what was the presentation sisters earlier name

We, as Presentation Sisters, are shaped by fidelity to the Gospel as expressed in the mission, charism and spirituality of Nano Nagle. (C2)

Beginnings and Beyond

Nano Nagle – the only portrait known to be painted from life; attributed to James Barry

Click to view an Introduction to Nano Nagle and Her Work , posted by Nano Nagle Place, Cork, Ireland.

The founding of the Sisters of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary

In the early 18th century new seeds of God’s evolving dream were planted in the heart of a young Irish woman named Nano Nagle. On Christmas Eve 1775, with a group of like-minded women, Nano Nagle established a religious community that would later become known as the Sisters of the P resentation of the B lessed V irgin M ary (PBVM) .

Nano – Her Story Then, Our Story Now

Honora (Nano) Nagle (1718-1784) was born the eldest of seven children to well-to-do parents in Ballygriffin, County Cork. At the time, British Penal Laws denied Irish Catholics and other “dissenters” the right to worship and religious instruction and, as importantly, the political, economic, social and educational rights needed to lift them from mass poverty.

Read more about Nano Nagle

Consequently, Nano had received her earliest education in Ireland’s “hedge schools” – the small, illegal, often outdoor schools set up in the 18th and 19th centuries to secretly educate children of “non-conforming” Irish people. Despite prohibitions on educational travel for Catholics, Nano and her sister Ann were sent in secret to France, with the help of Nagle relatives there, to complete their education. After finishing their schooling, she and Ann enjoyed a busy and glamourous social life in Paris. Returning from one particular party, Nano noticed a group of poor peasants huddled in a church doorway and was struck by the contrast with her privileged life. Something stirred deeply within her as she remembered the plight of her own Irish people. Powerful seeds had been planted in that moment, perhaps quite unbeknownst to her at the time.

After their father’s death in 1746, Nano and Ann returned to Dublin to be with their mother, who sadly died soon after.  Dublin, a city in which thousands of Catholics lived in appalling misery and destitution, fired in Ann a deep passion for the poor.  Nano, too, was deeply touched while also yearning for the social life of Paris she had left behind so abruptly. One day, Nano inquired of Ann about a length of green silk she had brought from France, dreaming of a new gown suitable for the “society” events she expected to attend, only to find that Ann had sold it to buy food, clothing and medicine for a poor family in distress. Witnessing Ann’s passion for the poor was a turning point for Nano. Ann, too, died shortly after, another turning point for Nano. Overwhelmed by the misery of the poor and feeling hopeless, she returned to France to enter an Ursuline convent. Before long, unsure what lay ahead but haunted by the plight of the Irish poor, on the advice of her spiritual director, Nano returned home permanently, daring all, and committed to doing all that was in her power to do for the vulnerable and disenfranchised.

This time she returned to Cork and her brother Joseph. Despite her privileged background and the risk of imprisonment, at 32 Nano secretly gathered the children of the poor, teaching them catechism, reading, writing and mathematics, as well as other life skills, often outdoors in hedgerows or “hedge schools”. An August 2020 Irish Quarterly Review biographical note cites a letter in which Nano describes her ideas for education, based on France’s lay-language Petites Écoles, and how she wanted the spiritual and temporal welfare of her pupils to be interwoven and to flow naturally together.

Eventually, as word of her work spread, Nano established seven hedge schools, five for girls and two for boys, and established her first school for the poor in 1754 in a rented mud cabin in Cove Lane, Cork, in defiance of the law and initially in complete secrecy, even from her brother. Joseph discovered her secret when a poor man came begging for Nano to accept his child into her school. Angry and afraid at first, knowing full well the potential consequences, Joseph soon became her greatest supporter.

Tireless in service, Nano spent her days teaching children and her nights caring for the sick and elderly, bringing them food, medicine and comfort. Making her way by lamplight, Nano became known as the “Lady of the Lantern.” The lantern has since become the symbol of Presentation Sisters worldwide. Amidst all else, Nano spent long hours in prayer and contemplation, clearly foundational for her life and ministry, and which guided, impelled and sustained her.

Nano was specially dedicated to care for the powerless and vulnerable, especially through education, seeing it as a pathway out of poverty and towards greater self-empowerment. Wanting this work to continue and knowing she alone could not sustain it, in time she gathered other women to form a new society of women religious dedicated to serving Ireland’s poor. Nano Nagle’s small band of women, originally named the Society of Charitable Instruction of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, later became known as the Sisters of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

While Nano’s example inspired several other founders of religious orders in Ireland, her Sisters also established additional Presentation foundations throughout all of Ireland.

Their horizon, Nano’s dream, indeed the evolving dream of God, has expanded to encompass not only all of Ireland, but the world. We are now approximately 2600 strong, in 27 countries and on all but one continent. As Nano herself said, “If I could be of service … in any part of the world, I would gladly do all in my power.”

In 2000 Nano was voted Irish Woman of the Millennium, in recognition of her importance as a pioneer of female education in Ireland. In a 2005 Irish radio poll, she was voted Ireland’s greatest woman ever. Ireland also honoured her with a pair of postage stamps for her Congregation’s 1975 bi-centenary and with a footbridge being renamed for her across Cork’s River Lee.

The Roman Catholic Church officially opened Nano’s cause for canonization in 1984, the bi-centenary of her death. She was declared a Servant of God in 1994. On October 31, 2013 Nano was declared Venerable by Pope Francis – a fitting recognition of her role as a woman of heroic virtue. Today, Venerable Nano Nagle is regarded as one of the great pioneers of Catholic education in Ireland and beyond.

Click to read Nano’s Obituary Notice Click to read the Nano’s Tomb Inscription

Who truly was this woman? She was so highly acclaimed by so many, and yet a deeply humble servant of the poor. The late Raphael Consedine, pbvm, captures her essence beautifully:

Comic-book cover illustration of Nano Nagle by Alain d’Orange

She was a woman who, in her simplicity, dared greatly…dared to let herself be guided by the Spirit of God.

