Nano (full name Honora) Nagle was born in Ballygriffin, County Cork,
Ireland in 1718. This was the period in Irish history when the English
had imposed the oppressive Penal Laws, which severely limited the Irish
people. The Irish were denied access economically, politically,
socially, and educationally to the rights and means that would have
raised them from the imposed poverty and oppression. It was a crime of
treason (punishable by death) to educate the Irish and it was forbidden
to practice the Roman Catholic faith.
Because of her family's position and wealth, Nano was sent to be
educated in the Irish community then living in Paris.
According to Sister Rose Forest, PBVM, one biographer of Nano, her "stay
in the midst of Irish Parisian society was brief, but during this time
an incident took place which has become a classic episode in the
Presentation story. One morning the charming, wealthy, and beautiful
Miss Nagle...was returning from an all-night ball. As her carriage
rattled over the cobblestones of a silent street, she saw a small group
of poor working people waiting in front a church...for the door to open
for early Mass. The contrast between their useful lives and her own
empty one devoted to pleasure made a lasting impression on the girl of
twenty-two".
Returning to Ireland, other events lead Nano to consider a way that she
could help the poor she saw everyday in Cork and on the family estate.
Distressed by the ignorance of the Irish in both faith and academics,
she opened her first school in 1754 with an enrollment of thirty-five
girls in a two-room cabin. This began her great work of education and as
some historians have noted, her important work in saving the Irish
culture.
Without regard for her own safety, she selflessly educated the children
during the day and visited and nursed the sick by night. As a result,
she became known in Cork as the
Lady with the Lantern, the symbol of
the Sisters of the Presentation worldwide. Today the people of Ireland,
especially in Cork, who attribute their freedom to her, revere her.
Eventually, realizing the need for a group to continue her work after
her death, Nano founded the Sisters of the Presentation on December 24,
1775.
Nano died from tuberculosis, Monday, April 26, 1784. According to Sister
Rose’s account, "On her deathbed Mother Nagle gave to her daughters the
following injuction: 'Love one another as you have hitherto done.' As
her legacy she bequeathed to them the treasure which she prized above
all the wealth of the earth - the love of the poor of Jesus Christ. She
bade her Sisters 'Spend yourself for the poor.'"
