it was found, silver rings and rosary crucifixes were taken from the remains. These items were then given to the Presentation archives in St. John's.
In 1960, a post office was opened in Admiral's Cove. The town needed a new name to avoid confusion with other places with similar names. So, Admiral's Cove was renamed Port Kirwan in her honor. On February 27, 2007, the Town Council of Port Kirwan officially named Reverend Mother Kirwan's grave a Municipal Heritage Site.