And when He, like some will o’ the wisp on the mountains, led her from the warmth of what was safe and comfortable, out past the four walls of what was “enough” and “reasonable”, away from the security of the familiar, tried and proven, she followed with laughter in her heart.

For she had caught a glimpse of the Divine delight in reversing human logic, in drawing power from weakness, wisdom from folly, life from death. In this lay her strength. This is Nano Nagle.

Raphael Consedine, PBVM

Learn more about Venerable Nano Nagle here. View the video, Legacy of Nano Nagle , a 300th Anniversary collaboration of NL Presentation Sisters with the North American Conference of Presentation Sisters.  This 20-minute video, filmed 31 December 2018, includes reflections by our Sisters Miriam Martin (00:02 and 2:52) and Alice Walsh (10:04), and our Associate, Maxine Sturge (16:57).

Read more: How Presentation spread out from Ireland

In the early 19th Century, Presentation Sisters branched out, establishing communities both east and west of Ireland, often to places with substantial Irish immigration. First, in 1833, four Sisters from the Galway community journeyed to what was then the British Colony of Newfoundland, later to become the tenth province of Canada; soon after, in 1836, came a foundation in Manchester , England. Additional Presentation communities were subsequently established around the globe, with several convents and schools in India, Australia, the West Indies and the United States as early as the end of the 19th Century.

Given the limits of transportation and communication at the time, most Presentation foundations within and outside Ireland were autonomous communities without formal links to their founding houses. Eventually, in 1976, many of these groups and their missions came together to form a new Congregation, The Union of the Sisters of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary. They have since been joined by other Presentation Communities, from around the world, including our NL Sisters in 2014.

Presentation Sisters now comprise three groupings around the world: Union, The Conference of Presentation Sisters of North America and The Australian Society. While independent of each other on a level of governance, the three groupings continue to share the same charism, mission and spirituality.

In yet another context all groups are also under the umbrella of the IPA or International Presentation Association, founded in 1988 to network the various Presentation congregations and better channel their energies and resources in order to speak and act in partnership with others for global justice, particularly in four categories: women and children, indigenous peoples, the environment/sustainable development and human rights.

The world has changed beyond all imaginings since Nano’s founding of the Presentation Sisters, yet her lantern light continues to guide and inspire the world-wide network of Presentation Sisters, Presentation Associates and Friends of Nano, co-workers and colleagues in Presentation schools and centres, and wherever those inspired by her are working to make the world a more just place. Presentation Sisters world-wide remain dedicated to service to the poor with a special focus on education, social justice and communion with all life.

Presentation NL Story

Waterford Harbour, Ireland, circa 1831, whence the four founding Sisters departed Ireland (Credit: Waterford Historical Society)

from Ireland to Newfoundland with an ocean in between …

The Narrows, entrance to St. John’s Harbour, Newfoundland, circa 1831 (Credit: NL Historical Society)

In 1833 four pioneering Sisters from Galway, Ireland – Sisters Bernard Kirwan, Xaverius Lynch, Xavier Molony and Magdalen O’Shaughnessy – carried Nano’s vision and spirit to our own Newfoundland shores. It would seem they were naturally following the path of so many Irish immigrants and keeping alive Nano’s vision of education as a path out of poverty for the powerless and vulnerable.

Bishop Michael Fleming of St. John’s can be credited with inviting the Sisters to Newfoundland. The Irish-born Franciscan visited the Presentation Convent in Galway to discuss a mission to Newfoundland. His choice of Galway was not accidental: the superior there, Mother John Power, was a friend of his and a native of Waterford, a place to which many Irish immigrants in Newfoundland felt a close connection. Bishop Fleming asked for volunteers to establish a school for girls in St. John’s. A boy’s school had already been established, but it was not considered at all suitable for girls and young women. The four Sisters eagerly volunteered. They were to come for a period of two years, after which the Bishop had guaranteed Mother John their return trip should the venture not meet with success. The Sisters came to Newfoundland and never looked back. Indeed, at least 99 other young Irish women later followed in their footsteps, some becoming Sisters. Soon, young Newfoundland women began to join them.

Click here to listen to Sister Patricia Tracey’s Song telling in song her story of our beginnings … to the tune of The Rose of Tralee. Click HERE for the Lyrics and the transcript .

The four founding Sisters of Presentation’s Newfoundland Congregation:  L-R Mother Bernard Kirwan, Sister Magdalen O’Shaughnessy, Sister Xavier Molony, Sister Xavierius Lynch

Read More about the NL Foundresses' Journey

Having left Ireland to cross the Atlantic in August of 1833, the four Sisters arrived on September 21st after enduring 25 days at sea in perilous storm conditions that damaged their vessel, The Ariel, and “shredded” its sails. When land finally came into view, they were faced with yet one last challenge: thick fog made it impossible to safely navigate through the narrow entrance to the sheltered port of St. John’s, stranding them just outside for another three days.

Their journey had taken so long that, with no word of them having been received in Ireland, they were presumed lost at sea, their vows burned as was the tradition and a funeral service held. One can only imagine the joy and excitement of the Galway Community when their first letters arrived telling of their incredible adventures at sea, the wonderful welcome they had received and the amazing warmth of the people and this new land they had now begun to call home. About their journey, Sister Magdalen O’Shaughnessy wrote:

On the third day after we left Ireland we had a storm. One of the masts were broken and some others damaged. We were not much frightened because we were almost regardless of what was going on we were so deadly sick . . . we soon had another storm . . . it lasted 36 hours … the sails were torn to pieces … the waves were monstrous high. You may be sure there was not a saint in the calendar not invoked during this violent storm. I had a feeling almost amounting to certainty that God would not abandon us . . . I did not regret for a moment the step we had taken . (Unpublished Presentation Archive Material)

In one of her first letters home, Sister Xaverius Lynch recalled the joyful welcome the Sisters had received on arrival in St. John’s:

