Joan, carrying The Lantern, leads those who will anoint us with oil

As the celebration concludes we are all anointed

The Celebration continues, with good food and good company

The closure of the Anniversary Year was celebrated on December 12th 2009. The evening before, the planning team had arranged the hall, creating an air of brightness and colour with flowers and symbols - among which was the very beautiful Icon of Nano and her Companions.
It being the third Sunday in Advent and a day for rejoicing, it was a rose - coloured day.
The Sisters gathered in Matlock for 10 o’clock where we had the usual welcoming coffee and exchanges of greetings. By 10.45 we assembled to listen to Sister Joan’s welcoming address during which she reminded us that we, like Nano, are invited to catch the eye of God.  We then focussed on Associate, Nora, and Ellie, the daughter of an Associate, who visited  Zambia last summer.
They have produced a power point presentation of their visit and have shown it to several Associate groups - today they presented it to our Sisters. With the visual illustrations Ellie and Nora spoke of their experiences in Kaoma and Mongu, giving us a remarkable, full -blown picture of the Presentation Zambian Mission.
Both presenters were oozing with enthusiasm and delight and there was no doubt that the visit was a life-changing experience for them – they actually said this at the beginning and Ellie said that she would “go back in a heart-beat”.
From here we moved into the celebration of the Eucharist, which, because of the day- Gaudete Sunday -the liturgy was intertwined with “rejoice, rejoice, rejoice!”.
The Celebrant Fr Gerry O’Shaughnessey, nephew of Sister Brigid, connected and brought into one, the Readings, Nano and Presentation. 
The words of the Gospel “What are WE to do?” at this moment of time took on questions, ponderings and challenges for us, in our own lives, in the life of the Province and in the life of the Congregation.
Attired in African dress, Nora and Ellie, brought the gifts to the altar with dance.
The Eucharistic Celebration concluded with the Blessing of oil and incense.
As we left, led by Joan carrying the lantern, we were all anointed with the oil and wafted with the incense, accompanied with the words-
I anoint your spirit for Mission
 that you might reach out
 into the heart of the whole hurting world.
I anoint your soul for Ministry, that you might have the courage
to respond with the whole of your being
to the daily demands of grace.
The celebration  ended with lunch, where once again there was time for remembering and catching up and as we raised our glasses to Nano, we were reminded of the words of Raphael  Consedine’s  “Trasna”-
“Take your life firmly in your two hands
(gently...you are trusted with something precious)-
while you search your heart’s yearnings:
What am I seeking? What is my quest?
When your star rises deep within,
trust yourself to its leading.
You will have light for your first steps.”

I could say lots in praise of the Nagle Connections event - its preparation ,research, planning, smooth running, easy pace, beautiful setting, ecumenical  histroy-making liturgies, especially the Mass in the Lord Mayor's Chapel, Bristol and the Remembrance Service in Calverleagh.
 
The guided tour of beautiful Bath brought home to me again the elegant social life Nano could have lived and the utter radicality of her vision and life option.  I was delighted to learn so much about her maternal ancestry and the valliant Poyntz and Mathew women who lived through such turbulent times.  Their valour and faith, together with the Nagle steadfastness gave us our single-minded and wise Foundress.  I was reminded of the Scripture which says "For God, one day is as a thousand years and a thousand years as aone day".
I would love to see the Event repeated so that more Sisters and Friends of Nano could experience it.  I thank God that I had the opportunity to participate.  It has helped me to relate to Nano in a new way- seeing her and speaking to her as she now is, eternally living, our inspiration and companion on our journey. Love and thanks again for everything.   Carmel

All good things come to an end!!, but the Nano Connection Experience of the past few days will remain with us for a long time to come.  The three of us on the Nano Commission have been privileged and delighted to be part of the celebration of our Presentation Ancestry, as we walked in the footsteps of the maternal ancestors of Nano, in South West England.  The greatest of credit is due to all who were involved in the organization.  The vision and courage of the Sisters of the English Province, to embark on such an adventure, and lead us to reconnect with the Poyntzes, the Mathews, and the Nagles, is deserving of the highest praise.

As Commission, one of our briefs is to promote and encourage devotion to Nano.  The love of and pride in Nano was so evident as was the enthusiasm to keep her spirit alive, that we have come away encouraged and enthused in our work and life.  May the flame that burned so brightly and warmly during the week, touch the hearts of our whole Presentation Family.  Certainly, this “one pace beyond experience” is so important in the process leading to the canonization of Nano.

