News Item: : Thank You Passionist Sisters!
(Category: Torch of The Faith News)
Posted by admin
Thursday 07 April 2016 - 16:50:30

Another Convent Closes in the Archdiocese of Liverpool

We recently expressed our sadness that the Augustinian Sisters were closing down their convent, and pulling out of Waterloo, after 113 years. In December, the Trustees of Park House had made a press release to explain that, due to the advancing age of most of the remaining eight sisters, the running of the Haigh Road establishment was becoming untenable.

At the time we posted an article thanking the Augustinian Sisters for their faithful prayer, witness and work as Brides of Christ in the area.

We reflected that only God knows how many graces had been brought down on the area - and how much evil had been kept at bay - by the presence of the sisters in their religious habits and veils; and by their faithful reception of the Sacraments, praying of the Divine Office, communal life, daily work and joyful witness.

Passionists Leave Warrington

It is with a similar sense of loss that we now report that the Passionist Sisters recently closed and pulled out of their convent at St. Oswald's, after 117 years in Warrington.

The Warrington branch of the Passionist Sisters was first established as a daughter house to the Manchester community in 1899. Its first apostolate was the running of St. Mary's girls' and infants' schools. By the end of the 1990's, the sisters had given up their leadership role in school education locally. Nevertheless, they continued to serve the Church by instructing new converts, visiting the sick and needy, running days of recollection at their convent and serving in the local parish of St. Oswald.

Public Witnesses

Although the official release from the Archdiocese of Liverpool does not mention it, a couple of these sisters were also very faithful pro-life witnesses.

For many years, a couple of these nuns prayed the ''Rosary for Life'' every single Saturday morning, with a small group of lay people, outside of the BPAS Liverpool abortion centre, on Parkfield Road in Aigburth. As far as we are aware, the only priests who ever accompanied this little group of witnesses, were the late Fr. Cyril Thomas and the late Fr. Mike Williams.

Some years ago, we joined with this group from time to time. It was always most encouraging to see religious sisters faithfully standing there, whatever the weather, in their distinctive black and white Passionist habits and veils. As Brides of Christ, they were a truly beautiful and powerful witness. Their presence in that place was not only a light to unbelievers, but a great encouragement to those already blessed with faith.

Several years ago, we also managed to get over to Warrington a couple of times for the periods of Eucharistic Adoration, which used to be held on Friday afternoons, in St. Oswald's church. Again, it was heartening in these times to see religious sisters wearing their full habits and praying faithfully before Our Blessed Lord.

End of an Era

The wonderfully named Sister Dominic Savio - St. Dominic Savio is a patron saint of Torch of The Faith, whose vision of England inspired the name of this apostolate - has said that the Passionist Sisters did not want to leave Warrington but, like the clergy, they were experiencing a dwindling number of vocations and increasing age.

It is sad to report the closure of a second long-standing convent in the Archdiocese of Liverpool within just 4-months of the first.

We say to the Passionist Sisters the same words that we said to the Augustinian Sisters, when they closed Park House convent in Waterloo at the end of 2015: ''We thank God and each of you for your ''Yes'' to God in the religious life and the powerful witness that this gives in these secularized times. May God bless you as you go forward with Our Lord and Our Lady. Your presence will be missed.''

St. Paul of the Cross - Pray for us!

Blessed Fr. Dominic Barberi - Pray for us!

The Servant of God, Sr. Elizabeth Prout - Pray for us!

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This news item is from Torch of The Faith
( http://www.torchofthefaith.com/news.php?extend.1281 )