Diamond Jubilee of Mother Agnes O’Shea ocso

A professed member of this community for sixty years this July, the celebration of Mother Agnes O’Shea’s Diamond Jubilee took place on 17th July at Glencairn with a special celebration of the Eucharist and community day of celebration.

Faithful to St Benedict’s steps of humility in his Rule for monasteries for sixty years of monastic profession this year, Mother Agnes has reason to be proud!

Throughout her monastic life, Mother Agnes has faithfully served the community in many different key roles. Serving as novice director for more than twenty years, she was to continue to provide pastoral guidance to the community when elected for a term as Abbess in the 1990’s. As a warmhearted guestmistress, she has offered monastic hospitality, friendship and wise counsel to many pilgrims and retreatants at the monastery. In addition to these responsibilities, she has continued over the years to cultivate her great love of the liturgy serving the community also up to the present as chant mistress.

Mother Agnes’ hospitality even extends to the birds of the air in whom she takes great delight, and Glencairn is a well-known sanctuary for winged creatures of all kinds!

We have all been touched by Mother Agnes’ fidelity to the Lord in the monastic life and the fruit that that has born in her joyfulness and generosity and we thank her for her devotion to the community over so many dedicated years of her life. May she continue to enjoy all God’s blessings to her in Glencairn for many years to come.