It was a most grand sight. We crossed the harbour in a small boat and when we came near the shore there were crowds of small boats full of people, the banks and hill were crowded and as soon as the boat the Bishop and we were in arrived there was nothing to be heard but shouts of joy and acclamations . . . we drove off to the Bishop’s house followed by crowds and now and then there were shouts of joy and “You are welcome” and this scene did not end until we got into the house. (Unpublished Presentation Archive Material)

The beauty of the land itself impressed the sisters. In Sister Xavier’s words:

We were agreeably surprised at the appearance of the country which we heard so terrible an account of. All around there is to be seen hills and mountains, perfectly green, interspersed with houses, green fields and small gardens… In fact you would never be tired with the scenery. We are delighted with it and every day we discover fresh beauties . (Unpublished Presentation Archival Material)

By October 21st they had resourcefully adapted the site of a former tavern, auspiciously named “The Rising Sun”, as both convent and school. This first school welcomed over 450 girls and young women, but soon proved inadequate for the large number of students. The Sisters moved to a succession of eight different sites, one on what is still known as Nunnery Hill. By 1844 they had built a new convent and school on Long’s Hill, which housed six Sisters and had classroom space for over 1000 children; tragically, the structure was destroyed just two years later by the devastating City-wide fire of 1846.

One of the refugees is thought to have brought the fire into the convent in some smoldering blankets, unnoticed by anyone until the fire in the town was almost out and the convent suddenly began to burn. So rapid was the spread of flames that all the historical Archives belonging to the order were lost. The Sisters had barely time to save themselves and the throng they were sheltering before their convent was in ruins. (Paul O’Neill, The Oldest City , Vol. II, p. 790)

As a result, our Sisters were hosted by the Mercy Sisters, who had arrived in 1842, until they could move into their new convent and school, forging a close, collaborative relationship between the two Congregations that has continued to evolve and deepen over the years. Catherine McAuley, the Foundress of the Sisters of Mercy, had actually done her initial training in Religious Life with the Sisters of the Presentation in Ireland. Presentation Convent and School, officially opened in 1853, remains largely unchanged; located next to the Basilica of St. John the Baptist, it is now the site of our Presentation Motherhouse, Administration Offices and Archives.

Since 1833 our Sisters have faithfully carried out Nano’s mission to provide enabling supports for the poor and vulnerable, adapting to the needs of the changing times, touching the lives of tens of thousands of Newfoundlanders & Labradorians and expanding, too, beyond our own shores.

Teacher training, academic learning, spiritual development/religious education and a deep appreciation for the arts and music have been central to our Presentation education ministry, engaging students, teachers and parents, as well as the wider community. The contribution of our Sisters to the arts and music in particular is a time-honoured legacy that lives on in the lives of so many students who have become teachers, performers and artists, and advocates for the arts.

After the province’s transition to a non-denominational education system at the end of the 20th Century, Newfoundland & Labrador Presentation Sisters transitioned away from working directly as school administrators and educators to partnerships with the wider community, often supporting education in other ways. While some former Presentation schools continue in use as part of the provincial K-12 education system, other properties, including some of our convents, have been repurposed in collaboration with community partners to help address emerging needs, including an Emergency Children’s Shelter in the 1990s, spirituality and neighbourhood community centres and, most recently, affordable housing for seniors and an end-of-life Hospice Centre.

Nano’s vision had birthed a response that was daring, and both broad and penetrating. Her spirit, the spirit of these first four women and those who followed them, continues to guide us as we give new expression to ministry for these ever-changing and increasingly challenging times.

Fusion with Presentation Sisters World-Wide

We walk one: saying yes to the greater community of life.

We invite you to journey back in time to a more recent momentous occasion in our NL Presentation story. On November 14th, 2014, with profound joy and gratitude, we announced t he fusion of our Congregation of the Sisters of the Presentation of Newfoundland and Labrador with the world-wide Union of Sisters of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, effective November 1, 2014. We had now became part of the larger global Presentation Congregation. Click HERE to view a slide-show of photographs from our Fusion Celebration.

Like so many other Presentation foundations outside Ireland, the Presentation Sisters of Newfoundland and Labrador had been established as an autonomous Congregation. In fusing with Union, we became the NL Unit of Union , now part of an international, multi-cultural Congregation, united by our common vision and charism, and with our Congregation Leadership Team (CLT) based in Ireland. It was as if reconnecting with our very roots.

Therein began the next chapter of our evolving story.

“Foundresses” by Mary Southard

It is indeed fitting that our Fusion with Union was effective as of All Saints’ Day, November 1st, as we remembered and celebrated all those who have gone before us, those on whose shoulders we stand,. Their spirit had been carrying us to this new moment; they had taught us about integrity, courage, fidelity and availability for mission. It was their faith and trust and their willingness to risk that encouraged us to say yes to the unknown future that continued to beckon us.

Read more: Our journey towards Fusion and beyond ...

As a faith community, with each of us sharing the responsibility of shaping of the future of the Congregation, together we undertook the mandate of our 2011 Chapter Directive to explore becoming members of the Union of Presentation Sisters. Our journey of exploration began in November of 2011 with our request to Union to begin a process of exploration. A warm welcome and an assurance of a willingness to walk together opened the door to that which was to unfold. We came to recognize that the Union Sisters held our NL foundation story with gratitude, were increasingly connected with us in so many ways, shared the key values we had named as central to our lives, and together we believed in the power of living a spirituality of being in communion.

After much prayer, reflection and dialogue, at the end of our discernment, on January 3, 2014 our NL Congregation  unanimously voted to seek Fusion with Union as we had embarked on this new direction so integral to the path emerging before us. It was indeed a new moment, a milestone in the life of our NL Presentation Sisters and within Union.

On August 25, 2015 we hosted the ritual celebration of our fusion with Union, delighted to have Sisters from Ireland, USA, England, Africa and Latin America attend this joyful event along with many other guests deeply connected to our life and mission. Click here for the Fusion Celebration Reflection shared by Sister Mary Deane, Union Congregational Leader. Click here for the Fusion Celebration Reflection shared by Sister Sharon Fagan, our NL Unit Leader.

