In thanksgiving for St. Claudine, Religious of Jesus and Mary and two more wonderful women
Yesterday at midday Mass, parishioners of Holy Cross Church, Dundrum joined with families, teaching staff, Religious of Jesus and Mary and friends in a beautiful celebration to give thanks for and say thank you to Colette and Marcella. These wonderful women between them have given over eighty years of dedication and commitment to the welfare and education of children who passed through Our Lady’s Grove down through the years. The celebration began with children from sixth class who confidently and with great sincerity thanked the two beautiful ladies for the music, the love of learning and the nurturing of each child.
Sr. Mary Mulrooney spoke of the life of St. Claudine (1774–1837) growing up in Lyon during the French Revolution. She dedicated her life to educate and help the children of the poor. Nowadays, some 1,300 Religious of Jesus and Mary serve in twenty eight countries worldwide. Presently, there are six schools here in Ireland whose patron saint is Claudine Thévenet.
Sr. Mary connected the devotion of Saint Claudine to the ethos of our primary school in a modern-day Ireland. Colette, Marcella and all of the past teachers and members of staff have continually nurtured children at Our Lady’s Grove. Their legacy is a caring and gentle ethos that is alive and tangible. May we keep this light burning brightly so that those who have worked tirelessly may know that their dedication and commitment is being passed on to others for the benefit of all the new families that enter our school.
On behalf of all the families, the teachers and staff at Our Lady’s Grove: “Go raibh míle maith agaibh, Colette agus Marcella. Go n’eírí an bóthair libh as seo amach”.
Bean Uí Thiarnáin
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