by Sr. Phyllis Heaney MMM (1937 – 2019)                          Ireland                                    05.08.2024

Killybegs, a small town in Co. Donegal, has a special place in the heart of many senior MMM Sisters as being their holiday home for many years. Sr. Phyllis tells of her time there as one of the permanent staff.

Just after my First Profession in May 1963, I was missioned to Killybegs to help Sr. Perpetua Kelly in caring for the retired and elderly Bishop B. McGinley and running “Bruach na Mara” which was our holiday house.  At that time Killybegs was a beautiful little fishing village nestled in the hills of Donegal.  It was made up of the old harbour (near the sanatorium) and the new harbour, which was a hum of activity with Donegal and Kerry fishermen.  There were also boat builders and little shops spread around the cosy village with the church on the hill overlooking it all.  The doctor there was Dr. Clarke, a brother of our own Sr. Monica Clarke.  This was to be my village for almost six very happy years.

On arrival, I received a great welcome from Sr. Perpetua and His Lordship, the Bishop.  The Bishop had been the first Bishop of Manila in the Philippines, and later Bishop of Monteroy-Fresno in California, which was to become his last resting place.  The house in Killybegs was built for him by his family and it became his residence when he retired there for health reasons in the early 1960s.  As well as being in poor health, the Bishop was blind.  He gave the house to MMM in return for our undertaking to take care of him.  It was a beautiful, spacious building and a haven of tranquillity.  It was situated off the main road, overlooking the harbour, and was an ideal place for an MMM holiday house.

Sr. Perpetua was the Bishop’s “eyes” as well as his carer.  She was one of the Sisters who was such an inspiration to me; her sense of God’s call for her, her dedication to her mission, her prayer life, her devotion to the Blessed Sacrament, her love of the Mass, her care for the people, especially the poor.  Then she got me as her helper.  I had good experience in cooking and from my own home I had learned to be a good housekeeper, all of which helped in the smooth running of the house.  We worked well together and lived happily.  I thank God for her part in the early part of my MMM life.

Sr. Perpetua and I shared many a laugh about amusing moments.  She was very well kniwn in the village, she prayed for all the intentions and kept an eye out for the poor.  She provided an easy entry for me into the lives of so many people. I used to bring the letters to the Post Office every afternoon at 3.30pm, so it was an opportunity to be in the village and to meet the local people.  It was there I had one of my first meetings with a person with a handicap as a result of polio.  I also met families with various problems, so this increased my sensitivity to those around me and stirred me to be a presence of His loving care.  We had many friends among the fishermen and were supplied with fresh fish almost every day, free of charge.

During my time there, Killybegs grew and grew as the harbour was developed.  We joined in the excitement when the first radar fishing boat came into the harbour.  We shared in the joy of the people as boat builders got busy with more and more work, and when the new shop and even a supermarket appeared.  There was also the pain of loss when there was an accident at sea and local men drowned.

“Bruach na Mara” which means “The Edge of the Ocean”.  Killybegs, was opened as an MMM Holliday house in 1952 and was closed in 1972.Because of it, Killybegs will always be special to me.