We move forward carrying with us a richness of culture, experience, dedication and wisdom to share with Union, and we anticipate the new life, energy and challenges that being in Union will continue to bring to our lives. Like those who have gone before us, together we have opened ourselves to this new moment, believing in the possibilities offered to us by our faithful God, and like Nano, daring anew to be led by God’s spirit. There was no real clear road map on the journey towards fusion other than the beckoning energies of the charism of Nano Nagle, the mission of the Gospel, and our leaning into the wisdom of one another. Similarly, there is no clear road map now other than our shared desire to continue to WALK ONE as together we strive to live more deeply and in new ways the vision of our foundress, Nano Nagle, and the dream of our God.

In 2018 at our Congregational Gathering (CG 2018) of delegates from each Unit comprising Union, there emerged our new Direction Statement that would guide us for the following six years until we have our next Congregational Gathering. The new Direction Statement flows from and draws upon “ Our Way of Life ”, our new Union Constitutions approved in August 2014:

We are called to awaken to the Spirit of God present and active in all that exists, to a spirituality of being in communion, to participate in the universal mission of Jesus Christ . (C3)

Worldwide Connections

From our Congregation’s founding in 1833 until fusion with Union 2014, we had existed autonomously as the Congregation of the Sisters of the Presentation of Newfoundland and Labrador; we had also co-existed in collaborative relationship with Presentation Sisters around the world, with whom our common roots go back to the first foundation in Ireland in 1775.  Now as the NL Unit of Union, our world-wide collaborative relationships continue to connect us through our shared charism and mission, as we approach these ongoing relationships through our new Union lens.

Union of Presentation Sisters

Conference of Presentation Sisters

The Australian Society of Presentation Sisters

International Presentation Association (IPA)

Each of our groupings also comes under the umbrella of the I nternational P resentation A ssociation (IPA), founded in 1988 to network the various Presentation congregations and better channel their energies and resources in order to speak and act in partnership with others for global justice.

IPA has standing in the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) of the United Nations (UN), with a full-time NGO representative and several representatives from different congregations, including Presentation NL, who rotate every six to eight months. They bring local, on-the-ground expertise to the UN and bring the experience back to their own countries where they are engaged in social and economic justice work.  Below you will find links to IPA’s website and to a brief history of IPA.

International Presentation Association

History of IPA

Our History

Our story begins with a man called Edmund Rice…in the year 1802… in the city of Waterford in the south east of Ireland.

Edmund was a rich merchant in Waterford which, at that time, was one of the world’s busiest shipping ports. He lived in comfortable circumstances and was married to a young woman called Mary. Tragedy struck the couple however with Mary dying as the result of an accident. Just before her death she gave birth to a baby girl whom Edmund named Mary.

After the death of his wife, and having ensured that his daughter was cared for, Edmund gave up the comforts of wealth and established a school in a converted stable. He was especially conscious of the hardship suffered by poorer people.

A few companions joined him in the work living in the loft above their classroom.  They prayed together and shared their lives and possessions in mutual support as a community.

You can read about the life of Blessed Edmund Rice  here .

In 1808, following the example of Nano Nagle and the Presentation Sisters, Edmund and his companions took vows of Poverty, Chastity and Obedience, and devoted themselves to the education of poor boys. At this time they were known as the Society of the Presentation.

Nano Nagle, a pioneer in the provision of free education to the youth of the city of Cork, had already founded the Presentation Sisters in 1775.

Edmund Rice’s founding charism gave birth to two congregations, the Congregation of Christian Brothers and the Congregation of Presentation Brothers.

In the early days, when Edmund first began to attract followers to his way of life, they formed themselves into a small group of companions. They lived together in community, and began to follow an adaptation of the Presentation Sisters’ Rule. The Holy See had already approved of this Rule when Edmund and his followers began to use their adaptation of it in 1809.

The granting of the Apostolic Brief in 1820, allowed the infant Congregation to become an Apostolic Institute – a defining moment for all of the early brothers. The majority accepted the Brief and went on to become the Congregation of Christian Brothers.

A few Brothers, notably  Michael Augustine Riordan , continued to live by the Presentation Rule. They continued as the Presentation Brothers and became an Apostolic Institute in 1889.

The Presentation Brothers have, since their origin, had a missionary impulse. Communities of brothers were founded over the years in the following countries:

U.S.A. 1843 England 1876 Canada 1910 West Indies 1946 Ghana 1968 Peru 1969 Geneva 2007 Nigeria 2007

Throughout the two hundred years since the Congregation was founded, membership has been predominantly Irish. The Brothers relied to a great extent on vocations from Ireland for the development of the Congregation overseas. There is now an increase in membership from other countries. At present there are Presentation Brothers from Canada, England, Ghana, Grenada, Guyana, Ireland, Liberia, Nigeria, Pakistan, Trinidad and the United States.

From very humble beginnings in Ireland at the end of the eighteenth century the vision of Nano Nagle and Edmund Rice has grown and is being lived throughout the world in new and dynamic ways at the beginning of the twenty-first century.

• Early Fargo
• Cardinal Muench Seminary
• Holy Spirit School
• Oak Grove Lutheran School
• Sacred Heart Academy
• Shanley High School
• St. Anthony of Padua School
• St. John's Orphanage and Free School

St. Joseph's Convent and Academy

• Sullivan Middle School
• Public Schools
• Other Schools
• Entertainment
• Historic Homes
• Organizations and Religion
• Public Services
• Sports and Recreation
• Transportation

Father James Stephen of Fargo requested from Bishop Martin Marty (Bishop of Dakota Territory) in 1882 that a community of sisters be established in Fargo. Bishop Marty had been seeking a permanent home for several sisters from the Catholic religious congregation of the Union of Sisters of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, generally known as The Presentation Sisters. The order was founded in Ireland in 1775 and several members had come to Dakota Territory in March 1880 to serve at the St. Ann's Mission in Charles Mix County, Dakota Territory. The following spring the mission flooded and had to be abandoned. The sisters had been seeking a permanent home when the invitation arrived form Fargo. The Presentation Sisters arrived in Fargo on July 22, 1882.

