End of an era in Dumfries
The withdrawal of the
Daughters of Charity from Dumfries was marked by a Mass of
Thanksgiving and Farewell celebrated in St. Andrew’s
Parish Church,
Dumfries, on 17th August 2007.
The principal celebrant was Bishop John Cunningham,
Bishop of Dumfries and Galloway. Concelebrating were Bishop
Emeritus Maurice Taylor, and sixteen other priests of the diocese, who had served in St.
Andrew’s or St. Teresa’s parishes in the past, or had other connections with
Dumfries. Over two
hundred parishioners were present, and a large number of Sisters from the
houses in Scotland and further afield. After the Eucharist
all were invited to a buffet in the hall, prepared by the ladies of
the parish. The evening was a mingling of sadness, joy and
celebration.
Sadness that the
gathering was to say our goodbyes, joy at meeting many Sisters who
had served in the parish previously, and celebration of one hundred
and fifteen years of service in the Dumfries Parishes.
The
following is an extract taken from the Catholic Directory of 1893:
On 25th July 1892, a small community of Daughters of
Charity was established in Dumfries. The house in Shakespeare Street, formerly
used as a Presbytery, has been fitted up for their accommodation and
serves as a fairly convenient residence for the five Sisters who
have been selected to inaugurate the Mission of the Daughters of
Charity in the Diocese of Galloway. The Sisters have come to
Dumfries to visit, instruct and nurse the Poor of the
Parish, and to take charge of the Young Women’s Guilds. The Girls’
Day School, with an attendance of one hundred and thirty, has also
been committed to their care - to the immense
satisfaction of the children’s parents. It is pleasing to record
that the outdoor work of the Sisters has been greatly facilitated by
the courtesy and respect which they have met with from all classes
of the non-Catholic people of
Dumfries.
That goodwill and cooperation has lasted right up to the present
day, and many people, Catholics and non-Catholics alike, have
expressed dismay and sadness that
we are leaving. Likewise we
have received many, many messages of goodwill, thanks and good
wishes for the future.
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