Sr Francis Kieran Monahan
1932 – 2023
Born: 3rd January 1932
Entered: 3rd October 1949
Died: 28th August 2023
Elizabeth Monahan, daughter of Thomas Monahan and Catherine Dowd was born in Dublin on the 3rd January 1932. She was the middle child of a large family of six girls and five boys. She entered the Religious Sisters of Charity on 3rd October 1949 and was received as a Novice on the 19th April 1950 taking the name Sr Francis Kieran. She made her First Profession on the 23rd April 1952.
Following her Profession Sr Francis Kieran spent some months in Benada before moving to Hammersmith. She returned to Dublin in 1953 and supplied in St. Vincent’s, Dublin and Merrion before moving to Basin Lane to teach for one year. Between 1954 and 1956 she attended Carysfort Teacher Training College where she attained a Primary Teaching Certificate. Following her training she was missioned to St. Vincent’s Cork where she taught in the infant school for three years.
In 1960 she attended the University of Birmingham where she was awarded a certificate for Teachers of Blind Children. She returned to Merrion for a short period to prepare for her new mission in Nigeria at Pacelli School for the Blind which opened in 1961. On her return to Ireland in 1964 she was again missioned to St. Vincent’s Cork and taught in a unit set up for partially sighted children. In 1971 she was missioned to Lady Lane, Waterford where she taught for two years before going to Roma, Zambia in 1973.
In Roma she taught Mathematics and Religious Education and also prepared girls for the reception of the Sacraments. Education/School was her passion. School life and work went beyond the classroom into the environment in which learning took place. She took great pride in preparing the pupils in the school for life beyond the school. In her book “cleanliness was next to Godliness” and so great effort went into keeping the grounds, classrooms and general areas clean and tidy. This was done by the pupils in all year groups as a part of their training for life. The pupils in turn were proud of the school and had respect for Sr. Kieran.
She took a sabbatical in 1982 and attended a course in Regina Mundi in Rome. On her return to Zambia she was missioned to Kabwe to teach in a new school which was previously owned by the Dominican Sisters. On her return to Roma in 1991 she was appointed School Bursar.
One of the highlights of her ministry in education was the foundation of ExRoma Girls’ Association (EROGA) whose presence over the years contributed greatly to the school. She had a great love for the pupils, both past and present and instilled in them a spirit of generosity. She was very proud of this group and of their contribution to society and the school, giving back some of what they received while they were pupils at Roma Girls’ Secondary School.
In 2019 Sr Kieran was nominated for the Zambia Women of the Year Awards and was honoured and awarded with a Lifetime Achievement Award for her contribution to life in Zambia since the early 1970’s. In her acceptance speech she acknowledged that she was speechless, something that did not happen too often. She thanked all the pupils past and present for keeping her young at heart at the age of 86 years. The excitement was palpable and when she mentioned her age the whole house stood to give her a standing ovation.
She was a woman of great influence, who has left a special and unique mark on every person she interacted with. She inspired many girls and her own religious sisters with her confidence and positive attitude towards life. She was a woman with strong opinions on issues and situations and was not “behind the door” in expressing them. She shook people from their comfort zones with her words and her work ethic. She had good days and bad days “BUT” God’s love and light shone through all the time which made the impossible possible and the possible better.
Sr. Kieran had a keen interest in many subjects and was often referred to as a living encyclopaedia. She believed life was wonderful when it was shared in the classroom, particularly when solving Mathematical problems and coming to terms with positive and negative numbers, trying to piece together the many nebulous journeys of the unknown quantity which is called “x”.
She was extraordinarily committed to her religious life and lived it with passion to the end. Sr. Kieran had a great love for the Congregation and like Mary Aikenhead prayed that it would flourish. She was interested in the young members of the Congregation (novices) and hoped that they too would have a long and worthwhile life as RSCs.
Sr. Kieran was often heard to say, proudly, that she was the only RSC to have had her Silver Jubilee, Golden Jubilee and Diamond Jubilee in the same community. A hard act to follow.
One other group of people, apart from the sisters, teachers and pupils who benefitted from Sr. Kieran’s wisdom and love were the workers who lived in Mary Aikenhead Village (formerly the compound – renamed by Sr. Kieran). She was their intercessor and advocate and did all in her power to make their lives a little better.
Following a short illness, Sr Francis Kieran died on the 28th August 2023 at the age of 91 years. She was actively involved in school life up to the end.
When one person was asked to describe Sr. Kieran he said, “she was a legend and a character who blessed her Congregation and so many people. I doubt she will ‘rest’ but be busy ‘spending her Heaven doing good on earth’.
A Vigil Mass was held on Thursday 30th August in Roma Convent Chapel, a place that she loved and prayed in over many years. Her funeral Mass took place the following morning in Roma Parish Church and she was buried in Chikuni Cemetery. May she rest in peace.
