Associates Ireland Pilgrimage 2023

In a January 2022 Zoom meeting of Presentation Associates, Yolanda Santillan casually remarked that it would be fun to take a trip to Ireland to visit the places where Nano Nagle, foundress of the Presentation Sisters, was born and carried out her life of ministry. Just over a year later, April 2023, the idea became a reality as five Associates joined her to head to Ireland. They were met at the Cork airport by Sister Mary Quinn, who drove them to Ballygriffin.

Yolanda, Rosalie Cabrera, Loretta Nekota, Pat Diaz, Sandra Jhung, and Gerry Fagoaga visited Nano Nagle’s birthplace in Ballygriffin and Nano Nagle Place in Cork. Yolanda, Gerry, and Kay Sweeney (editor) prepared the following report of their time in Ireland.



“The trip to Nano Nagle’s birthplace in Ballygriffin, Ireland was awesome! It made me feel as if I was experiencing something bigger than myself.  The Sisters were warm, welcoming, kind, and caring to the Associates. We prayed the rosary in the Presentation convent chapel with the Sisters who live there. The tour of the Presentation convent in Cork (built in 1777), spending time with the Sisters who live there, and having dinner with them was the highlight of the trip for me.”  -Yolanda

“A highlight of the visit was the memorial celebration of Nano Nagle’s death on April 26th at Nano Nagle’s burial place in Cork.  The tomb is in the Ursuline cemetery. I had the honor of touching Nano’s casket. After lunch we were able to visit Nano Nagle Place, her museum, the Nano Nagle bridge, and the place where she lived and worked with the children and their families. We were hosted a second time by other Presentation Sisters in their home. They were most gracious, and excited to meet us Associates.”  -Gerry

Tomb of Nano Nagle

Convent Nano built for Ursuline Sisters	South Presentation Convent

Our Associates were the first group of Associates to stay at Nano Nagle's Birthplace at Ballygriffin. They rated the accommodations in Ballygriffin as excellent! There is a convent for the Sisters in residence. The grounds have a Cosmic Walk, a two km. walk that contains stations which tell the story of evolution from the Big Bang to the present day. The Heritage Room has a guided introduction to Nano’s story in the early 1800s and surrounding panels of posters. The Icon Room has a wall-size rendition of Nano with relevant flyers and a recording for reflection. A small chapel with the Blessed Sacrament was accessible. It all was a rich resource to deepen knowledge of and closeness to Nano.

In Ballygriffin, the Associates met each morning at 8:00 to do yoga and chair exercises. They went to chapel in the main building after exercising to read the readings and the gospel before starting the day.

On different days, the group hiked down the Blackwater River at Ballygriffin, and visited an official Irish Pub, the Jameson Distillery, the Bowl of Feathers, and Blarney Mills shopping center. They visited Blarney Castle, but no one was brave enough to kiss the Blarney stone. 

They walked through the City of Cork as Nano experienced it in her time and visited many churches in the Cork area. At Church of St. Nicholas in Killavullen where Nano Nagle was baptized, they were able to hear a choir from Newfoundland perform. They had dinner on the beach, went to a farmers market, and had an official Irish coffee drink.

The group was much impressed by the genuine graciousness and care for others that the Irish people showed to one another. Both Gerry and Yolanda expressed thanks to Sister Mary Quinn, Sister Anne Marie, Sister Lois, Sister Elizabeth, and Sister Sheila for all of their efforts in making their visit a most memorable one.

Presentation Sisters	Presentation Sisters with our Associates