Hope celebrations in Wolverhampton

At the beginning of October, the Hope community celebrated its 40th anniversary in Wolverhampton, United Kingdom. Composed of three of our sisters, it quickly found its place in the disadvantaged neighbourhood of Heath Town, serving the most isolated and vulnerable. Let's take a look back at this wonderful journey.

It all began in 1985. ‘We chose the feast of the Guardian Angels to begin our journey of Hope,’ recalls Sr Margaret. ‘We knew we needed them! The three of us, Brid, Bernadette and myself, were women from the Irish countryside, accustomed to the protection and comfort of convent life. Now we were entering a new world, signing a lease and discovering religious life in a third-floor maisonette.’

The Sisters adapted quickly. They prayed to the rhythm of reggae music and made new friends at the laundromat, the neighbourhood office and the chip shop...

Inspiration from the Institute's roots

Sr Margaret

Inspired by the congregation and its founder, Nicolas Barré, they tried to live the life of the neighbourhood, participating in local activities and visiting people. Sr Margaret continues: 'We wanted to find the most isolated and vulnerable people, listen to them with compassion and share their lives. During our first week, we were invited to a fundraiser and found that people were more interested in us than in the sale. We offered to organise the next one and had a full house! I don't remember if we made any sales, but we made a lot of new friends.'

Shortly afterwards, they acquired four small maisonettes to accommodate lay people who wanted to join their community and participate in their growing programme of activities.

A change of perspective

For Sr Margaret, 'We wanted to make a difference, but we abandoned our plans when we realised that people's dreams and ideas were much more relevant and exciting. Our new neighbours welcomed us into their homes and into their hearts, and together we began to achieve extraordinary things. We went into the estate with plans to help people find God; instead, we discovered that He was already there to greet us. We named ourselves the Hope Community in response to the despair we encountered, and following St Peter's advice: “Always be ready to give an answer to anyone who asks you for the reason for the hope that is in you” (1 Peter 3:15)'.

Thank you, Lord, for this wonderful adventure!