FLAGS WAVE IN FOND FAREWELL AS ST LOUIS ORDER BIDS ADIEU TO MONAGHAN

Our picture by Rory Geary shows a symbolic moment during the Mass of Thanksgiving held at St Macartan’s Cathedral in Monaghan Town on Sunday last to mark the departure of the St Louis Order of nuns after a 166-year association with education and healthcare in the local community. The flags held by members of the congregation were representative of the countries in which the order, founded in France in 1842 to promote Christian education for the young, had established itself over the course of its history. A capacity congregation, comprised of many past pupils of the schools established by the nuns in Monaghan as well as wider community representatives, heard Bishop of Clogher Larry Duffy convey heartfelt thanks on behalf of the people of Monaghan to the Sisters for their immense contribution to education, care and culture. Earlier hundreds of people had availed of the opportunity of an Open Day at the St Louis Convent Secondary School to view an exhibition on the history of the order prepared by Monaghan Co Museum and tour the school buildings and the resplendent surrounding grounds, with many former pupils reuniting with old classmates and reliving their formative education experiences. See full coverage of these events inside this week’s edition.