Musselburgh is the largest settlement in the county of East Lothian situated five miles east of Edinburgh city centre. It is a coastal town that offers a panoramic vista of the Firth of Forth and is steeped in history. After the Romans invaded Scotland in AD80, they decided to settle in Musselburgh and utilise the land for their building operations while expanding westwards into Edinburgh. Not only was the 1st Century important, but the year 1672 set the town on a club-and-ball trajectory with the opening of Musselburgh Links – one of the oldest golf courses in the world. It is worth mentioning that Musselburgh is believed to be one of the oldest towns in Scotland as well.[1] Directly opposite the Links and separated by Victoria Terrace, is a pillared entrance that leads into Windsor Gardens, where St. Anne’s Residential Care Home can be found. The grand house was built with robust grey stone complemented by a pleasant garden bursting with greenery and flowers that has been welcoming visitors and families since 1907. Opened by the Sisters of Charity of St. Paul the Apostle, it has been a long-standing staple of the local Musselburgh community for years, offering support to the elderly and those with ailing health.[2]
The story of St. Anne’s as a historic convent and a care home takes you on quite an amazing journey. Having looked after so many residents over the years, not just physically and personally, but spiritually, it is important to get an idea of where the apostolate of providing for the elderly and infirm came from. The Sisters of Charity of St. Paul the Apostle was founded in Chartres, France, in the year 1696,[3] and after the Order established itself in Britain, it became the foundation on which St. Anne’s was built. However, you might be asking, what is the story of the Pauline Sisters when they came here?
Mother Genevieve Dupuis – Foundress of the British Congregation
Genevieve Desiree Dupuis was born in Paris, in January 1813, in one of the oldest Parisian streets, the Rue St. Martin, and was the fifteenth child born in her family. A few days later, she was baptised, rather meaningfully sharing her name with the Patron Saint of Paris, St. Genevieve.[4] At a young age, the rest of the Dupuis children saw how devoted she was to the faith, and jokingly remarked about her living a cloistered life in the future. This seems more like an apt premonition, as she would go on to dedicate herself to serving in the Sisterhood. As she grew in her youth, Genevieve was under the tutelage of the Sisters of St. Vincent, where she received a good education. It was there that Mother Levadoux, who held spiritual leadership at the school, began seeing religious devotion in young Dupuis’ life as not a mere footnote, but her drive – which led to her wondering if religious life was Genevieve’s calling. An earnest child who always sought to learn, Genevieve also had four priests, who were all displaced from their homelands, come and live with her family. Later in life, then-Mother Genevieve would go on to state that she “[owed] her vocation” to these priests, for their willingness to catechize the children.[5]
At only fourteen-years-old, Genevieve Dupuis would graduate from St. Merri, completing her education under the Sisters of St. Vincent.[6] Not much is known about her early life after this, but her raising took place during a time in France when the religious renaissance was starting to take off, and when missionary routes were beginning to open thanks to organisations like the Society for the Propagation of the Faith and the Society of St. Vincent de Paul. At the age of twenty-one, she decided to consecrate herself to a holy life in the Convent of the Sisters of Charity of St. Paul at Chartres, France.[7] Some years later in her time at the convent, the French congregation was in communication with Birmingham, where an agreement to send two Sisters of Charity of St. Paul to England was made. Arriving in Banbury, near Oxford, in June 1847 were Sisters Genevieve Dupuis and Marie Joseph Sapiens, who might have been an unusual match as they knew virtually no English – but they would be tasked with starting a British congregation that would grow an extraordinary legacy.[8]
“They will have to help Our Lord to carry His Cross, but I will not refuse to bear my part of it with them”
These words were espoused by Fr. William Tandy who was instrumental in getting the Sisters safely across to England, meeting them in Banbury. It is here that Sister Zoile (the name that Genevieve Dupuis took on when she was first cloistered) would reside for three years. Her time in Banbury saw her and Sister Sapiens dedicate themselves to teaching children who were poverty-stricken, and the congregation established itself as one that wanted to help educate children and watch them flourish.[9] As she settled into the convent, Sister Zoile began to learn English organically. It didn’t come quickly, but she did her best learning from her contemporaries and around Banbury, showing a keen desire to do so as she was always seen carrying an English dictionary on her walks. However, times weren’t so easy for Sister Zoile as she established herself in the Convent, because she grew to feel depressed and homesick. To inspire her onwards, Mother Thais from Chartres sent her a piece of robe fabric that belonged to Our Lady.[10]
The Growth of the Congregation and Mother Genevieve Dupuis’ Legacy
Many years later, of the two Sisters who originally crossed the English Channel, Sister Zoile, who founded the English congregation, would become Mother Superior at Banbury. Before a decade had passed, there were eight convents and thirty years later, by 1890, England and Wales saw an incredible fifty-two convents and 384 Sisters of Charity of St. Paul the Apostle.[11] Mother Genevieve’s roadmap for the British congregation was fulfilled, as the number of Sisters was expanding and more children were being educated, the nations elderly looked after and in 1864, St. Paul’s Convent, the Mother House, was built in Selly Park, Birmingham, where Mother Genevieve would relocate from Banbury and live out the rest of her days.[12]
