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.'"
