Mater Dei convent in Rome closing after 140 years service

Sr Mary O'Duffy who spent more than 40 years teaching at Mater Dei shared a wonderful potted history of SMG ministry during the Mass.

The Poor Servants of the Mother of God are preparing to leave Rome after almost 140 years of ministry of education. A Mass of Thanksgiving and Farewell, was celebrated this week at Mater Dei Convent, Piazza di Spagna, by Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, prefect of Propaganda Fide assisted by Pallotine Fr Rory Hanley from San Silvestro parish.

The Irish Ambassador to the Holy See, Her Excellency Frances Collins and large numbers of the English speaking community attended the Mass.

The Convent was established by Venerable Magdalen Taylor in 1885 at the express wish of the then Pontiff, Pope Leo XII to serve the English quarter of Rome. As well as in education, the Sisters also worked in Propaganda Fide, L'Oservatoro Romano, the Vatican Library and Regina Caroline, in prison ministry.

Mater Dei was a great meeting place for the thousands of English speaking pilgrims and tourists and the students for the Priesthood from the Venerable Irish, English, Scots and Beda College who would call for a cup of English/Irish tea. The presence of the Sisters will be missed at Mater Dei.

The small community of three Sisters will return to the Uk at the beginning of October where they will be missioned to new communities in UK or Ireland.

The Sisters say they are happy that the Mater Dei School will continue to be used for Education by Temple University of Philadelphia.

The Congregation of the Poor Servants of the Mother of God, SMG Sisters have communities in London and Liverpool in UK, in Dublin, Cork, Limerick, Knock and Newry in Ireland and many communities in Kenya, in the diocese of Kitui and Kitale and one community in Tanzania. There is one Junior Professed Sister from Glasgow who lives in a Dublin community and many Sisters in various stages of Formation in Kenya.

LINKS

To see more pictures visit ICN's Facebook page: www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100064591363750&ref=bookmarks

Poor Servants of the Mother of God: www.poorservants.org/apostolates-rome/