Nano Nagle facts for kids
Quick facts for kids VenerableNano Nagle PBVM |
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Portrait of Nano Nagle attributed to James Barry
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| Born | Honora Nagle c. 1718 Ballygriffin, County Cork, Ireland |
| Died | 26 April 1784 (age 65) Cork, Ireland |
Honora Nagle (born around 1718 – died 26 April 1784), often called Nano Nagle, was an amazing Irish woman. She was a pioneer in Catholic education in Ireland. She did this even though there were strict laws against it at the time.
Nano Nagle founded the Sisters of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary (PBVM). These sisters are now known as the Presentation Sisters. They are a worldwide group of Catholic women religious. The Roman Catholic Church declared her venerable on 31 October 2013. This means she is on the path to becoming a saint.
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Life in 18th Century Ireland
Nano Nagle lived during a difficult time for Catholics in Ireland. The government had laws called the Penal Laws. These laws made it very hard for the Catholic majority in Ireland. They were not allowed to own much property. They also couldn't get good jobs or an education.
A famous thinker named Edmund Burke was Nano's cousin. He grew up near her. He said these laws wanted to make Catholics "a miserable populace." This meant they would be poor, without respect, and without education.
Nano Nagle's Early Life and Education
Nano Nagle was born in Ballygriffin, County Cork. Her parents were Garrett and Ann Nagle. We don't know her exact birth date, but it was likely in 1718. Her family called her "Nano" instead of her birth name, Honora. She was the oldest of six or seven children.
Her family was once very powerful in County Cork. But after a war, they lost much of their land. Still, Nano's parents owned a good amount of property. Her uncle helped them keep it by pretending to be Protestant. This was a way to get around the Penal Laws.
Nano probably went to a secret "hedge school" in Ireland. These schools were hidden because Catholic education was banned. Later, she and her sister Ann traveled to Paris, France. They might have been smuggled there on a cargo ship. In Paris, Nano finished her education. She enjoyed a fun social life with parties and theatre. But one night, she saw very poor people outside a church. This made her think about her privileged life.
Helping the Poor in Cork
After her father passed away in 1746, Nano and her sister moved to Dublin. There, they saw even more poverty. Her mother died soon after. Nano returned to Paris, thinking about becoming a nun. But a religious leader told her to go back to Ireland. He said she should help the poor people in her own country.
So, Nano returned to Cork. In 1754, she opened her first school for the poor. It was in a small, rented mud cabin. She kept it a secret at first, even from her brother. He found out when a poor man asked her to take his child into the school. Her brother was upset because of the risks. But he later understood and supported her fully.
Nano's first school started with about 30 students. She worked alone at first. Later, her family helped her. She opened many Catholic schools in Cork. Not everyone liked what she was doing. Some people insulted her and called her students "beggars' brats." But within nine months, she was teaching 200 girls! In a few years, she had seven schools. Five were for girls and two for boys. These schools taught basic subjects and religious lessons.
Nano also visited the sick and elderly after school. She brought them food, medicine, and comfort. She went to poor homes every day to find people who needed help. Because she visited the sick at night with a lantern, people called her The Lady with the Lantern. This lantern later became a symbol for the Presentation Sisters.
Founding the Presentation Sisters
As her work grew, Nano realized she needed more help. She tried to get Ursuline nuns to come to Cork. They were a teaching order. But the Ursulines had to stay inside their convents. This meant they couldn't go out and teach the poor widely.
So, Nano and her helpers continued their work without being a formal religious group. This allowed them to work freely among the poor. On Christmas Eve in 1775, she founded her own group. It was called the Society of Charitable Instruction of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. This was the first convent of what would become the Presentation Sisters. She became "Mother Mary of St John of God" in 1776. The sisters made their first promises in 1777.
Nano Nagle's Lasting Impact
Nano Nagle died from tuberculosis on 26 April 1784. She was 65 years old. By then, her work had inspired others. A group of women in Dublin joined with Nano's group. In 1791, Nano's group was renamed the Sisters of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Today, Presentation Sisters are all over the world. In 1854, sisters traveled from Ireland to San Francisco, California. They opened schools in the United States. In 1866, another group went to Tasmania, Australia. They started many convents and schools there.
In 2000, Nano Nagle was voted "Irish Woman of the Millennium." This was because she was so important for female education in Ireland. In 2005, a radio poll voted her Ireland's greatest woman ever. She also inspired Edmund Ignatius Rice. He founded the Christian Brothers to educate the poor.
The Presentation Sisters became one of Ireland's most important Catholic teaching groups. Many schools are named after Nano Nagle. Her teachings are still followed today. Ireland honored her with postage stamps and a footbridge in Cork. Nano Nagle Place in Cork City has her tomb, a museum, and archives.
The Catholic Church officially began the process to make her a saint in 1984. She was declared a Servant of God in 1994. Then, she was declared Venerable on 31 October 2013.
A sculpture of Nano Nagle was put up in her birthplace in 2009. It is called Nano and the Children. It shows her as "The Lady with the Lantern."
Images for kids
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From St Patrick's College, Sutherland, Australia
