Our Story

The Congregation of the Sisters of St. John of God came into existence in the Diocese of Ferns, Wexford, Ireland on October 7, 1871. This was a difficult time in the country as the people were still suffering from the after effects of the Great Famine. In this social context of poverty and great suffering, through the initiative of Sister Visitation Clancy, a Sister of Bon Secours, and Bishop Thomas Furlong, five women, also Sisters of Bon Secours of Paris founded the new Congregation in Wexford. In a very short time they were joined by several other young women.

Some of the first members of the Congregation were experienced nurses and soon after their arrival in Wexford they began to nurse the sick, both rich and poor, in their own homes. In the following year two Sisters took up appointments in the Infirmary of what was then known as the Wexford Union Workhouse.

Workhouses were residential institutions which provided for destitute adults and children and were indeed grim places. After the Famine, they were the last resort for survival for poor people but at enormous cost in terms of human dignity and self-respect. Sisters of St. John of God undertook this work at a time when Workhouse employment was repugnant to many in the population.

In the following years the Sisters ministered in Workhouses in the dioceses of Ossory, Waterford & Lismore, Kildare & Leighlin and Armagh.

The recurrent outbreaks of typhoid fever in Ireland around this time evoked a compassionate response from the Sisters and some of them went to nurse in Fever Hospitals in these dioceses.

From the beginning the Sisters believed in the value of education as a means towards the alleviation of poverty. The first formal education they offered was in the schoolrooms of the Workhouses. Later their involvement in education expanded to schools in several dioceses in Ireland, England, Wales and Western Australia.

Australia

Responding to an invitation from the Bishop of Perth, Australia, eight Sisters sailed from Wexford for Western Australia on October 16 th 1895. The journey was of thirty four days duration. On arrival in Australia they immediately set about nursing the sick in their homes around Perth and shortly afterwards they established their first hospital and convent outside the city in Subiaco.

Very soon, three Sisters left Perth for the goldfields of Coolgardie to nurse the gold miners who were dying of typhoid fever. The living conditions were appalling. These Sisters were warned that they might be committing themselves to a premature and terrible death. Exactly one year later, the first death occurred among the Sisters of St.John of God in Australia.

Ministry to Australian Aboriginal Peoples

The Sisters of St. John of God were the first women religious to minister to the Aboriginal people in the Kimberley Region of Australia. On June 4, 1907, nine Sisters left Perth for Beagle Bay to live and work among the Aboriginal people. The local newspaper, The Record described their arrival as 'a veritable plunge into the wilderness.'

The Sisters continue their ministry in the Kimberley to this present day.

Difficulties experienced in the 1920s in the Kimberley Mission led to the departure of some Sisters to Eastern Australia and to the foundation of a new Congregation entitled The Institute of Our Lady Help of Christians.

The Congregation Expands

The number of young women joining the Congregation both in Ireland and Australia, continued to grow and within a few decades of the foundation, the ministry of the Sisters of St. John of God extended to many parts of Ireland, England, Australia and New Zealand through their education and healthcare facilities.

England

The year 1925 saw the first Foundation in England with the Sisters taking on the running of the primary school in Bristol. In the following years the Sisters taught in schools in Trowbridge, Wiltshire, Cardiff (Wales) and in London. Other places of ministry in England included Ushaw College and Hartlepool, Durham and Torquay Nursing Home, Devon.

Africa

In response to an appeal from Pope John XX111 to religious for help in the African Missions, the Sisters established a foundation in Nigeria in 1960. They provided healthcare and educational facilities for the people for ten years but sadly they were forced to leave then because of the Civil War.

In 1974, Africa beckoned again, this time to Cameroon. The Sisters initially took charge of a Maternity Hospital in Buea but later became involved in education and pastoral work in Bamenda. They moved to Bini Dang in 1994 working in the areas of university chaplaincy, pastoral and healthcare. They remained there until 2003.

Second Vatican Council

The Second Vatican Council of the Church which was held in Rome from 1962 – 65 called for a renewal and adaptation of religious life. The process of adaptation gave rise to some upheaval, excitement and questioning for the Church generally and also for the Sisters of St. John of God. The previous sense of security and certitude was seriously challenged. The work of renewal following the Council brought to light problems and inadequacies of an institutional lifestyle. The chaos gave way to a reassessment of religious life and called us to recapture the original inspiration for our foundation. With this came new opportunities and great challenges.

Pakistan

Sisters of St. John of God took their first tentative steps in mission to the Asian continent in response to an appeal by Bishop Armando Trindade of Lahore, Pakistan, in October 1980. Four Sisters from the Province of St. Therese of the Congregation travelled to the city of Sialkot to take charge of a hospital for people suffering from tuberculosis. Very soon young Pakistani women showed interest in the work of the Sisters and requested to join the Congregation. Today these Sisters focus their ministry mainly on women and children through education, basic healthcare and development work.

South Africa

In September 2004 in collaboration with Bishop Hugh Slattery, the Sisters of St. John of God opened a mission in South Africa in response to the HIV/AIDS pandemic affecting that country. Four Sisters went to work in the diocese of Tzaneen. There they are involved in the diocesan response to the HIV/AIDS pandemic. They work in partnership with local volunteers and carers in the areas of health education, pastoral care and development.

The Congregation Today

While the mission of the Sisters remains unchanged, the ways of expressing it have changed enormously. Today the Sisters are involved in a great variety of ministries including:

  • Health care
  • Education
  • Human and spiritual development
  • Care of persons suffering from HIV/AIDS
  • Pastoral care
  • Running of retreat and conference centres
  • Services to hospitals in developing countries
  • Formation and development programmes
  • Care of migrants and refugees
  • Care of homeless youth

The story continues today as we minister to people in Africa, Australia, England, Ireland and Pakistan.

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