With Grateful Hearts: Remembering

Sr Angela Ryan csb 

With heavy hearts and deep gratitude, we give thanks for the remarkable life of Sister Angela Ryan csb, who passed away peacefully on 23 June 2025. Angela’s legacy is one of gentle strength, steadfast faith, and wholehearted service — a life lived with purpose and compassion.

Angela was Brigidine through and through. From her early days as a student at Kilbreda College (Class of 1955), she embodied the spirit of “Strength and Kindliness” — a motto she would carry into every chapter of her life. Her leadership as Principal of both Kilbreda College and Brigidine College St Ives, her involvement on school boards and committees, and her unshakable belief in the power of education shaped generations of young women and enriched every community she served.

But Angela’s influence extended far beyond the school gates. As Province and Congregational Leader of the Brigidine Sisters, she offered wise and courageous leadership — always grounded in justice, compassion, and deep listening. She contributed significantly to the broader Church, working with the Catholic Education Office in industrial relations and planning, and holding governance roles with Catholic Church Insurance, Catholic Super, and the National Catholic Superannuation Fund.

Angela’s courage and commitment were particularly evident in her role as Executive Officer of the National Committee for Professional Standards from 2000 to 2012. At a time when the Church desperately needed people of integrity and empathy to face the painful reality of abuse, Angela stepped forward. She played a key role in shaping Towards Healing, the Church’s pastoral response to victims and survivors of abuse by church personnel. Reflecting on this work, Angela once said: “My hope has always been that anything I’ve had to do with people who are victims, I’ve just been able to help them take one little step towards healing.” And indeed, she did — again and again, with strength and compassion.

Angela’s contribution to the Catholic mission through education, governance, and pastoral care was formally recognised with an Honorary Doctorate from Australian Catholic University in 2009 and a Papal award in 2012. In 2022, she was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) for service to the Catholic Church of Australia.

In 2011, Angela played a pivotal role in one of the most significant moments in our shared story: the establishment of Kildare Ministries as a Public Juridic Person. In May of that year, she travelled to Rome with Sr Maree Marsh csb and Sr Louise Cleary csb to present the petition for its formation to the Vatican. It was a bold and visionary step — and Angela was at the heart of it, leading with clarity, conviction and faith. Since its founding, she remained closely involved in the development of Kildare Ministries, offering guidance and wisdom through her roles on the Kildare Education Ministries Board and Trustees’ Finance and Audit Committee. We are forever grateful.

For those, like me, who had the privilege of knowing Angela, the true honour was to walk alongside her — to receive her gentle encouragement, to be lifted by her thoughtful words and steady presence, and to witness her unwavering belief in the dignity of every person. Her presence brought comfort, her wise counsel brought clarity, and her life brought light.

As we remember and celebrate Angela, we give thanks for the extraordinary gift she has been — to our schools and community works, to the Brigidine Sisters, to Kildare Ministries, and to the Church in Australia. Her legacy lives on in the lives she touched, the justice she pursued, and the hope she nurtured.

May she now rest in God’s tender embrace — her life a blessing, her memory a guiding light.

Fortiter et Suaviter.

Nicole Mangelsdorf

Acting Executive Director

Closing Prayer from Kilbreda College’s Liturgy of Remembrance for Sr Angela read by Sr Lia Commadeur csb

As we entrust Sister Angela to the loving arms of our God, we give thanks for the light she brought into our lives. 

May we go forward carrying her legacy within us— with open hands, open hearts, and the strength to serve. 

May we walk in the footsteps of St Brigid, with hearts that burn for justice. 

May we lead as Bishop Daniel Delany dreamed—with faith, courage and vision. 

May we live the Kildare Ministries values, just as Sister Angela did—every day, with humility and grace. 

May the God of Strength and Kindliness walk with us always.

Amen