Presentation Sisters
16. The large church beside Mercy Convent is the Basilica of St. John the Baptist. To the right of the Basilica and slightly behind is the Convent of the Presentation Sisters.
Nano Nagle founded the Congregation of the Sisters of the Presentation in 1776 in Cork, Ireland, to provide for the education of the poor. In response to a request from Bishop Michael Fleming of Newfoundland for volunteers to establish a mission, four sisters arrived in St. John's in September 1833, and opened their first school in October of the same year - Sisters Magdalene, Xaverius Lynch, Xavier Malone, and Sister Bernard Kirwin as Superior of the small band. The sea journey was a difficult one, with storms and sickness leading to a delayed arrival in St. John's.
A month after their arrival a former tavern with the name of "The Rising Sun", was provided for them. It was next to a slaughterhouse. In October 1833 the Sisters opened their first school that immediately proved to be inadequate for the large number of students wanting admission; the school admitted 450 girls in the first week.
The sisters moved their residence to a site on Nunnery Hill, just off Holloway Street, and in 1844 building was started on a large convent and school on Long's Hill. Sadly, this building was destroyed by fire in 1846 along with the greater part of the city of St. John's. The Sisters of Mercy helped the Presentation Sisters until they could establish another site for their work; this close collaboration continues today.
The Motherhouse of the Presentation Sisters and a school were built to replace those destroyed in 1846. The new site was opened in 1853. It remains largely unchanged since then, and houses the Presentation Motherhouse, Offices and Archives.
The arts, music and teaching have been the central focus of the Presentation Sisters work in Newfoundland. Denominational education ended in Newfoundland in the late 1990s and the Presentation Sisters moved their work into repurposing convents, working with communities in need and recently, setting up affordable housing for seniors and an end-of-life Hospice.
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