On the feast of St. Anne, four days after their arrival, the sisters formally opened school in the church, a building formally occupied by the Methodists. The Methodist congregation had outgrown the church so they sold it to the Catholic congregation who purchased it and moved it. (This church was replaced by St. Mary's in 1900. The original Catholic church was still being used in the 1950's by the Tom Powers' Construction Company.)

The sisters quickly set about building a convent that would give them living space,a chapel, and a classrooms. When it was completed, the building was named St. Joseph's Convent and Academy. It was a small white building facing Seventh Avenue North. The church was behind it, facing Sixth Avenue. Unfortunately, I don't have a picture of St. Joseph's.

The Presentation Sisters were accustomed to the rules of strict enclosure that existed in Ireland. They surrounded St. Joseph's with a high board fence to regain their privacy but the public was uncomfortable with the enclosed school. The Sisters searched for more attractive grounds and on May 2, 1897, the Sisters purchased the Yerxa residence on north Broadway. This was to become Sacred Heart Academy.

After St. Joseph's moved to the new Sacred Heart Academy, the St. Joseph's building became St. John's Orphanage and Free School.

North Dakota State University Libraries NDSU Dept #2080 PO Box 6050 Fargo, ND 58108-6050 Administration (701) 231-8753 Circulation (701) 231-8888

NDSU Archives West Building 3551 7th Avenue N., Fargo, ND Telephone: (701) 231-8914 Email: [email protected]

• Presentation Australia 
• Our founder, Nano Nagle
• Our spirituality 

The Presentation story in Australia and Papua New Guinea originated with several groups of Irish Presentation Sisters travelling to Australia, beginning in 1866. The Sisters came to Australia to ensure Catholic education continued at a time when it was at risk.  The generosity and daring of these first Sisters and those who followed saw them venture out across Australia and to Papua New Guinea to work with people most in need. They were inspired by Jesus and the example of their founder, Nano Nagle.  

Today, there are six independent Australian congregations of Presentation Sisters. Together, they are the Presentation Society of Australia whose mission is to speak and act for justice and respond with compassion in our world. 

From the beginning, Presentation Sisters in Australia have worked alongside others in their education, community development and justice endeavours, sharing a commitment to ‘fullness of life for all’ (John 10:10), especially those marginalised by society. 

The contemporary experience of being Presentation in Australia is shaped by an ongoing commitment to the Gospel, the Presentation tradition and by new understandings of how that tradition finds expression in the social, religious, cultural and ecological contexts of today.   

The aging demographic of Presentation congregations is inviting Presentation people to consider how we develop new relationships with one another. We are journeying forward with hope and gratitude towards a new reality and an evolving expression of Presentation into the future.   

Our History 

The history of the Presentation Sisters in Australia reveals the merging of two spiritual and social paths. One is the emergence and growth of the Spirit-inspired life and work of Nano Nagle among a people deprived of culture, religion, education and livelihood because of harsh penal laws in 18th century Ireland. The other is the action of the Spirit in developing the Catholic Church of Australia which struggled to provide its people with an education while at the same time nurturing their faith in a secular society. To follow these paths, we need to review the Irish foundations of the Presentation Sisters, the establishment and growth of the Presentation foundations in Australia and the contemporary expressions of Nano Nagle’s mission and ministry.

The Beginning

The story, like all spiritual quests, springs from a response to the Spirit, a transformation, a dream for justice, a perception of how this could be achieved and a life of prayer and action to make the dream a reality. The story begins with Nano Nagle (1718-1784), born in Ballygriffin, Ireland, during the persecution of Irish Catholics under the English penal laws. Having received her education on the Continent, and lived for a number of years in Paris, she returned to Cork, Ireland, only to be confronted by the squalor, ignorance and accompanying social ills which surrounded her.

Nano Nagle’s life of prayer, her concern for her people, her courage and perseverance inspired and enabled her to establish schools and support other works of charity for those who were poor and oppressed by unjust social structures. To give stability to her works, she sought the services of a religious community and arranged for the Ursuline Sisters to come to Ireland. When Nano realised that the Ursuline rule did not allow the sisters to leave the cloister and thus to seek out and serve those who were poor in their own environment, she established, in 1775 at the age of 57, a religious community, the Sisters of Charitable Instruction of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. This community was ultimately to become the Sisters of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Nano’s vision

By 1800 five more foundations had been made. Nano Nagle’s vision of an uncloistered religious life met with much opposition within an Irish Church struggling to renew its life as the penal laws were being eased. Dr Moylan, the Bishop of Cork, sought canonical approval for the new congregation believing this would increase its prestige and its membership. He hoped to have solemn vows without the accompanying obligation of enclosure. In 1805, twenty-one years after the death of Nano Nagle, Pope Pius VII named the congregation as an Institute of Pontifical Right with solemn vows.

Instead of seeking the freedom of movement among those who were poor, as Nano had wanted, the sisters themselves chose enclosure and solemn vows believing they needed this security for their small, newly-founded group to continue. Enclosure and solemn vows were deemed essential by many authorities at the time for “real” religious life; Nano’s part in a fresh movement of the Spirit towards a new form of apostolic religious life was not yet recognised.

Growth of the congregation was slow but steady. The number of foundations in Ireland grew and foundations were also made in Newfoundland, England, India, the United States, Australia and New Zealand.

The Australian Story

As the small community of Presentation Sisters was establishing itself in Ireland, the Catholic Church was emerging in the penal colony of Australia as a faith community of lay believers. By the 1840s education was recognised widely in the colony as a means of social reform which would help to change the moral and social life of the people, reduce crime and disorder, and develop culture and unity in the colonies. By the 1860s the provision of Catholic schools had become a concern of the Church at an official level, especially in countries of mixed religious adherence such as Australia.

Gradually in every colony in Australia education became the right and preserve of the State Government. Schooling became free, secular and compulsory.

