Sr Anne Darwin FMA

Parish Sister, Holy Trinity and St George Parish, Kendal

I am a member of the Brettargh Holt Community and every day I go out to Kendal to work as a parish sister. Kendal is an old market town and our parish serves the people who live in several large housing estates within the town as well as those in scattered villages outside.
As a Salesian Sister, the main focus of my work is related to children and their families. I co-ordinate several teams of catechists and together we prepare children for First Confession, Holy Communion and Confirmation. We also prepare parents for their children’s Baptism . This involves visits to their homes as well as group meetings in our Parish Centre. Another team of catechists help me to offer Children’s Liturgy as well as a crèche on Sundays.
Each week I visit our parish primary school for their morning assembly. Every encounter with our young people and their educators is a privileged time and if I was to name one as a highlight, I would probably select my Thursday lunchtime visit to school, when a group of children join a Salesian Co-operator and myself to pray a decade of the rosary. Their faithfulness and devotion are indeed a source of strength and inspiration.

Ministries  Sr Elizabeth  Sr Isabel   Sr Sue  Sr Connie 

Sr Sue McDonald FMA

Youth Worker, Bosco Youth Clubs, Rotherhithe.

I am Sr. Sue, I have been a sister now for nearly three years and have for the past 6 months been working at a Salesian Centre in the heart of London.
The centre is a base for many projects. There is a full time nursery, a college, a construction site, after school care and senior youth clubs.
I am employed there to see to the after school and senior clubs although when working there I am part of the whole set up and there is the strong sense of community within the building.

We have after school club 4 evenings a week and we prepare for this in the afternoons.
Children attend club from all local primaries and there is a great mixture of culture and backgrounds which gives us all the opportunity to get to know others and appreciate the diversity of our local community. Everyone is encouraged to develop different skills from trampolining to art, craft, football, unihoc, team games and indoor activities. Through these activities children learn positive behaviour towards each other and towards their environment. Junior Club is open from 3.30pm and finishes at 5:30pm.
I really enjoy seeing these children learning together and building up friendships and enjoying sharing their successes.
The senior club consists of young people aged between 13 – 17 at the moment and runs 3 times a week Tuesday Wednesday and Thursday at 7pm-9pm. It is a socialising club where young people are encouraged to respect each other and treat others as they wish to be treated. They are encouraged to respect their environment and show that they play a part by taking part in preparing and putting away the activities such as: Arts and crafts, Drumming and vocal workshop (if you like music), Discussion groups (informal opportunities to discuss current topics), Career and personal guidance (some young people do not have a school placement). The young people are challenging and challenged at club. There is a great atmosphere and they are only too pleased to share their own ideas and make club a place they can have ownership of.
As a Salesian sister my encounters with the young are energised by the belief in each one of them as one loved by God. The goal of every meeting with them is that they come to know they are loved and through this love they may come to recognise Christ. I feel privileged to work alongside other Salesians both FMA and lay people whose vision is clearly for love of the young and the desire that each one finds their true calling through these encounters with the Salesian Family Spirit.

Ministries  Sr Elizabeth  Sr Isabel  Sr Anne Sr Connie

Sr Isabel Geraghty FMA

Primary School Teacher, St Benedicts Primary School, Easterhouse.

My name is Sr. Isabel and I have been a Salesian Sister for 27 years...it seems like yesterday! At the moment my main ministry is teaching in St. Benedict’s Primary school which is in Easterhouse, a housing estate at the east end of Glasgow. I have been teaching in St. Benedict’s long enough now to be able to welcome the children of past pupils into school!. As well as being a classroom teacher, the mission extends into other activities. Our school is a RAINBOWS site where children who have suffered loss have an opportunity to work through a programme to help them. Working with other very dedicated staff, there is an after-school club for about 60 children who love to sing and play games. One of the highlights of my week is working with the school choir. This gives many children throughout the school the opportunity to use their voices to express their deepest selves. As a Salesian Sister, I see my mission in school as a way of helping young people recognise the great gifts and potential they have and I feel it is a great privilege to share in their daily lives. Life in St. Benedict’s can be challenging but is never dull!

Ministries  Sr Elizabeth  Sr Anne  Sr Sue  Sr Connie

Sr Elizabeth O'Donnell FMA

Team Member , Newmains Pastoral Centre, Motherwell

I am Sr. Elizabeth O’Donnell, working in the Pastoral Centre which serves the Diocese of Motherwell.

