Our presence in England & Scotland
The Religious Sisters of Charity were founded in 1815, by Mary Aikenhead where she laid the foundations for the work of our Congregation, by founding a hospital, founding a school, and visiting poor people in their homes.
Our work today still falls into those same categories of ministry, as our founder, Mary Aikenhead’s work did:
- Healthcare ministry
- Pastoral/social ministry
See the form our work takes in the England & Scotland Province, detailed below.
England – 1840 & 1890
On the 16th June 1840 at the request of the parish priest of St Ignatius Parish, Preston in the North-West of England, a community of five sisters took possession of a new convent.
The Sisters worked tirelessly to serve the people in Preston. However, it became necessary to withdraw from Preston as the sisters health was suffering. this was a great sorrow for all involved. Mary Aikenhead assured them that one day the Sisters of Charity would be back in the UK and perhaps not too far from where they had been.
Mary Aikenhead herself did not live to see her words come through.
It was in 1890 the sisters responded to the request of the Bishop of Shrewsbury to open a home for women who were in difficulties and had nowhere to go. It was only on the fourth request did Mother General feel she had enough sisters available to take on the new venture.
Since 1890 there has always been Religious Sisters of Charity in the UK.
Scotland – 1948
On 8th September 1948, our Congregation began ministry in Clydebank, Scotland working in the parish and school at the request of the Parish Priest to visit homes and organise parish groups.
Initially 4 sisters went and then a month later 2 other sisters joined them and began a 2-year teacher training course.
Not long after their arrival one of the sisters was out visiting and met a gentleman with advanced throat cancer who told her that he had nowhere to go, he felt he was growing steadily worse and had no-one to care for him.
The Sisters saw a need which was different from the original one for which they had been missioned. They acted in the spirit of Mary Aikenhead and asked if it might be possible to send over a Sister trained in nursing who would look after this man and others like him – thus began the Hospice in Clydebank, growing steadily as the demand arose. In 1950 the hospice was opened and named St Margaret’s. Today this is a flourishing ministry.
Our Ministries in England & Scotland
Religious Sisters of Charity, England & Scotland
English/Scottish Community Office, 139 Park Road North, Birkenhead, Wirral, CH41 8AA, UK
Phone: 00 44 (0) 208 510 3675
Email: srmtclarkersc@rsoccaritas.org
Registered Charity Number England & Scotland
The Charity Commission of England and Wales - No 231323
The Office of the Scottish Charities Regulator in Scotland - Charity Registration Number SC039185.
Safeguarding Policies in England & Scotland
Safeguarding Statement
We, the Religious Sisters of Charity, cherish and affirm each child and vulnerable adult as a gift from God and we acknowledge each person’s inherent right to dignity of life and bodily integrity. We will strive to ensure that this right is respected, nurtured and protected by all. Everyone in our organisation has an obligation to ensure that the fundamental rights of children and vulnerable adults are respected. We are committed to ensuring that each member of our organisation is aware of and complies with this obligation. Congregational Statement 2010
Each person made in the image and likeness of God, is endowed with immense dignity and potential, has the right for that dignity to be recognised and respected at all times and for that potential to be developed. Any action or offence against the dignity and rights of the human person is against God and humanity. The violation of the dignity and potential of a child or vulnerable adult is a grievous offence and cries out for justice. As Religious Sisters of Charity, we are called to serve the most vulnerable and needy, thereby giving witness to the love of God, by valuing and protecting the most vulnerable in our society.
As a Province we work with the Conference of Religious, the Catholic Safeguarding Standards Agency (CSSA), Religious Life Safeguarding Service (RLSS) to promote a ‘One Church’ commitment to Safeguarding across all Dioceses and Religious Life Groups. This encourage all organisations to work to a common standards based approach with transparency and accountability.
Following the emergence of the new regulatory and supportive frameworks for Religious Life Groups, we are pleased to work with the following agencies and supportive services – for full information see the links to the websites.
Our Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) for the English / Scottish Province is:
Mrs Barbara Veeramallay-Permaul - bcapitanucci@me.com - Mobile – 07974092866
For the Safeguarding Policy Province of the England / Scotland -
View Safeguarding Policy.
SCOTLAND
SCSSA - Scottish Catholic Safeguarding Agency
64 Aiken St, Airdrie, ML6 6LT
ENGLAND & WALES
CSSA - CATHOLIC SAFEGUARDING
STANDARDS AGENCY
39 Eccleston Square, London, SW1V 1BX