Catholic schools provided a cause particularly for Irish sectarianism, and the Irish clergy and hierarchy led the battle for a separate Catholic school system in Australia. Irish Catholics were largely poor immigrants who did not have the capacity to pay for their schools. They had to be financed through fees and parental and church support. To make such a Catholic education system possible, the Australian bishops looked to Ireland for religious to teach in the schools they were establishing. Their calls for help from the ends of the earth met a generous response from many religious groups.

On Friday 20 July 1866 the first Presentation Sisters left their homeland, family and friends, and set out from Fermoy to make the long perilous journey to Tasmania. A group of four professed sisters and five postulants boarded The Empress at Queenstown, Ireland, and arrived at Hobart three months later to open, at Richmond, the first Presentation convent and school in the Southern Hemisphere. From Limerick six sisters and a postulant arrived in Melbourne on 21 December 1873 to found a convent and school at St Kilda, the summer resort for the growing capital of the newly established colony of Victoria.

Meanwhile, across the border in New South Wales in the flourishing but sparsely populated Riverina, the recently established town and district of Wagga Wagga was appealing for religious. Again the Presentation Sisters answered the call. Consequently, in May 1874, five sisters arrived from Kildare. In 1886 from the little village of Lucan, just out of Dublin, three sisters and seven postulants left for the Lismore mission. Coming through England, they were joined by another postulant and arrived in Lismore in August 1886. The party of four sisters and five postulants who arrived in Geraldton, Western Australia in July 1891 was made up of three sisters and and one postulant from Sneem, one sister from Mitchelstown, one postulant from Tipperary and three from Cork.

On their arrival in the Australian colonies the Presentation Sisters continued to answer the call of the needy throughout the continent. This sometimes involved making long, hazardous journeys to scattered outposts. Sisters from Wagga Wagga established new foundations in Elsternwick (1882), Hay (1883) and Longreach (1900). From Hay a group travelled in 1900 to the goldfields of Western Australia. This group formed a union with the Geraldton Congregation in 1969. Vast outback distances and intense heat were no barrier to these indomitable women. Foundations, both rural and urban, flourished in spite of extreme poverty and great hardship, largely because of the close collaboration between the sisters and the people they served. The sisters remained committed to the relief of suffering and injustice within an educational context.

The Presentation Society of Australia and Papua New Guinea

In 1946 the major superiors of the seven Presentation Congregations in Australia agreed on common Constitutions during a conference of only five days. The record of the decisions stated:

“Met [sic] together from foundations that date back over eighty years and that have developed apart from one another, it has been to us at this conference a source of joy to recognise Nano Nagle’s spirit so vigorous and unchanged, that we find ourselves met together in unity of spirit and the bond of peace” (as quoted in Raphael Consedine pbvm,  Listening Journey , p328).

In 1958 Pope Pius XII approved the formation of the Society of the Australian Congregations of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary. One of the early concerns of the Society was to establish an overseas mission. This was realised in 1966, the centenary of the first Australian foundation, when five sisters arrived in the Aitape region of Papua New Guinea where there is now a group of Australian and Melanesian Presentation Sisters, with Wagga Wagga as the receiving congregation.

Evolution in Ministry

The Second Vatican Council (1962-1965) challenged the Presentation Sisters, along with members of all religious congregations, to renew their constitutions in the light of Sacred Scripture and the founding charism.

Intense study and experimentation followed. Presentation communities around Australia realised that just as Nano Nagle was impelled to act in response to the plight of the poor and powerless people of her time, so sisters today are called to respond to the needs of those who are poor and oppressed by unjust structures of this time. Thus changes took place: many sisters moved from school-based ministries; emphasis was placed on both direct service to those in need to alleviate their suffering and on working to change the social conditions that cause their impoverishment. A constant throughout this history has been the recognition of the human dignity of each person and a determination to address the wrongs which oppress and deny the human spirit. Nano Nagle’s work in Ireland established a vision that education, in its myriad forms, is a means of empowering people for life. Her vision continues in the choice of Presentation Sisters to work with and on behalf of the many individuals, families and groups on the margins of society.

Our contemporary experience of being Presentation in Australia is shaped by an ongoing commitment to the Presentation tradition as well as by new understandings of how that tradition finds expression in social, religious, cultural and ecological contexts. We have become aware of the injustices perpetrated against the traditional owners of the land. We have begun to be involved in the Aboriginal Reconciliation process and to appreciate and learn from indigenous spirituality, culture and history.

At this time also we are experiencing a new cosmic consciousness, drawing us into deeper awareness of the elegance, complexity and mystery of our communion with the whole of life on our planet, within an ever evolving and expanding universe. Our response is one of gratitude, wonder and awe for we believe that at the heart of this mystery is a personal loving God revealed most clearly in Christ, “the first born of all creation … in whom the fullness of God was pleased to dwell” (Col 1:15-20). The urgency of this reality compels us to develop a new expression of being in relationship with God, with one another and with the sacredness of the whole of creation within the one earth community.

The Presentation Sisters in Papua New Guinea  

The first five Sisters in Papua New Guinea went to the village of Ningil in the Torricelli Mountains to teach in the village school and offer basic health care. Responding to need in subsequent years, Presentation Sisters established communities at Aitape, Arop, Wewak and in later years Pompabus (Western Highlands Province) always respectful of local culture, traditions and practices.  

Today, the Presentation community in Papua New Guinea is comprised of Melanesian Presentation Sisters whose work includes nursing, education, gender-based violence ministry in Aitape, formation, hospital chaplaincy, prison visitation, pastoral and parish ministry, music ministry, media ministry, and study. They are supported by an active group of local community members – the ‘Friends of Nano’.   

Presentation Sisters participating in the mission of Jesus in the United States

Inspired by venerable nano nagle, our foundress, we participate in the gospel call of liberation and social transformation., spreading god’s love through compassionate service., is god calling you to be a sister.

Union of Presentation Sisters

In addition to our Presentation Sisters and Friends of Nano living and ministering in various locations throughout the United States, we are also a Unit of the international Union of Presentation Sisters and are members of the International Presentation Association, linking us to Presentation people around the world in charism and mission.