Thank you so much Sisters for who you are and what you have done.  The hard work and long hours  involved in the organization of such an event certainly will not go unrepaid.  You were and are wonderful.  We were truly blessed to be there. 

God and Nano bless and keep each and everyone of you.

Roisin Gannon
Anne Nevin
Maire O’Sullivan.

Conference/Pilgrimage
The Ammerdown  Centre
7 - 11 July 2008

We, as Presentation Sisters, who minister in Corsham, have always been interested in the local family connections of our Foundress, Nano Nagle.
Over the years we have done a certain amount of research. The results became more and more fascinating as we discovered the strong Nagle impact on the growth of Catholicism in these areas. It was obvious that a deeper study was called for , this has led to the coming event in July. The increasing importance given to family roots and the values of interconnectedness underpin this initiative. Roots, branches, graftings and fruits all come into play during the three day conference/pilgrimage.

The following gives a flavour of the event. The opening address by Dom Aidan Bellenger, Abbot of
Downside Abbey, will give the historical and religious context for the event. The first day will concentrate on the Poyntz family of Acton Court, Iron Acton, South Gloucestershire. This is the seat of Nano Nagle’s
maternal ancestral roots. The participants will visit Acton Court which has been restored by English Heritage and savour its history as the home of Elizabeth Poyntz the great-great-grandmother of Nano Nagle on her mother Ann Mathew’s side. They will also visit the Church of St. James the Less at Iron Acton where many of the Poyntz family are buried as well as the Poyntz (or Jesus Chapel) in the Lord Mayor’s Chapel, Bristol.

Bath will be the next port of call. It was here that Nano’s brothers David and Joseph lived from 1762 until 1789 when they moved to Calverleigh in Devon. They were prominent members of the Catholic community in Bath as testified by the archives in St. John the Evangelist Church. They lived at various times in the
Paragon Buildings, Milsom St. and The Circus. Nano visited her brothers here mainly with the intention of getting their financial assistance for her schools for the poor of Cork City. She wrote to her friend, Miss
Fitzimons in July 1770 “As I heard you thought I had come here for my health...I beg to assure you that, thank God, I never was better and it was not to take the waters I came nor have I tasted them”!!
The participants will start the day with Mass at 11.15 at St, Johns. Canon Anthony Harding, Clifton Diocesan Archivist, will outline the picture of Bath, its people, the Catholic community and the Nagles in the late
18th century. They will visit Bath Abbey where Mary, wife of David and Frances, Joseph’s wife are buried and other places associated with the brothers e.g. the sites of former chapels  -  The Bell Tree and Corn St.—and the Pump Room in which they had shares!

The final visit will be to Calverleigh near Tiverton, Devon, stopping on the way for Mass in Our Lady’s Chapel in the crypt of Glastonbury Abbey. Joseph Nagle bought the Manor of Calverleigh, the Rectory of Bampton and the lands of Templeton  in July 1768. The historian, John Snell, in his history of Calverleigh writes of the tact and generosity of the Nagles “they were excellent neighbours who left a fragrant memory of kindly deeds and lavish hospitality”. The Nagles were able to maintain a priest as their private chaplain and he in turn provided “the comfort of religion” to local people. Bishop Walmesley reported “I confirmed at Calverleigh on Tuesday 20th July 1784 seven persons at the house of Joseph Nagle Esq. one of whom
belonged to his family, two from Dulverton and four from Tiverton” Both David and Joseph Nagle are buried in the little Church of St. Mary the Virgin at Calverleigh where two tablets point to their last resting place. The words on Joseph’s tablet “He was a man truly religious, so conversant in goodness and bountifully charitable that his integrity and name deserve to be perpetuated” prompted the liturgy group dealing with the
pilgrimage to arrange a Service of Remembrance to be held in the Church at Calverleigh.

It is hoped that the Conference/Pilgrimage in July will prove an incentive to continue research into the
important part played by Nano Nagle’s family  and ancestors in shaping her for her life’s great work.
As is with the case of all of us Nano was “standing on the shoulders of the ones who went before her”
 

As the homilist, Fr Tony Curran, reminds us at the closing liturgy of the Sixth General Chapter:
"Our present world situation desperately needs Good News. Bearers of Good News can only be those who have spent so much time in God's presence that they have come to know Jesus Christ and through him have come to know God. To know Christ is to be led to the Compassion of God. It is manifested in the concern of Jesus for the underprivileged, the disadvantaged, all those deemed to be life's failures. Jesus shows us the supreme value of each human person. The loving compassion of the heart of our God is the Good News that we must proclaim. Moreover, St Francis of Assisi reminds us, 'sometimes we may have to use words'. "