A special ceremony was held at All Hallows College in Dublin on the night of Wednesday, 17 April, to mark the sending on mission of Mairead Burke and Anne O’Driscoll. The two women will travel to Ukraine in June to work with street children as part of an overseas volunteer programme.

“I’m really looking forward to this,” said Mairead, who hails from County Mayo. “This is something which I’ve wanted to do for a long time and I’m really excited about it now.”

Anne, a Donegal woman, noted that “it’s not about changing the world but by doing this we can put our own skills at the service of these children in need.”

Fr. Mark Noonan CM, President of All Hallows, prayed a special blessing for the two women before they were each presented with a cross by Sr. Goretti Butler, coordinator of the volunteer programme.

The ceremony was preceded with an inspirational address by Dr. Andrew O’Connell, Communications Director for the Presentation Brothers, who spoke about the importance of faith and generosity in a postmodern Ireland. He then chaired a discussion during which two young adults, Ciaran Coll and Catherine Behan, spoke about their experience of volunteering in Uganda and Haiti.

Earlier this year the Daughters of Charity launched a new website, www.begin.ie. According to vocations director Sr Claire McKiernan, the site aims to provide information about the work and vocation of the Daughters of Charity in Ireland today.

For more information, please contact Sr Claire McKiernan, Daughter of Charity, at 01-8556719.