Courtney McGrailA 99-YEAR-OLD Presentation Sister has received a prestigious papal honour.
Bishop John Buckley of Cork and Ross presented Sr Alphonsus O’Brien with the Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice medal in St Patrick’s Church, Bandon, on Saturday, July 2. The medal is awarded by the Pope to lay people and clergy “who have made a remarkable contribution to other people and to their church”, Dr Buckley explained.
Sr Alphonsus, a former primary school teacher in Bandon, said she regarded the award as an honour for her whole community. A passionate drama teacher, she was long known for her production of spectacular Passion and Nativity plays, and has run a Lectio Divina group in the town.
Describing her as “an extraordinary woman” of deep faith and great gifts, Dr Buckley praised how Sr Alphonsus encouraged others to develop their own gifts, and said her work was “was an overflow of her prayer life”.