Brigidine Southern Cross Community

After 215 years of dedicated ministry and service in a large number of countries, the sisters of the Congregation of St Brigid, along with many other Congregations founded around the same time, are recognizing that they are nearing the end of their historical life cycle. It is this recognition that led the Presentation Sisters Victoria and the Brigidine Sisters to establish Kildare Ministries, entrusting the governance of our former secondary schools and Community Works to its Trustees. Over the past eight years we have delighted in the growing evidence that our commitment to education and to those on the margins of society is continuing in the spirit of the Gospel, and the inspiration of Brigid of Kildare, Nano Nagle and Daniel Delany, through Kildare Ministries.

Whilst the reality of our Congregation’s fulfillment requires intentional reflection and planning, it is neither daunting nor discouraging and our current Congregational theme is Choose Life: now and into the future.

We once numbered thousands of sisters yet we currently have only 157 sisters in five countries with a majority of us in Australia. Over the past two years the sisters of New Zealand and Australia have been involved in extensive conversations about our way forward and, in September of last year, we made a decision to form one Brigidine Community united under the blessing of the Southern Cross.

A Leadership Group has been appointed and it is working in liaison with the current New South Wales, New Zealand and Victorian Leadership Groups, sisters and colleagues towards the commissioning of the new Community in July 2022.

Our sisters will always be in a permanent state of mission. Some will continue in active ministry and all will engage in the ministry of presence living in love, gratitude and compassion. We also hope that our new Community will enable us to engage in further outreach by partnering with others to bring about a more just and life giving society.