Teresa Kearney

Family Teresa Kearney was born in Knockenrahan, Arklow, County Wicklow, on 28 April 1875 as the third daughter of farmer Michael Kearney and Teresa Kearney. Her maternal grandmother, Grannie Grenell, then raised Kearney in Curranstown, County Wicklow. Grannie Grenell had a profound impact on Kearny's spiritual beliefs and deep faith. When Kearney was 17, Grannie Grenell died. Education Kearney attended local convent school in Arklow following her mother's death. In 1889, following her grandmother's death, Kearney went to the Convent of Mercy at Rathdrum, County Wicklow to train as an assistant teacher. She did not have the finances to pay for training, and became a junior assistant mistress at 17. == Career ==

Early work Kearney went to teach in a school run by the Sisters of Charity in Essex, England. Promotion of female education Kearney is credited for promoting higher education in Catholic African women in her mission. In 1923, she founded the Little Sisters of St. Francis, a community of African nuns for teaching and nursing. This program started with only eight local girls. A year later, Kearney and Evelyn Connolly, a lay missionary, founded a nursing and midwifery school in Nsambya. Their goal was to promote the education of women throughout Uganda. Creation of Franciscan Missionary Sisters for Africa In September 1928, Kearney returned to England to establish a novitiate exclusively for training sisters for African missions. The novitiate was officially opened in 1929 in Holme Hall, East Riding of Yorkshire. Many women from England, Scotland and Ireland travelled to Holme Hall to assist the missionary efforts. This created a shortage for the Mill Hill Fathers, who also needed sisters for their school in England and American missions. Upon realization of this divide, Kearney and the Mill Hill Fathers broke off from each other. On 9 June 1952 the new congregation of the Franciscan Missionary Sisters for Africa was founded by Kearney. Kearney was appointed the first superior-general. Mount Oliver, Dundalk, became the motherhouse for this new congregation. With the formation of the FMSA, Kearney expanded the missionary work to Uganda, Kenya, Zambia, the US, Scotland, and South Africa. Retirement Kearney retired in 1955 at age 80. During retirement, she was appointed Superior of a convent in Boston, Mass. and raised funds for African projects. She travelled and talked to donors to garner support for projects in Africa. == Death ==

On 17 October 1957, Kearney died at the age of 82 in Brighton, Massachusetts. The Little Sisters of St. Francis currently has over 500 members throughout Africa, Awards In 1918, Kearney was made Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for her work during the war. In 1955, she was also awarded the Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice by Pope Pius XI, for her work in Uganda. == References ==