We Salesian Sisters were invited to join the staff here in 2004, our remit ,to continue and develop the work carried out over many years by many people.
The Pastoral Centre is a most interesting place to work providing the opportunity to get to know not only the Priests and people of the Diocese but also the staff and pupils of the primary and senior schools. The Motherwell Diocese has 74 Primary Schools and 13 senior schools.

The Pastoral Centre ,which since 1946 has been a retreat centre, has a lovely peaceful and calming atmosphere, conducive to prayer and reflection. Each day the centre welcomes a new group of childen/ young people/adults each of whom have their own ideas and expectations of what the day will be like.

I have been working in the Pastoral Centre for 4 years and throughout this time I have had the privilege of being involved in a variety of ways, in the many programmes offered:

Sacramental preparation of both children and their parents
Senior school programmes
Adult faith development
Adult retreats
School outreach.
School In-Service Days
Retreats in preparation for the transition from Primary to Senior School

While all the programmes, have been well received by pupils, staff and parishes, there is always room for improvement, updating and developing new programmes.

As a Salesian Sister I find the work really rewarding. The opportunities to evangelise are enormous , giving me and all of us at the Pastoral Centre, the privilege and the responsibility on a daily basis, to proclaim the Word of God, to help children, young people and adults feel good about themselves, believe that they can make a difference, and hopefully come into a deeper awareness of being loved by God.

I think Don Bosco and Mother Mazzarello with their desire, expressed in different ways, to make of young people, ‘good Christians and honest citizens’ would feel very much at home here. The Diocesan Pastoral Retreat Centre is a special place where all the lovely Salesian characteristics of presence loving kindness, listening, affirmation, encouragement, patience! are recognised, valued and appreciated. It’s a good place to be.

Each day brings a new group, fresh demands and challenges, and it goes without saying that some days go better than others. One of the great challenges is to believe that God uses the little we do, to do something great in the lives of the many people, (approximately 7.000 a year,) who use the centre. All things considered, I have found my fours years here enriching, fulfilling and challenging. I have acquired new skills and discovered new gifts! Its good to know you’re never too old to learn!

Ministries   Sr Isabel  Sr Anne  Sr Sue  Sr Connie

Sr Connie Cameron FMA

Youth Worker, Bosco Secondary School, Liverpool.

Hi…it feels a little strange having to write down my personal profile to introduce myself and tell you who I am and what I do. I think introductions are always better ‘face to face’ and understanding what someone does is always easier when you see them in action first hand…but that’s not possible…so, I am just going to have to trust that you will believe the written word…and if you are not convinced, then come and see for yourself!

My name is Sr. Connie and I am trained in Youth & Community Work and have worked with young people for as far back as I can remember. It’s my passion. I have worked in schools, youth clubs, parishes, residential retreat centres and many other youth work settings. I too, like our founder Don Bosco, believe that every young person is good...my job as an informal educator is to help them recognise it and draw out their goodness. Not always an easy task but, worth working at! My favourite little saying is, “search for the diamonds!” Seeing a young person’s face light up when they do something that they never ever thought they were capable off is what makes all the ‘hard work’ worth while. This, I believe is at the heart of my mission. Helping young people to grow and develop in their understanding and acceptance of self, others and the world around them.

At the moment I live and work in Croxteth, Liverpool. I work part-time in our Secondary School, St. John Bosco Arts College. I began in September 2007 and I love every minute of it! I run a short course in Salesian Spirituality for our Year 7 & 8 pupils and Sixth Form. It is great being able to share our Salesian story with them and to help them recognise their place within our Saleisan Family. I also run a CAFOD group with Year 10 & Sixth Form pupils and a Youth SVP group with Year 9 pupils. There is never a dull moment.

Back in September, along with Sr Pia and Anne Frances (Postulant) we also set up a youth group for 10-11 year old boys and girls in the local area (with the aim of expanding it every year). The response from the young people surprised us all! It obviously met a real need. It is an informal educational activity based programme offering sport, dance, games, art & craft as well as team building sessions and group work sessions. We have local young people and VIDES volunteers working alongside us...it’s a real family affair!

Informal education is not just something I do...it’s what I believe in. Don Bosco reminds us time and time again in his writings, “it is not enough to love the young, they must know that they are loved.” And how do they know? Well, I believe that being with and journeying with young people shows my love. It is what I feel called too, daily. I am not just doing a job...I am entering into a relationship of trust, support, challenge, and growth. I couldn’t think of any other better way of spending my time or giving my life to God for...being there for the young!

Ministries  Sr Elizabeth  Sr Isabel  Sr Anne  Sr Sue