Sr Joan awarded with papal medal for 70 years of service

SISTER Joan Pierse was awarded with a Benemerenti medal at a Mass celebrating her 70 years of religious service at the Holy Family Church, Askea, this month.

The medal is given by the pope to members of the clergy and laity who have made significant contributions to the church. Fr Tom Little had applied to the Vatican for the medal unbeknownst to Sr Joan.

“She was so overcome,” said Gill Hegarty, the Askea parish centre secretary. Sr Joan has been “on a high ever since”.

Around 120 people attended the platinum jubilee Mass on Saturday 22 August, including Sr Joan’s family members, friends, bridge club members and colleagues, past and present.

Fr Little attended the Mass, along with Fr Liam Morgan, Fr Tommy Dillon and Fr John Fitzpatrick. Bishop Denis Nulty attended the celebration afterwards where tea and cake were served.

“There was a huge sense of community there,” said Gill. "It was a lovely evening and she was just overjoyed.” Sr Joan was born in June 1938 and is originally from Wexford town. She entered into religious life as a member of the Loreto order on 15 September 1956.

She trained as a secondary school teacher in UCD from 1959 to 1963 and then moved to Cavan, where she taught at St Joseph’s College, Coleraine.

In September 2000, Sr Joan was appointed as parish sister in Askea. She did the flower arranging for the church, visited the sick and trained all the altar servers until her retirement in June 2020.

Fr Morgan, who worked alongside Sr Joan from 2004 until 2014 while he was a curate in Askea, Bennekerry and Tinryland, wrote in this newspaper that that the altar servers looked to Joan “as their trusted guide and kind mentor”.

In her work preparing children to take their First Holy Communion and Confirmation, Joan was “always encouraging and welcoming” and “always attentive and watchful of every detail,” said Fr Morgan.

Fr Morgan further described Joan as “dedicated” to her work with Rainbows, a peer ministry support group where children who have experienced loss through death or separation come together to explore feelings of loss and sadness while discovering hope and new beginnings.

At 88 years of age, Sr Joan continues to read at Mass and is part of the choir. It is “extremely rare” to have 70 years of service, said Gill.

Gill described Sr Joan as a very kind, warm, and highly intelligent person who “has given her all to the community.” Outside of the church, Sr Joan is involved with a bridge club and enjoys going to aquarobics classes.

“You'd never think she was retired because she's always popping over for a chat,” said Gill.