What’s Next? Friends of Cuan Mhuire As Cuan Mhuire graduates people back to their communities, support is needed as local as possible. Their after-care program for Residents and their families lasts for two years and the ability to travel for that care can be a challenge. Cuan Mhuire has established “Friends of Cuan Mhuire” centers in towns across Ireland for this support and it is the hope of Sr. Consilio and her team that every town in Ireland someday will offer this network of support. Such is the faith of Sister Consilio, founder of Cuan Mhuire. Initially as a young nurse in Cork and later as a nun with the Sisters of Mercy in Co. Kildare, she continually came across people with struggles who gravitated to her and her ability to love and listen. “I trained as a nurse before joining the Sisters of Mercy,” explains Sr. Consilio. “I was at St. Vincent’s Hospital which was more or less a county home as well. Men would come in off the road with alcohol problems and we looked after them. I always found myself thinking, ‘how would my mother feel if this was my brother?’” Her reputation as a caregiver preceded her as she became a novitiate with the Sisters of Mercy. People struggling with addictions started coming to the convent, seeking her compassion and care. Family members often came as well, seeking advice. Suddenly it seemed, she was running a recovery program. “I had families and folks arriving for help. I had them in the garden and in parlors throughout the convent, trying to hide them from 64 nuns!” laughs Sr. Consilio. “When the Mother was waking up and coming downstairs, I was going up the stairs to bed!” The needs grew too large to hide from 64 nuns and so her mission was embraced. The program expanded to a dairy on the grounds of the convent and later, with the help of her brother John, expanded to five full residential centers and three transitional houses. To this day, Agnes, Sister Consilio’s biological sister as well as a fellow Sister of Mercy, also assists with the work of the centers. “People come here thinking they're no good,” Sr. Consilio says quietly. “but I say, ‘let us look at what is beautiful and good in you.’ God never made you wrong. Not everyone can hear what’s in their soul…so we help them listen.” Photos: Aengus McMahon “I never intended on starting a place like this. It wasn’t advisable, but it happened anyway.” The Power that is Sister Consilio connect 2019 • 57 “SISTER CONSILLO HAS MADE SUCH A DIFFERENCE IN THOUSANDS OF LIVES. IT IS MY GREAT HONOR TO KNOW HER AND SEE FIRST-HAND THE MIRACLES SHE PERFORMS EVERY DAY WITH THE PEOPLE IN HER CARE. SISTER HAS ONLY ONE AGENDA, TO MAKE THIS WORLD A BETTER PLACE FOR ALL.” –John Driscoll, Boston-area Donor