The Beginning of the Sisters

The Sisters of the Cross and Passion were founded in 1852 in Manchester, England. The congregation was founded by Elizabeth Prout an Anglican convert and Gaudentius Rossi CP, a Passionist Priest. It was the height of the Industrial Revolution in England with all the exploitation, misery and suffering of the time.

Young women who relocated to Manchester in search of work in the mills were particularly vulnerable. These were the people Elizabeth met on her daily journey to and from the school where she taught. She saw their need, they touched her heart and she did something about it. In their faces she saw reflected the face of the Suffering Jesus, and it was for them that she, with Fr. Gaudentius founded the Congregation.

She sought to be a presence of God among these immigrants, homeless and marginalized, of her time and so let her action speak of His love. Elizabeth lived only 16 years in the Congregation and they were years that were marked with pain and suffering. From this small beginning in Manchester the congregation spread world wide and you will now find the Sisters of the Cross and Passion living and working in: England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Botswana, Papua New Guinea, Bosnia. Chile, Peru, Argentina, USA, Jamaica and currently a new Mission is being established in Australia meeting
the needs of the people among whom they live and living out their call to love and serve the poor which is the special heritage bequeathed to them by Elizabeth.

In the early life of the congregation, the Sisters undertook a Mission to Bulgaria, Eastern
Europe, where they lived and worked for 18years and while they were forced by circumstances to give up the mission there has always been an interest in and a bond with Eastern Europe.

For Personal Reflection

1. Elizabeth was a woman of her time, just walking to work. Yet, she observes the situation of people around her and her heart is moved to do something for those less fortunate than herself. As you go about your life, what do you notice
around you that deeply concerns you?

 

2. What Scripture comes to mind about this?

 

3. What action might you or others do about it?

Sharing the Passion in Bosna

When the war broke out in former Yugoslavia the sisters were touched by the plight of the people and the suffering caused by 4 years of interethnic strife, violence and killings. In 1997 two sisters, Anne Cunningham and Rosaleen Murray, were missioned to Bosnia to explore the prospects for relieving, in some way, the terrible situation in which the people were then living. Several visits were made to research needs and after consultation with local people, it was decided that the best way the sisters could help was in the area of care for the dying, since the sisters were already involved in this kind of work in St. Gemma’s Hospice, Leeds. An NGO was formed and contact made with key people in the local Health Authority to build ownership and ensure sustainability for the future. The project aimed to establish a Palliative Home Care Service in Sarajevo, which would provide hospice care for patients in their own homes. No such service existed in Bosnia or in any of the former Yugoslavian countries. The project required training and education of local medical practitioners, transference of knowledge and developing existing skills.

Sarajevo

During their years in Bosnia the services have developed beyond the original dream, due to the strategy of collaboration with local Health Authorities who take on the responsibility for ongoing maintenance. As well as the original Home Care Service, there is now a small Hospice in Sarajevo. In Tuzla there is an In-patient Hospice unit, a Community based service, and a Day Hospice. It is planned to provide a Hospice for Children with life limiting diseases. Education and training are ongoing both at local, national and international levels supported by St. Gemma’s Hospice, Leeds.

Many of those who use the Palliative Care services are war survivors who lost their homes and family members and now find themselves suffering from cancer. They come from across the three ethnic groups. The love, care and support they receive in the Hospices makes a tremendous difference to the quality of their lives and to the lives of their families at a very vulnerable and difficult time, exacerbated by the trauma and scars of the war. For the sisters it is a privilege to be with them and to witness the compassion of Christ in action.

The Hospice Board in Tuzla
C.Front: Sr Rosaleen & Sr Anne

FOR PERSONAL REFLECTION

1. The response of the Sisters through Sr Anne and Sr Rosaleen is remarkable. It is life
changing for all concerned. Who are some of the people you know of who have done
remarkable work?

2. What have they accomplished?

3. What is their motivation?

4. How could you offer the Compassion of Jesus to another?

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