Members of the Union live and minister not only in the United States but also in Canada, Chile, Dominica, Ecuador, England, Holy Land, India, Ireland, New Zealand, Pakistan, Peru, Philippines, Slovakia, Thailand, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

Sisters of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary

The Sisters of the Sacred Heart established convents and schools in other towns and cities of Ireland. In 1791 Pope Pius VI granted papal approval. The sisters took simple vows and were not bound by enclosure ensuring that Nano Nagle’s desire to be wherever the poor were to be found lived on in the work of her sisters. At the core of the congregation’s mission was a passion for justice and a devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

During the pandemic our sisters have held their meetings virtually. In this photo we have our Unit Leadership Team: Sr. Katherine, Sr. Jocelyn, Sr. Mary Margaret and Sr. Antonio. Click below to learn more about our sisters!

Our Spirituality

We, Presentation Sisters, commit ourselves to a Spirituality of being in Communion that seeks God in the inter-connectedness of the whole of creation and empowers active love for self, others and all of nature. Gathered in union with the Cosmic Christ, we experience our interconnectedness and the call to communion in our diversity. This interconnectedness draws us to nurture and reverence the Cosmos, Earth and its peoples, particularly those most wounded.

our ministries

Presentation prayer center, 5300 12th st. s, #110 fargo, nd 58104.

The Prayer Center collaborates with individuals and groups in nurturing mind, body and soul to discover ever-deepening relationships with God, self, and others.

Presentation Ministry Center

2003 ruiz street, san antonio, tx. 78207.

Presentation Ministry Center is a place of hospitality, primarily dedicated to meeting the needs of immigrant people. Programs offered are designed to educate participants and to provide opportunities for holistic development in a community building atmosphere.

Presentation Learning Center

2216 e. 108th street los angeles, california 90059.

An educational project, of the Presentation Sisters serving primarily Spanish-speaking women and men from the Watts area of Los Angeles.

Presentation Sisters Center

Shaw, mississippi.

In September 2009 the US Unit establishment a ministry in Shaw, Mississippi, where there was a critical need for remedial education due to an under-achieving school system. The ministry has grown to offer school tutoring, adult computer classes, computer availability for online courses, adult reading, and outreach to nursing homes and the home-bound. Our Sisters have recently left this area and have handed over the Ministry Center to the current community. 

Wisdom Initiatives

As a core dimension of our mission, our congregation respects and honors the presence of energy, the wisdom and experience of our older members and all elders in society. Everyone is invitied to participate and contribute to the best of his/her ability.

Presentation Music Studio

Sister Bernadette Trecker teaches over 25 students each year from her music studio, which she began in 2004 in Fargo, North Dakota.

Presentation Partners in Housing

219 7th street s. fargo, nd 58103.

Presentation Partners in Housing (PPiH) is a ministry sponsored by the Union of Sisters of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, United States Province to assist people who are homeless or threatened by homelessness, and who, despite their personal efforts are struggling to meet basic needs.

" The Almighty makes use of the weakest means to bring about His works"

- Nano Nagle

News & Events

Sr. carol keehan award 2024, ywca grand opening, reopening of presentation ministry center, partner with us.

You can contribute to the mission of the US Province of the Sisters of the Presentation in a variety of ways including prayer, volunteering or financial contributions.

Request Prayer

Donate your time and talents, make a financial contribution.

• NANO’S STORY
• DIGITAL COLLECTIONS
• NANO’S PLACES
• SPIRITUALITY
• Social and Pastoral

Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation

• Faith and Spirituality
• Healthcare and Healing
• PATHWAYS TO NANO

VENERABLE NANO NAGLE

The birth of a baby girl, honora nagle, better known as nano nagle, in county cork in 1718 changed the course of irish history and subsequently the history of many parts of the world. the wilful young girl from ballygriffin was educated as a child in a local hedge school, and later in paris and ypres (french territory, now belgium). nano was a wilful and spirited young girl. her parents sometimes despaired of her free-spirited nature. yet over time, she gave up a life of comfort and privilege to minister to those on the margins of society..

The daughter of a society family, Nano opened her eyes to the poverty of body and soul and inequity that she saw around her. She searched her own heart and responded with a course of action that has, over time, changed thousands of lives across the globe.

She responded in the most challenging of circumstances – educating children in secret schools when Penal Laws forbade the setting up schools for Catholics, ministering to the wretched and the dispossessed and sharing everything with them till she had scarcely enough resources for herself. Working at times through illness and often through adversity, Nano gave her ‘all’ to the poor and needy of Cork.

From a project of small beginnings in a mud cottage in Cork city, Nano created a legacy that continues to thrive almost 250 years later.

A pioneering Spirit-led woman in every way, Nano had the foresight to set up a religious congregation, now known as the Presentation Sisters of the Blessed Virgin Mary, to ensure her legacy.

Since the Congregation’s founding in 1775, Sisters have worked to secure the breadth of Nano’s vision — crossing geographical, political, religious and social frontiers, bringing her vision to life with deeds, embodying her dream through a variety of ministries, especially education, faith and spirituality, social and pastoral, health care and healing. Her vision is captured the words that she wrote, “If I could be of any service in saving souls in any part of the globe I would willingly do all in my power.”

The world has changed radically since Nano circumvented the Penal Laws by providing schools for the education of poor Catholic girls and boys in Cork city. Yet her lantern light lives on through the world-wide network of Presentation Sisters, Presentation Associates and Friends of Nano (who form part of an international lay movement for mission), co-workers and colleagues in Presentation schools and centres, and wherever those inspired by her are seeking to make the world a better place. Of the Presentation family it may truly be said there are, “Many lamps, [but] one flame” . . . the flame of the Divine (Rumi).

In 2013, Nano was declared Venerable by Pope Francis – fitting recognition of her role as a woman of heroic virtue.

Venerable Nano Nagle has touched the lives of millions and her courageous pioneering spirit continues to inspire through the ages. With this evolving website we hope to connect those who walk in the footsteps of Nano Nagle and creatively grow a location for sharing stories and resources with all those who seek a connection to Nano. Nano Nagle 1718-1784, courageous champion for those on the margins of society, educator, social innovator and founder of the Presentation Sisters.

