Sister Dorothy Brogan reaches 70 years with Sisters of Bon Secours in Maryland

Sister Dorothy Brogan celebrated her 70-year Jubilee with the Sisters of Bon Secours at a ceremony in Marriottsville, Maryland, USA, on May 20.

Her brother Danny and his wife Tina travelled to the US to join the large number of the extended Brogan family who live in Philadelphia and other parts of America for the celebrations. Dorothy was born in Munterneese, Mountcharles in 1933, emigrated to Philadelphia in 1950 and entered the convent in 1952. She took her final vows in 1960 and worked as a nurse in Pennsylvania for many years.

She also worked in Miami and Port Charlotte, Florida and ministered to the sick with the Sisters of Bon Secours in Riobamba Ecuador in the 1990s before returning to the U.S. in 2000. Dorothy became the chaplain in St Francis’s Hospital in Greenville, South Carolina and subsequently chaplain of the palliative care team working with hospice and palliative care patients. She continues to minister to patients in the St Francis’s Cancer centre.

Sister Dorothy, right, with her brother Danny and sister Patricia

“My journey in religious life has opened many doors of opportunity and challenges through which I have grown personally, spiritually and professionally," says Sr Dorothy, who has also been a member of the Sisters of Bon Secours Vocations team and served as president of Bon Secours St Francis Health System Foundation and on the local health system's ethics committee.

"I received a wonderful gift to be able to follow in the footsteps of all the Sisters of Bon Secours who came before me. My ministry working with the sick and dying directly reflects the mission and charism of the Sisters of Bon Secours and I see
God's work very much alive in the faith and courage of the sick. I also am blessed to have my community of sisters, who have taken the journey with me throughout.”

Congratulations were passed onto Dorothy on this momentous achievement as she approaches her 90th birthday in July. Dorothy still lives a very active life, she loves the outdoors, listening to music and reading a good book and loves to visit family. She has made many journeys to her home in Doorin over the years.