In an 1896 letter she sent from St. Paul’s Convent to Mother La Croix Birch in Chartres, Mother Genevieve Dupuis stated that around 19,000 children were being tutored by branch houses across the country. Some were orphans who resided in the premises. Noted, too, was the Sister’s involvement in hospices, where they visited and cared for the sick.[13]
Mother Genevieve Dupuis passed away on 25th September, 1903 at the Mother House in the Birmingham suburb of Selly Park. She was ninety-years-old.[14]
St. Anne’s
The Sisters of Charity of St. Paul the Apostle sought to fulfil the tenets of practical charity, care and love, that Mother Genevieve Dupuis so deeply valued, at St. Anne’s Residential Care Home. More than a century ago, they came to serve the elderly and infirm through the apostolate that inspired Mother Dupuis and, in turn, those who followed her. Since then, the home has received an abundance of residents into their care. In the words of Sister Kathleen Neenan, who was the leader of the British Congregation of the Sisters of Charity of St. Paul:
“There is ample evidence that the Mission Statement of St. Anne’s, “to meet the needs of frail and elderly Residents, enabling them to maintain the activities of daily living in an atmosphere of care, peace and comfort” is lived out here.”[15]
Originally, the convent, known as the “Catholic Convalescent Home and House of Rest, St. Anne’s” in 1907, was based in Bellfield Avenue, Musselburgh. It was later in 1907 that the Sisters occupied the Victorian building in Windsor Gardens, where the Home remains steadfast in its mission to serve the elderly and infirm of today. However, the apostolate of the Sisters at St. Anne’s also included catechizing the children:
“Then, in 1907, the Sister’s returned to Scotland to Galashiels and to Musselburgh to teach in parish schools and to run St. Anne’s Home in Musselburgh.”[16]
These words by Sister Anne Cunningham remind us that St. Anne’s had a lot of involvement with the local Catholic school in Musselburgh, Our Lady of Loretto, which would have been where they catechised and educated the children.
Life in Present Day St. Anne’s
Mass is celebrated in the Home’s Sister’s Chapel, which sees some of the residents and local parishioners attend and receive the Blessed Sacrament weekly. It is estimated that there are 50 congregants every weekend, and is made up of a blend of different people from all backgrounds. Sr Collette O’Byrne, who has recently retired after twenty years of service at the Home, shared: “It’s really good to open [the chapel] doors. Everybody brings their own faith, and that’s what completes the picture”. For over 100 years, the chapel has held Mass and services for the local community. Sr Collette gave me a lot of her time, and as we were speaking, she shared some highlights from her ministry at the Home. When Sr Collette took up the apostolate at St. Anne’s, she was joined by Sisters Elaine McCarthy and Bernadette Noble. The three Sisters made a point of visiting and speaking with the residents every day. “Pastoral care has always been highly placed in our ministry,” Sr Collete continued, “We would speak to their relatives too, and sit with the residents who were facing illness”. The Sisters were accompanied by resident chaplains Fr John and later Fr George, who were very attentive to and popular among the inhabitants and parishioners. These days were described as ones of “blessed joy” for those at St. Anne’s, and together, the clergy and Sisters alike provided spiritual nourishment.
The local community relishes the presence that St. Anne’s has in Musselburgh, and the Home holds a very special place in the hearts of those around it. The history of St. Anne’s as a convent where Sisters were sent forth to catechise, serve the elderly and infirm and spread the Gospel, remains a very dear one to the locals and the preservation of chapel life going forward is important to them. The ‘Ad Extra’ approach to Christian evangelism is best exemplified in the way that Sisters Collette, Elaine and Bernadette would invite the local, non-Roman Catholic churches to the Sister’s Chapel for January Christian Unity Week. Ecumenism meant building bridges with the Christian townspeople, and that was paramount for the Sisters. Having everyone round to the chapel meant that Christian’s were united in prayer, regardless of their denomination, and this helped bridge any gaps between the various traditions. The Sisters also celebrated the Women’s Day of Prayer, encouraging the women of the area to gather in faith, to pray for things of importance, and give thanks. All of this meant that St. Anne’s was still acting as a pillar of the community in the present, and the people of Musselburgh responded positively to the Sisters invitations to these prayer meetings. In the words of Sr Collette, “Everyone brought a blessing on St. Anne’s [during prayer weeks]”.
As a result of the agape approach that the Sisters took to building faith unity in Musselburgh, a lot of the local parishes have embraced St. Anne’s for its inviting presence in the town. This has been the case for over 100 years, and the Sister’s Chapel has seen many come and go, leaving behind stories and memories of joy. The support that Musselburgh has provided St. Anne’s hasn’t gone unnoticed, and throughout the years, many who came and contributed to the life and culture of the Home and chapel, have encouraged and inspired all who carried the apostolate there.
Mother Genevieve Dupuis founded the British Congregation on the principles of showing practical love, compassionate care and devotion - to not only God - but the young, elderly, infirm and wider community. St. Anne’s has kept the spirit of Dupuis going through care of the elderly, Christian outreach and the Mass, with the convent still infused with the living imprint of the Sisters’ tenderness. All the aforementioned makes up the physical and spiritual tapestry that is St. Anne’s, and makes for a very warm reflection on the legacy that religious living can leave behind.