Friends of our Congregation

Each year in October, we have an afternoon for our 'friends'. By friends we mean people with whom we have worked, people who are interested in us as Dominican Sisters, and who have supported us in good times and bad. 

We do this for several reasons:

• To have a gathering of people who have offered us their friendship and have accepted ours.
• To offer a short spiritual/theological talk which, we hope, will be interesting and helpful.
• To tell our friends about some of the happenings in our Congregation-inviting them to share our joys, sorrows, successes and struggles.
• To have a celebratory tea party so that we meet with our friends and get to know those who are still strangers to us.

Friends of the Congregation Day, 2003

Rose Niland - my Great Aunt

I had a wonderfully memorable birthday in October 2003. I was invited to the Niland Centre's Friends Day, where I was given a very warm welcome.

My great aunt was Agnes Niland, better known as Sister Mary Rose, but it was only last year that I became aware of this fact, and of the existence of the Niland Centre. This was a very exciting discovery for me. Sr Eleanora Murphy was a mine of information and I was so excited to visit Rosary Priory and the Niland Centre. How proud and privileged I felt to be associated with such a wonderful woman.

Walking into the Niland Centre that day, I felt as though history was coming alive and talking to me. The stained glass brought back so many happy memories of my very young childhood in South Africa. This is a vibrant modern centre meeting the needs of today's society. There is a pioneering feel, driven by committed, intelligent, enthusiastic women. I was made SO welcome-probably the closest I will ever get to celebrity status!

I wasn't brought up a Catholic - I wasn't brought up with any religious! However, from the age of 13 I went on my own spiritual question, becoming a Catholic when I was 22. I had my instruction from the Head Teacher of Loreto College in St Albans and I loved those six months. Our sessions fed my soul and I had a sense of coming home and at the end I was told that I would have made a wonderful nun! I don't know about that - I have a fiercely stubborn streak. However, discovering my association with The Niland Centre has been like a wheel turning full circle in my life. I am touched to the core and feel an intense connection and am grateful, amazed and amused at the way the Holy Spirit works.

Suzy Brophy