MORE than 100 friends, colleagues and well-wishers turned out to celebrate the achievements of a Manchester nun who has been in the profession for 50 years.
Sister Rita Lee was the focus of a special Mass held at her parish church St Malachy’s in Collyhurst on Friday, followed by a party in the attached community hall to mark her golden jubilee.
A native of Cork city, Sister Rita left her hometown in Ireland at the age of 17 and headed to Britain where she joined the Sisters of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, a convent originally started in her home county by Nano Nagle in 1775.
Fifty years later her dedication to her order and the community she serves is as strong as ever.
“I left Ireland in 1961,” she told The Irish Post.
“I then spent four years preparing for my vows, which I took in 1965, which is 50 years ago now. That time goes by quickly when you think of it.”
The nun, who first arrived in Collyhurst in 1961, returned to the area nine years ago, where she now heads up a drop-in -centre and food bank for the community’s more vulnerable members.
Since 2007 she has led The Lalley Centre, which is based at St Malachy’s Primary School in Eggington Street and offers support for people with all manner of needs — including debt, welfare advice, food poverty, job applications and CV writing.
In recent years the majority of their clients are in need of food, she claims, as they face “heat or eat” dilemmas on a daily basis, while tackling Government cuts, low wages and other financial problems.
“Collyhurst is one of the poorest areas in Europe, so our centre is in the right place,” Sister Rita admits.
“The people we find attending our foodbanks and drop-in sessions are young families where mother is at home looking after kids and father has a job with very low earnings and its either heat or eat for them.
“We want to help them, so they come in, they are assessed, we find out about their bills, their debts and we give them food in the meantime,” she adds.
“These are not homeless people, these are young families and people who companies are not even paying decent wages. The people being worst affected by Government cuts and sanctions.
“We are at the coal face of it, we see what is happening and we are dealing with it here on the ground.”
While Sister Rita believes the current economic climate and its negative impact on the people she serves at The Lalley Centre is likely to exist for the next 10 years, she is confident that the service will continue to support them.
The former social worker -added: “I am very well connected here in Collyhurst and I feel strongly about looking after the people here, which I will continue to do.
“That’s what Jesus told us — it’s a commandment of the Lord.”
See More: Golden Jubilee, Manchester Nun
