The work of an Oranmore nun in southern India will be the beneficiary of two major fundraising events to be held in Cregmore and Oranmore next week.
Sister Louis Keane, a native of Maree, Oranmore, and a pioneering sister of the Order of St Joseph of Cluny has devoted the last 57 years of her life working in a rural province of southern India.
A group of people in the Oranmore and Maree area have formed a charitable trust ‘The Sr Louis – India Fund’ to raise money to enable this pioneering work to continue and reach out to more students. The cost of training one pupil can be as little as €100 per year. These figures, small in comparison to Irish standards, cover the cost of tuition fees and living expenses.
Next week (Friday 24 and Saturday 25 ) at Cregmore Golf Club they will be staging an AM/AM golf classic and booking details are available from Myra at (091 ) 795941 during office hours. This event has some great prizes such as dinners, golf vouchers and equipment, case sof wine etc. Entry fee is €160 a team and there is discount available for Cregmore club members.
Meanwhile there is a night of “Music and Fun” on the Saturday night, the 25th at Maree Community Centre following same with music by the Oyster Boys and there is no cover charge.
This remarkable woman, now 79 years of age, has for many years promoted community development in a remote mountain area which is stricken with poverty, unemployment and a lack of basic infrastructure. Her career began in Ferbane, Co Offaly where she was professed as a nun in 1949.
A year later she left Ireland for Bangalore, India where she undertook teacher training and subsequently provided training to novices working on the missions. After many years spent in this role, Sister Louis realised that she wanted to reach out to the poorest of the poor. Her original reason for going India had been to make a difference to those most afflicted by poverty, and so she became actively involved in the Social Service Registered Society in Yercaud, Salem District, in southern India in which she has devoted herself to the co-ordination and provision of a variety of community support activities for the last 15 years.
More than 1,500 students attend the secondary school in Yercaud, most of whom come from poor families, primarily employed as ‘coolies’ (workers ) in the local coffee plantation. Many students attending the school are faced with arduous journeys by foot to school to then return to homes barely habitable and not conducive in which to study or do homework.
So get along and support either or both of these events.
