Local Faces: Sister Bernadette Purcell

AS WE approach the end of the academic year, a beloved staff member of TU Dublin, Tallaght, is moving on to pastures new, reports Ken Doyle.

Sister Bernadette Purcell, a stalwart part of the college for the past 14 years will leave at the end of May, and The Echo had a chance to speak to her before she leaves her friends in Tallaght.

Originally from Kilkenny, I ask Sister Bernadette how she originally found her calling to Religious Life and education.

“Well I was educated by the Presentation Sisters and was struck by the giving and selfless nature of the order.

“I always felt strongly drawn to them, to their vision of education for all and their sense of practicality.

“I joined them as soon as I left school.”

The Presentation Sisters’ mission is to provide education, and this has taken many forms over the years since the Congregation began in 1775.

The Sisters help and educate the poor and needy around the world and following a short period in secondary teaching in Ireland, Sister Bernadette found herself working amongst the impoverished people of the Philippines.

“It was through my work in the Philippines that I was enriched by the people and their values.

“I learned the language and found myself at home among the people I worked with.

“The work of the Presentation Sisters in education has always been about systematic change and to bring about justice.

“Today that work continues in the support and collaboration with other groups and the focus is now focused on a more contemplative approach in all our involvements.”

Once returned to Ireland, and following a period of time as Chaplain in Kevin Street (DIT) and DCU, Sister Bernadette accepted the position of Chaplain for what was then IT Tallaght in 2009.

I asked Sister Bernadette about the changes she’s seen during her time in Tallaght.

“Chaplaincy in TU Dublin Tallaght really changed in 2019 when we became part of the first Technological University in Ireland, called TU Dublin, the largest University in Ireland” she tells me.

“Before 2019, I worked solely on my own as Chaplain.

“Now I belong to a team of ten Chaplains that serve across the three Campuses, five sites of TU Dublin.

“We have a great team of individuals who have many gifts and abilities who can respond appropriately to the pastoral care needs in the University.”

Sister Bernadette has found the change to be an enriching experience, despite the addition of extra meetings with the Team of Chaplains.

The team serves the University in multi-faith and Pastoral care and provide a 24/7 Service across the University.

“Our mission in TU Dublin is to support the flourishing of students and staff by fostering and engaging the spiritual, social, emotional and intellectual dimensions of their lives,” she tells me.

Given the increasingly multi-faith, diverse population we now find we have in Tallaght, I ask Sister Bernadette how this has impacted upon her role in the University.

She is quick to point out that “chaplaincy and Pastoral Care is a service for all faiths and no faith”.

“Many changes and developments can be seen in the time I have been the Chaplain. Our students come from, an increased multinational and multicultural backgrounds which enrich the University experience.

“ With this comes the challenge to have appropriate responses to the needs that arise when they are in the University.”

The increase of mental health issues such as high level anxiety is very evident in Sister Bernadette’s work.

Issues such as homelessness, financial difficulties, family problems and bereavement are part and parcel of the work of the Chaplain. The search for meaning and the role of spirituality is core in the work.

“I see my role as one who accompanies and journeys with the students for the time they are on Campus,” says Sister Bernadette.

“It is a privilege despite the challenges. Being present and available to both staff and students is core to my role.

“I have been part of the stories that are as precious as the people who risked sharing them with me.”

According to Sister Bernadette, having an active local community partnership is crucial to the response that is necessary in many cases.

She gives tremendous credit to organisations and people in Tallaght who she has worked with over the years, including the local Saint Vincent de Paul, the Tallaght Intercultural Drop-in Centre, and others too numerous to list.

“I have to give a special Mention to Reverend Canon William Deverell, Church of Ireland who has been a constant source of support to the Chaplaincy in Tallaght for many years.”

Sister Bernadette’s dream for the next phase of Chaplaincy in TU Dublin is to have a module on spirituality embedded across the courses in TU Dublin, as studies have shown that there is a direct link between spirituality and resilience.

I ask how Sister Bernadette feels about leaving Tallaght and her warmth and enthusiasm for the area shines through.

“I feel like I arrived as a Chaplain and will leave as a friend,” she tells me.

“As I leave and take time to reflect on the past years of working as Chaplain,” she continues, “I leave knowing that I have become a better person by being here.

The most difficult of times were full of amazing people who have shown me the face of God in dark times, and I hope that I too have been God’s compassion to them.”

It is Sister Bernadette’s ardent belief that as a University, staff on the Tallaght Campus can create change for the better by working together and supporting one another within the local area.

“I leave with a huge sense of gratitude, appreciation, humility and with a tinge of sadness about the friends, I will miss as I move to the next stage,” she says.

“The path will unfold as I travel the way.” We wish Sister Bernadette all the best as her journey continues.

Pick up this week’s Echo (edition June 1st) to see more photographs. 

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