PRAYING and a deep strong faith in God led a former West Cork primary school teacher to the Redemptoristine Nuns (commonly known as Red Nuns), an enclosed order in Dublin.
Eight years since she first entered the doors of the monastery in Drumcondra, Sr Máire Bríd O’Driscoll made her solemn profession as a Red Nun at a ceremony in their chapel recently, attended by her family, friends, and her 15 colleagues. She made her vows of poverty, chastity and obedience before the prioress of the community, Sr Gabrielle.
Speaking to The Southern Star, the 35-year-old newly professed nun said that it is certainly a different path to take nowadays compared to others.
‘People think that I’m a new member, but I’ve had eight years living the life since I first entered here in 2016. It’s like a long engagement before getting married!’ said Sr Máire Bríd.
‘It just takes that much time as I made my first profession when I entered, and then made my final solemn profession two weeks ago, so there are different stages. Our focus is on praying for our world.’
As an enclosed order, the focus is on a life of prayer and the order does not have any active mission as such, compared to other orders. The nuns do, however, make altar bread for the communion hosts at mass, which is an important source of income.
Sr Máire Bríd went to St Mary’s Central School in Enniskeane, which was followed by secondary school at Maria Immaculate Community College in Dunmanway.
She studied primary teaching at Mary Immaculate College in Limerick, graduating in 2011. She then spent several years teaching in various schools in West Cork, including in Coppeen and Bantry.
It was only while subbing in these schools that she felt she was starting on a different journey over time.
‘It wasn’t something that I had been telling people about and it was a shock when I entered the order in 2016, but my faith journey had been growing over the years. There was also that questioning going on too – What is life about? Is there any deeper meaning or purpose to it? I was searching deeply for answers and it led me to prayer, and to other young people who were interested in their faith.’
It was a step by step process to religious life for her. She initially visited an order in Waterford before coming across the Red Nuns in Dublin where she said she felt most at peace.
‘I had heard about them before. I heard about their red habits, which I thought were unusual, and was interested in that. I visited them a few times before I finally entered there, eight years ago.’
She said it’s very unusual for an Irish person to enter that order.
‘It’s not common now, and in our community we have sisters from other countries, but it’s not usual in any of the orders to have young Irish sisters. I guess it’s the times that we are living in.’
Sr Máire Bríd’s daily routine revolves around prayer and they visit the chapel on site seven times during the day to pray.
‘We also have the ordinary work to do, like making the altar breads or making candles, as well as the housework and cleaning.’
When she entered the order, she was initially a postulant, becoming a novice after a year. She was a novice for two years and then made her first profession, while the final profession was made five years later.
‘The days just fly by, and I’m studying theology online. We do a lot of music and I’m trying to learn how to play the organ – there’s never a dull moment. People are welcome to visit us here too.’
While her parents, Pat and Ina, sister Siobhán and her two brothers, Seamus (who flew in from New Jersey for the ceremony), Padraig and her friends are extremely proud of her, she admits it probably wasn’t easy for them when she first announced she was joining the order.
‘They had to let me go. It might have been a shock for some of them, but I must say overall people have been so supportive and they can see how happy I am now. They are more at peace knowing that too.’
Her advice to anyone contemplating life in a convent is to take the risk.
‘Try it out and listen to your heart. If this is really the path for you, don’t be afraid to try it out. There is great peace and fulfilment to be found in it. Maybe even visit an order and if it doesn’t feel right, you can always leave,’ she advised.
She is also giving the ‘Red Nuns’ a lot more publicity as people may not be aware of them compared to other orders. The progressive order were well ahead of the curve, it seems, as webcams were being used on their website long before it became common during Covid.
‘We try to be as open as possible and use technology to help ourselves and others. We want to reach out in any way we can,’ said Sr Máire Bríd.
