Presentation Sisters facts for kids
The Presentation Sisters are a group of Catholic women who dedicate their lives to helping others. Their official name is the Sisters of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary. They were started in 1775 in Cork, Ireland, by a special woman named Honora "Nano" Nagle. When you see "PBVM" after a Sister's name, it means she is a Presentation Sister.
The main goal of the Presentation Sisters is to help people who are poor or in need around the world. For a long time, they focused on creating and running schools. These schools educated young people, especially girls. Many of these schools are still open today in different countries.
As of 2023, Presentation Sisters work in 20 countries. These include Australia, Canada, India, Ireland, the United Kingdom, and the United States. They also serve in places like Bolivia, Chile, Pakistan, and Zambia.
Contents
The Story of the Presentation Sisters
How It All Began
The story of the Presentation Sisters starts with Honora (Nano) Nagle (1718–1784). She was born in Cork, Ireland. Her family was wealthy and Catholic, which allowed her to get an education in France. This was important because, at that time, many Irish children could not go to school.
Nano Nagle quietly started teaching Irish children in Cork City. Her work became well-known. She once wrote in a letter that her schools brought her great joy. She believed her schools would help many people around the world.
In 1775, Nano Nagle and some friends began to live a religious life. They officially became Sisters on June 29, 1776. Nano took the name "Mother Mary of St John of God." They made their first promises to God in 1777. A new convent, a home for the Sisters, opened on Christmas Day, 1775. They first called themselves the "Society of Charitable Instruction of the Sacred Heart of Jesus." Later, in 1791, their name changed to the "Presentation Order."
Nano Nagle is a very important figure in the Catholic Church. She was declared a "Servant of God" in 1994 and "Venerable" in 2013. This means she is on the path to possibly becoming a Saint.
Growing and Spreading
After Nano Nagle, Mary Angela Collins became the next leader. Bishop Francis Moylan wrote rules for the Sisters, which were approved by Pope Pius VI in 1791. The teaching Sisters officially received approval from Pope Pius VII in 1805.
The Presentation Sisters started new convents in other Irish cities. These included Killarney (1793), Dublin (1794), and Waterford (1798). They focused on teaching Catholic values and morals. They also taught subjects like English, Latin, Irish, French, and German. Many thousands of children received a good education for free. The Sisters also set up workshops where girls could learn skills like making lace to earn a living. In 1802, the Sisters' work even inspired the creation of the Presentation Brothers, a group of religious men.
In 1833, the Sisters expanded to Manchester, England. That same year, they arrived in Newfoundland Colony, which was their first convent in the Americas.
The Presentation Sisters reached India in 1841 and Australia in 1866. In the 20th century, they expanded to Africa (Zimbabwe, 1949; Zambia, 1970) and New Zealand (1951). Later, they started new communities in the USA (1952), the Philippines (1960), South America (Chile, 1982; Ecuador, 1983; Peru, 1993), Slovakia (1992), and Thailand (1999).
How the Sisters Are Organized
Presentation Sisters live and work all over the world. For a long time, each group of Sisters operated on its own. However, many of these groups are now more closely connected. They are part of the Union of Sisters of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, which started in 1976. Today, over 1,600 Sisters work in education and help the poor on every continent.
International Presentation Association (IPA)
The International Presentation Association (IPA) was created in 1988. It connects different groups of Presentation Sisters worldwide. The IPA helps them work together and support each other's missions. The IPA also has a special role as an advisor to the UN Economic and Social Council.
Union of Presentation Sisters
The Union of Presentation Sisters is a large group of about 1,300 women. They work internationally in 13 different areas called Provinces or Units. Each Unit manages its own work and mission. For example, the United States Province is part of this Union.
- English Province
- Indian Province
- Ireland (two provinces: North East, South West)
- Latin America unit
- New Zealand mission
- Pakistan Province
- PBVM Philippines
- Slovakia mission
- Thai Mission
- United States Province
- Vice-Province of Zambia
- Zimbabwe mission
The Presentation Sisters in Pakistan have founded many well-known schools. These include Presentation Convent School, Jhelum and Presentation Convent High School, Murree. In India, they founded schools like Presentation Convent Higher Secondary School, Srinagar.
