Jubilarians - Sisters in life and religion

In the 1950s, five members of the same family, including one set of twins, joined the religious Congregation of the Poor Servants of the Mother of God.

The Coughlan sisters, Mary, Helen, Nora, Ann and Josephine all made their vows at Maryfield in Roehampton in the chapel which now houses the tomb of the foundress, Mother Magdalen/ Frances Taylor.

In 2008 the Sisters who work in many different ministries including healthcare in Ireland, Kenya, and the USA, The Kairos Retreat centre in Roehampton and the Chaplaincy at Oxford University, met together for a joint celebration of four of the Golden Jubilees. Sister Mary celebrated her Golden Jubilee on a previous occasion. Sister Helen and Sister Nora held a joint family occasion with their twin sisters, Ann and Josephine, who celebrate a dual fifty years as SMGs. In all they marked over 260 years of religious life given by one family to one congregation.

The Sisters gave thanks for the wonderful support of their family and in particular their sister Christina who joined the jubilarians for the festivities. They also gave thanks for the work of their Foundress Mother Magdalen/Frances Taylor whose charism had inspired all five of them in their religious life.

The Poor Servants of the Mother of God was founded in 1869 by Frances Taylor who became a Catholic while serving as a nurse with Florence Nightingale in the Crimean War. The Congregation was founded to work with the poor. Today the Sisters minister in the areas of social service outreach, nursing, education and pastoral work, continuing the charism of their Foundress in the UK, Ireland, Kenya, USA and Rome.