The first Provincial Assembly (West Indian Province) of the Sisters of St Joseph of Cluny, their affiliates and Associates, took place at Emmaus Centre, Arima from Sunday, March 23 to Friday 28.

About 200 persons from Trinidad and Tobago, St Vincent, St Lucia, Grenada and Dominica participated. At the final Mass of the Assembly four Sisters were specially honoured: Sr Mary Margaret and Sr Aloysius Ashby celebrating their Diamond Jubilee of Religious Profession and Sr Enda MacNamara and Sr Jacinta Rigsby for long and devoted service.

Parish priest of Santa Rosa, Arima Msgr Christian Pereira was the chief celebrant. At this Mass Sr Gabrielle Mason, Provincial paid tribute to the four Sisters in the following address:

“Long life is a blessing from God and when this long life is accompanied by reasonably good health of both mind and body the Lord is glorified and joy and thanksgiving fill the heart. Both Sr Mary Margaret and Sr Aloysius, our Diamond Jubilarians, have been blessed with very clear minds and reasonably good health. We give praise to God for his continued care of them and their openness to his grace, and holy will. 

Sr Mary Margaret is greeted by Prime Minister Manning after she received her national award at the 2007 Independence Day Awards ceremony (GIS photo)

Sr Mary Margaret left her homeland, Ireland, after she made her first profession on March 11, 1948. She was destined for an unknown land, the West Indies. Full of missionary spirit, she began her work in education first in St Lucia and from 1964 she worked at Maria Regina Grade School as its principal.

There, she worked wonders. Sister has touched thousands of children, parents and several teachers and they all remember her with deep affection, gratitude and respect. Sister’s excellent contribution to education merited her the Chaconia Medal silver in 2007, after her retirement.

Sr Aloysius Ashby, with Maria Byron at the launch of her book "ABC of Saints" November 12, 2007. CN file photo

Sr Aloysius has had a long and chequered career in education, clerical work, catechetical work, media presentations and several other areas.

She made her first profession on August 28, 1948 and from then on she has been busy about the Lord’s affairs in the ways that he has been directing her.

An excellent teacher and principal, she has contributed very much in the formation of the young and the not-so-young. Providence Girls’, her earliest assignment, we believe, has remained very special to her.

As principal of the Catholic Training College, she prepared several women, not only to be excellent Catholic teachers but to be good wives and mothers.

Her contribution in the field of education is immeasurable 
Sr Aloysius has done clerical work in the Nunciature in Lagos, Nigeria. She has also worked in St Lucia, St Vincent and Grenada and was very generous in sharing her expertise.

She has travelled widely and has authored two books - the most recent being A.B.C of Saints. Sister is loved and highly regarded in the highest circles, as well as by the ordinary, day- to-day folks, for her great contribution to humanity in so many different areas. We thank you, dear Sister, for surely making the world a better place.

We thank Sr Enda MacNamara for her outstanding contribution to education in this part of the world. She left her country, Ireland, as a novice to come to our shores and fell in love with the Caribbean and the Caribbean fell in love with her. She has a big contingent of friends.

She too is very widely travelled, is very capable in several fields including clerical work and catechetics. She has served as secretary in the Nunciature in Lagos, Nigeria and also for a short time in Paris.

We thank and congratulate Sr Enda for her many years of loving service to our region and for her generosity and self-giving in all that she has undertaken to do to make Christ known and loved. 

Like the other three Sisters celebrating years of long service to this Province, Sr Jacinta Rigsby has been involved in education from a very early age. At the age of 23, it is reported, she was already appointed principal of a primary school and has served continuously in that field, not only in Trinidad and Tobago but also in St Vincent and St Lucia.

She has been referred to as “the tiny nun” but “a tower of strength”. She has excelled in administration, teaching, counselling and even building, as pointed out by one of her teachers. She remains a gentle, calm, pleasant and respectable person.

We congratulate and thank God for all of you, very dear Sisters and we wish you peace and joy as you continue your Christian Mission.”