Abstract
In this accomplished, innovative and extensively researched monograph, Ann Power charts the ‘struggles, hardship, courage, resourcefulness, tenacity and contribution’ of one of the less well-known congregations of Irish sisters, the Sisters of St Brigid, or the Brigidines, during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries (p. 18). The book, which is largely transnational in character, surveys the evolution of the congregation from its establishment in Tullow, Co. Carlow in 1807, to approximately the point at which it achieved official recognition from Rome in 1907. Throughout, Power examines a range of competing themes, among which include social entrepreneurship, canonical politics, educational philosophies and class, while simultaneously recreating immigrant communities and recounting a broad range of personal narratives. This multilocational, broadly chronological work is a valuable contribution to our understanding of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, as it explores these themes through gendered, religious and migratory lenses.
The Brigidines, a congregation established by Daniel Delany, bishop of Kildare and Leighlin from 1787 to 1814, was founded primarily to ‘provide a constant and lasting succession of teachers’ (p. 60). In Ireland, the congregation remained small, and was relatively unknown outside the diocesan boundary, primarily because Delany and his successors were apathetic about gaining papal approval. This, Power argues throughout, was one of the principal reasons that impeded the development of the congregation in the United States (p. 163) and to a significant but lesser extent in Ireland and Australasia as well. Despite this, the Brigidines were among many Irish congregations that embarked on missionary work in the United States in the post-Famine era. In the United States, they were invited to establish a number of schools in New York state and across the Midwest, particularly in Wisconsin and Michigan. Towards the end of the nineteenth century, the Brigidines were invited to New South Wales to establish foundations in remote locations, such as Cooma and Cowra, and by the turn of the century the Brigidines were also present on the educational landscape of New Zealand, in areas such as Wairarapa.
Power notes that smaller communities like the Brigidines were usually the first to establish a school in a new parish, but as they did not have an established reputation, comparable with the Mercy sisters for example, it was difficult for them to compete with larger congregations. These challenges were compounded by local and regional church politics, which highlighted how ‘dependent a community could be on episcopal jurisdiction and…how detrimental the influence of a hostile pastor could be on a community’s living’ (p. 182).
Notwithstanding the impact of male authority on these female congregations, Power develops an interesting narrative around this, exemplified by her portrayal of strong, paradoxically independent women like Mother Angela McKay and her experiences in Grand Rapids and Titusville (p. 157) and Mother Gertrude Banahan, a formidable member of the congregation in Cooma, New South Wales and later in New Zealand (p. 211). In exploring the contribution of these frontier and pioneer women respectively, Power interprets the Brigidines as socially aware, ambitious and resourceful women, who were often poorer than the communities they served. Moreover, the author notes that these women were constantly seeking to ‘define their relationship with the world’ (p. 320), a relationship that because of their distinctive religious habits ‘allowed’ them to participate in public life in a way uncharacteristic of many of their female contemporaries (p. 196).
The confident image projected by the Brigidines to the world is delicately contrasted by Power’s multifaceted exploration of life behind the convent gates. Here, she meticulously uncovers the class hierarchy and examines the complexity of convent life (pp. 335–40). Her examination of the internal structure of the congregation and description of the process of becoming a choir – or lay – sister illuminates the nuances of convent life, while also reflecting the challenges that smaller congregations experienced.
Another impressive feature of this monograph is the way in which Power reconstructs and interprets the world of the immigrant. Whether in remote parts of Wisconsin in the 1850s, or in the Australian outback in the 1880s, Power’s understanding of the economic, political and religious subtleties of these immigrant destinations adds depth and texture to our understanding not only of congregational life, but also to the broader immigrant experience. In her assessment of the Brigidine departure form Kenosha, Wisconsin, Power argues that the prevalence of German immigrants and a paucity of unskilled labour were two of the primary reasons why the congregation was replaced by Bishop Henni (p. 163). Similarly, in Buffalo, Power is acutely aware of the threat posed by the strong support within the host community for the Know Nothing movement, a factor which certainly impacted the fortunes of the Brigidine congregation there (p. 164). This extensive contextual understanding is again exemplified in Power’s examination of the evolving education system in New Zealand at the beginning of the twentieth century. At this time, the government favoured an educational philosophy based on the social efficiency thesis, and the Brigidines, in turn, were forced to adapt their own teaching philosophies and methodologies in order to maintain their presence in Masterton (p. 304).
Yet, perhaps the greatest strength of this work is the way in which Power seamlessly laces this dense contextual discussion with unique personal narratives. Throughout, the reader is introduced to immigrants such as Mother Ignatius Fitzpatrick who used her musical skills to generate income for the community in Coonamble. Similarly, against the backdrop of complicated diocesan negotiations and extremely difficult living conditions, Power describes Mother Brigid Desmond, who despite having her leg amputated ‘demonstrated her stoicism…[by] continuing to teach in the school, being wheeled there in her chair’, a distance of a quarter of a mile. Power depicts the Brigidines as socially engaged and politically aware immigrants, noting how Mother Gertrude Banahan and the congregation at Wairarapa made a donation of three guineas to Joseph Devlin’s Home Rule Fund collection in 1905 (p. 307), and she also highlights Mother Francis Humphrys’ attitude to the 1916 Rising (p. 225). A relative of ‘The O’Rahilly’, Mother Francis was especially proud of her family’s involvement in the events of Easter Week.
Power suggests that Irish sisterhoods were ‘active agents in spreading the “spiritual empire” of Irish Catholicism’ (p. 183). There is little doubt that the Brigidine Sisters played an important role in the evolution of this empire, and Power’s work is significant in the context of this transnational discourse. At times, perhaps, the scope of this study seems ambitious and it is sometimes difficult to transcend the minutiae, but this is countered by author’s ability to identify, and engage with, the personal stories of the immigrants themselves. The book is well-produced and contains a number of illustrations, an extensive bibliography and a detailed prosopography of known Brigidine Sisters. It is an intriguing and compelling contribution to the study of Irish immigrant life.