In Ireland, Presentation schools include Cashel Community School and Our Lady's College, Greenhills. The Sisters in Ireland also started Clann Credo, which is a fund that helps social projects.
Presentation Sisters in North America (CPS)
The Conference of Presentation Sisters of North America (CPS) began in 1953. It helps different Presentation communities in North America work together. All these communities trace their beginnings back to Nano Nagle. In 2002, the group changed its name to CPS. They have worked together on projects like "Lantern Light" in New Orleans.
St. John's, Newfoundland
The first Presentation Convent in the Americas opened in Newfoundland in 1833. Bishop Michael Anthony Fleming asked the Sisters to come. Mary Bernard Kirwan and three other Sisters started the convent and a school in St. John's, Newfoundland. As of 2019, the Sisters were serving in 12 places in Newfoundland.
San Francisco, California
In November 1854, five Presentation Sisters arrived in San Francisco from Ireland. Archbishop Joseph Sadoc Alemany invited them. The Sisters faced many challenges at first. But they succeeded in getting help from important Catholic people in the city.
By 1900, the San Francisco Sisters had opened two convents and schools in the city. They also had schools in Gilroy and Sonoma, California. They opened San Francisco's School of the Epiphany in 1938. In 1956, they opened Nativity Catholic School in Menlo Park.
Presentation High School in San Francisco was a school for girls. In 1991, its main building became part of the University of San Francisco. In nearby San Jose, California, the Sisters opened Presentation High School in 1962. It is still an all-girls Catholic high school today.
Dubuque, Iowa
The Presentation Sisters came to Dubuque in 1874. By 1913, they had started ten more convents in nearby Nebraska.
Staten Island, New York
The Presentation Convent of St. Michael's Church (New York City) began on September 8, 1874. Mother Mary Joseph Hickey and other Sisters came from Ireland. They were invited to run the girls' school at St. Michael's Church. In 1884, some Sisters from this group took over St. Michael's Home in Greenridge, Staten Island. They cared for hundreds of children there. This group became its own community in 1890.
In the 1920s, the Staten Island Sisters started educating students at other churches. By the 1950s, over 125 Sisters served in a dozen locations. In the 1960s, they helped start Countess Moore High School. This school became co-educational in 1969 and is now called Moore Catholic High School.
Fargo, North Dakota
The Fargo, North Dakota community started in 1880. They ran a free school, a home, and an academy. In 2013, Fargo's Presentation Sisters joined the larger Union (U.S. Province).
Aberdeen, South Dakota
In 1886, some Sisters from Fargo went to Aberdeen, South Dakota. They took charge of schools and two hospitals. In 1922, Presentation College opened in Aberdeen. This college mainly trained nurses for the northern part of South Dakota.
New Windsor, New York
In 1886, Mary Magdalen Keating and a small group of Sisters left New York. They went to Fitchburg, Massachusetts, to run the schools there. This mission grew and started other convents in Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and New Hampshire. In 1997, the Sisters from Fitchburg and Newburgh, New York, joined together. Their main home is now in New Windsor, New York.
Union of Presentation Sisters (U.S. Province)
A new wave of Presentation Sisters from Ireland came to the USA starting in 1952. In 1976, many independent Presentation communities decided to join together. This new group, the Union of Sisters of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, was officially formed in 1976. As of 2015, member communities included those in:
- Robertsdale, Alabama (1979)
- Phoenix, Arizona (1989)
- Cypress (1963), Huntington Beach (1966), Los Angeles (1978), Montclair (1959), Oakland (2003), Orange (1965), San Bruno (1970), Upland (1955), California
- New Orleans, Louisiana (1991)
- DeGraff, Minnesota
- Long Beach (1994), and Shaw (2010), Mississippi
- Fargo, North Dakota (three: starting 1880)
- San Antonio, Texas (two: 1952, 2001)
- Chimbote, Peru
Presentation Society of Australia and Papua New Guinea
In 1946, the leaders of the seven Presentation communities in Australia agreed to work more closely. In 1958, Pope Pius XII approved the creation of the Society of the Australian Congregations of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Tasmania
On July 20, 1866, four Sisters and five young women training to be Sisters left Ireland for Tasmania, Australia. They arrived three months later in Hobart. They opened the first Presentation convent and school in the Southern Hemisphere in Richmond.
