Sr Clare made me feel seen

Danielle Magennis is a Belfast-born actress and writer, known for roles in The Secret (2016) and Say Nothing (2024), and more recently as co-host of the Reclaiming the Faith podcast with her fiancé, actor John Connors (Love/Hate, Cardboard Gangsters). The pair explore faith, identity, and healing through honest conversations with priests, theologians, and people whose lives have been radically changed by grace. In May, Danielle spoke at the Sr Clare Crockett Retreat in Derry, sharing how the late nun’s story awakened her faith and led her into a new chapter of hope, purpose, and love.

You’ve shared that Sr Clare Crockett’s story played a huge role in your life. How did that journey begin, and what has it meant for your faith?

It all began with my Uncle Mano. I truly believe God used him to bring Sr Clare into my life – to awaken something in me that had been buried for a long time.

I’ve always had faith, but I was struggling to find any real sense of peace or joy. I can see now it’s because I was suppressing who I truly was. I had never really given myself permission to be seen, not fully! I was always performing, putting on a mask pretending to be everyone else but me… even off the stage. I lost who I was when my mum passed away and I tried to please everyone else to fit in and lost myself in the process.

But Mano, he always saw through that. He gave me the greatest gift, my faith! Not by preaching, but by planting seeds, gently guiding me, asking hard questions, and helping me discern the truth when I couldn’t see it for myself. He never forced anything, he just lived his faith and in doing so, he helped me find mine.

One day he was driving down the Springfield Road in Belfast when he suddenly felt a strong conviction, what he called a ‘lightbulb moment’. He knew he had to tell me about her. Looking back, I believe that moment was God’s doing.

He urged me to watch her documentary on YouTube – All or Nothing. The first time I saw it, I cried. Here was a woman who felt like me. She was an actress like me, from a working class background like me. She had this wild, joyful spirit and yet, she too had spent years running from herself. For the first time in year, I felt seen and understood.

When I lost my mum at the age of 11, that left a huge hole, a deep ache for feminine strength, for someone to show me how to live in this world. Sr Clare stepped into that space. She made me feel seen, brave, and alive. She showed me that holiness wasn’t about being perfect, it was about being real, and giving everything to God.

Without Sr Clare, I honestly believe my life would look very different. She led me to a deeper intimacy with Jesus. Through her, I realised faith isn’t just something you have it’s something you live each and every day and it’s the only thing that’s ever truly made me feel alive.

What did it mean to you to be a part of the Sr Clare retreat in Derry? What did that experience reveal to you, both spiritually and personally?

Looking back, the Sr Clare retreat in Derry was a full-circle moment, one that changed everything. I truly believe I had to encounter myself there. Not the version of me I’d hidden behind for years, the one who put on a brave face after losing my mum, who battled depression in silence. But the real me, the one God had been gently calling forward all along.

When I stood up that day in front of everyone, it wasn’t just to speak, it was an offering. A thank you to Sr Clare for walking with me, and to God for never giving up on me, even when I nearly gave up on myself. But more than that, it was a moment of surrender. I took the mask off and allowed myself to be vulnerable for God. And in doing so, I encountered who I truly am.

That moment connected the dots in my life. It made me see how God had been with me through all the pain and grace. If I hadn’t stood up, if I had let fear win, my life might have taken a very different path.

I believe it was a test, not to break me, but to grow me. Spiritually, God was calling me out of my comfort zone. And personally, something I never expected happened, I found love. A holy love, with Him at the centre. And everything began to shift.

How did you get into acting, and has it shaped your faith in any way?

I always say acting was another ‘God incident’ in my life. I never planned to be an actress,  I chose drama for A-Level simply because my friend did. I was shy, awkward, completely lost, and terrified of standing in front of a class. But I showed up, and that decision changed my life.

Acting became like a plaster for the pain I was carrying. It didn’t heal everything, but it helped me survive”

God placed the right person there — my drama teacher Frances Nelson — who saw something in me I couldn’t see in myself. She believed in me and helped me find my voice, and to this day, she’s still a friend. Acting became like a plaster for the pain I was carrying. It didn’t heal everything, but it helped me survive.

It gave me a way to express things I couldn’t say out loud, and it gave me a sense of identity when I felt like I had none. But more than that, it gave me empathy, the ability to step into someone else’s shoes and feel the weight of their story. That helped me connect more deeply to life, and eventually, to God.

Now I see that acting was a tool God used to prepare me. It’s not just about performing anymore, it’s about sharing something real, using my gifts to help others feel less alone. That’s where I’ve found my calling.

I’ve been tuning into the podcast. Can you tell us about it — what inspired it, and what are your hopes for it?

The podcast feels like the natural fruit of everything God has been doing in my life. I truly believe John and I were brought together by God’s design, not by chance. From the beginning, we shared a desire to speak honestly about faith, healing, truth, and hope, especially in a world that’s searching for something real.

For years, I dimmed my light. I was afraid to speak up, to be seen, to share what was really on my heart. But scripture reminds us: You are the light of the world… let your light shine before others (Matthew 5:14–16). I’ve realised it’s time to stop hiding, time to be bold. To be a rebel for Christ.

That’s what the podcast is really about: bringing light into darkness, and hope into confusion. We live in a world full of noise, so many influencers telling us who to be. I want to be a different kind of influencer. One who points to Christ, because Jesus saved me. He pulled me out of the darkest places. This podcast is the least I can do to thank Him.

We talk about faith, identity, spiritual warfare, mercy, love. If even one person feels less alone or called home to God, then it’s all worth it.