DISCOVER AND INSPIRE

We are called to follow christ in the spirit of nano nagle, bringing the good news to the poor by promoting god’s kingdom of truth and goodness, justice, love and peace..

We would love you to share your wishes, experiences, ideas and stories of walking in the footsteps of Nano so that we can share them with others. Send them to [email protected]

Mission and Ministry

General chapter statement.

The focus of the Chapter of Affairs was to decide our direction statement for the next six years. We prayerfully discerned and decided on the following commitment: In the spirit of our foundress Nano Nagle, Presentation sisters and associates commit ourselves to address the needs of women and children, especially as they are impacted by economic, environmental  and racial inequity.

Read updates on our work to meet our Chapter Commitments.

Celebrating catholic sisters week.

Administration Office 84 Presentation Way New Windsor, NY 12553 Tel: 845-564-0513 Mount St. Joseph 64 Presentation Way New Windsor, NY 12553 Tel: 845-564-6620

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The History of St Rita's College Our College

St rita’s college.

The Sisters of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary (pbvm) first came to Australia in 1866 and the first of the Order arrived in Longreach, Queensland, in 1900.

Stanley Hall, a one-storey residence at Clayfield, had been built on the traditional lands of the Turrbal and Jagera peoples by John Forth in 1885. The residence was home to Herbert Hunter from 1888 to 1910 during which time the second story and tower were built in 1890. From 1911 to 1926 the property was owned by Edward Blume and his family.

In 1926, Sr Alice Kennedy, pbvm and Sr Mary Madden, pbvm purchased Stanley Hall along with four acres of land surrounding the residence to establish St Rita’s College, not really knowing how they would manage to pay the asking price of £22,000, but discerning that the purchase was the correct action to take. St Rita’s officially opened on 27 September 1926, and on 4 August the following year, 1927, St Rita’s College was registered as a Secondary School (Boarding and Day). Initially boys and girls were enrolled from Kindergarten to Grade 3, and girls only from Grade 4 to Senior.

In deciding what name for the school to take, the Sisters revealed a snippet of dry Irish humour when they chose St Rita’s as the name, for St Rita of Cascia is the Patron Saint of impossible causes. The challenges experienced by the Presentation Sisters in those early years when they took on this large debt with little means of paying must have worried them as being an impossible cause. But, through God’s grace and the exceptional hard work of the Sisters over many years, and, no doubt, through the intercession of St Rita herself, our College has flourished.

Stanley Hall has served as the living and praying quarters for the Sisters, as a dormitory for the boarders and a classroom for the students. In 2009, the year of the 225 th anniversary of Nano Nagle’s death, the Presentation Sisters moved from Stanley Hall and the heritage-listed building was converted into a senior administration area.

Timber from the living quarters of the Sisters and boarders was retained and remodelled into furniture for the staff lounge area. This meaningful preservation extends the heritage of the Presentation Sisters and the foundations of St Rita’s College for many years to come.

St Rita’s today educates 1200 girls from Years 5-12 and continues the rich tradition of social justice instilled in the charism of Venerable Nano Nagle and the Sisters of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Academic and vocational excellence is valued and each girl is encouraged to make the most of their gifts and realise their full potential.

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AI + Machine Learning , Announcements , Azure AI Content Safety , Azure AI Studio , Azure OpenAI Service , Partners

Introducing GPT-4o: OpenAI’s new flagship multimodal model now in preview on Azure

By Eric Boyd Corporate Vice President, Azure AI Platform, Microsoft

Posted on May 13, 2024 2 min read

• Tag: Copilot
• Tag: Generative AI

Microsoft is thrilled to announce the launch of GPT-4o, OpenAI’s new flagship model on Azure AI. This groundbreaking multimodal model integrates text, vision, and audio capabilities, setting a new standard for generative and conversational AI experiences. GPT-4o is available now in Azure OpenAI Service, to try in preview , with support for text and image.

Azure OpenAI Service

A step forward in generative AI for Azure OpenAI Service

GPT-4o offers a shift in how AI models interact with multimodal inputs. By seamlessly combining text, images, and audio, GPT-4o provides a richer, more engaging user experience.

Launch highlights: Immediate access and what you can expect

Azure OpenAI Service customers can explore GPT-4o’s extensive capabilities through a preview playground in Azure OpenAI Studio starting today in two regions in the US. This initial release focuses on text and vision inputs to provide a glimpse into the model’s potential, paving the way for further capabilities like audio and video.

Efficiency and cost-effectiveness

GPT-4o is engineered for speed and efficiency. Its advanced ability to handle complex queries with minimal resources can translate into cost savings and performance.

Potential use cases to explore with GPT-4o

The introduction of GPT-4o opens numerous possibilities for businesses in various sectors: 

• Enhanced customer service : By integrating diverse data inputs, GPT-4o enables more dynamic and comprehensive customer support interactions.
• Advanced analytics : Leverage GPT-4o’s capability to process and analyze different types of data to enhance decision-making and uncover deeper insights.
• Content innovation : Use GPT-4o’s generative capabilities to create engaging and diverse content formats, catering to a broad range of consumer preferences.

Exciting future developments: GPT-4o at Microsoft Build 2024 

We are eager to share more about GPT-4o and other Azure AI updates at Microsoft Build 2024 , to help developers further unlock the power of generative AI.

Get started with Azure OpenAI Service

Begin your journey with GPT-4o and Azure OpenAI Service by taking the following steps:

• Try out GPT-4o in Azure OpenAI Service Chat Playground (in preview).
• If you are not a current Azure OpenAI Service customer, apply for access by completing this form .
• Learn more about  Azure OpenAI Service  and the  latest enhancements.  
• Understand responsible AI tooling available in Azure with Azure AI Content Safety .
• Review the OpenAI blog on GPT-4o.

Let us know what you think of Azure and what you would like to see in the future.

Provide feedback

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