The Sisters' presence in Tasmania grew. In 1871, they opened St Mary's College, Hobart, which was the first Catholic boarding school in Australia. In 1873, they started a new convent in Launceston.
When copper was found in Queenstown, Archbishop Murphy wanted a convent and school there. In January 1899, four Sisters from Hobart opened St Joseph's School. In 1911, the convents in Launceston and Hobart joined together.
The Launceston community also started schools in other towns. These included Invermay, Beaconsfield, Karoola, Lilydale, and Longford. In 1902, Sisters Magdalen Riordan and Aquin Darling started St Margaret's school in Karoola.
In 1935, the Presentation Sisters were asked to start a convent and school in Bellerive. They opened Corpus Christi Church-School and a convent. In 1950, they took over St Brigid's School in New Norfolk. In 1957, Sisters Gabriel and Bernadette opened Stella Maris, a Church-School in George Town.
In 1959, the Sisters opened St Anthony's school in Riverside, a suburb of Launceston. In 1961, Our Lady Help of Christians school began in Newnham.
The first overseas foundation was made in 1963 on King Island. In 1962, they were asked to work in Papua New Guinea. In 1988, the Sisters also began to serve on Flinders Island and Cape Barren Island.
In 1981, Sister Mary Ursula Grachan received the Order of Australia Medal. This award was for her "service to education."
Victoria
On December 21, 1873, six Sisters and a young woman training to be a Sister arrived in Melbourne. They came from Limerick, Ireland. They started a convent and school in St Kilda.
Western Australia
In July 1891, a group of Presentation women arrived in Geraldton, Western Australia. They came from different parts of Ireland.
New South Wales
In May 1874, five Sisters arrived in Wagga Wagga from Kildare, Ireland. In August 1886, three Sisters and seven young women training to be Sisters arrived in Lismore. Sisters from Wagga Wagga started new convents in Elsternwick (1882), Hay (1883), and Longreach (1900).
Australian Presentation Schools
- Assumption Catholic Primary School, Mandurah, Western Australia
- Avila College in Melbourne
- Domremy College, Five Dock, New South Wales
- Holy Cross Convent, Daylesford, Victoria (now, The Convent Gallery)
- Iona Presentation College, Perth
- Iona Presentation Primary School, Perth
- Marian College, Myrtleford
- Mary Immaculate College, Sutherland (now part of St Patrick's College, Sutherland)
- Mt St Patrick's College, Murwillumbah, New South Wales
- Nagle Catholic College, Geraldton, Western Australia
- Nagle College, Bairnsdale, Victoria
- Nagle College, Blacktown, New South Wales
- Presentation College, Moe; and Presentation College, Newborough; now part of Lavalla Catholic College, Victoria
- Presentation College, Windsor, Victoria
- St Anthony's School, Riverside, Launceston, Tasmania
- St Carthage's Primary School, Lismore, New South Wales
- St John's Regional College, Dandenong, Victoria
- St Joseph's Primary School, Como/Oyster Bay, Sydney, New South Wales
- St Mary's College, Hobart, Tasmania
- St Mary's College, Lismore, New South Wales (now, Trinity Catholic College)
- St Mary's Star of the Sea Catholic School, Carnarvon, Western Australia
- St Patrick's College, Sutherland, Sydney, New South Wales
- St Rita's College, Clayfield, Queensland
- St Ursula's College, Yeppoon, Queensland
- Star of the Sea College, Brighton, Victoria
- Star of the Sea College, George Town, Tasmania
Watervliet, New York
The Presentation Sisters of Watervliet, New York started their community in 1881. They chose not to join the Conference of Presentation Sisters of North America. Watervliet remains an independent group of Sisters.
