A celebratory mass will take place tomorrow in the parish church in Portlaoise to acknowledge the Presentations Sisters’ 200th year in the town.
The Presentation Sisters arrived in Portlaoise on July 3, 1824, to set up a school Maryborough and went on to make a significant contribution to education in the area in the years that followed.
This was under the instruction of Bishop James Doyle who wanted to “promote religious instruction and provide education to the poor of the town”, bestowing the responsibility on Sisters Magdalen Breen, Angela Mooney and Chantal Wilmerding.
By August there were 216 children in the school. Despite the severity of the poverty in Ireland at the time, many sacrifices were made from both the Sisters and families in order for the children to receive an education.
Classes were taught in disused buildings and coal-cellars of the church. Gradually, with the generous donations of the local communities along with funding from the government, the buildings and quality of education improved rapidly.
Despite famine and other economic troubles throughout the 1800s, the children received breakfast in the school every morning.
The Sisters laid the foundation of education in Portlaoise as many other institutes were opened in the 20th century.
Sacred Heart Schools opened in 1932, Scoil Mhuire in 1955 and Scoil Críost Rí in 1969. In 2016 Sacred Heart, Scoil Mhuire and St Pauls amalgamated to form what is now called Holy Family.
Along with other schools in the district there are approximately 5,000 children attending schools in Portlaoise parish.
Since the foundation of the convent in Church Street they have also lived in Tower Hill, O’Moore Place, Beechfield, Knockmay and in Ashbrook Gardens with Wednesday marking 200 years of the Sisters living in the town.
The celebratory mass takes place in St Peter and Paul’s church in Portlaoise at 10am on Wednesday.
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