Routledge Studies in Religion

This book offers an in-depth study of Catholic sisters in Northern Ireland during the Troubles, covering the period 1968-2008 from the outbreak of conflict into the era of peace. It investigates the experiences of sisters as they negotiated a changing religious and social landscape alongside the demands of a hierarchical institutional structure and visceral, incessant violence. Drawing on interviews with sisters from 14 religious institutes, the author examines the challenging ministries of those who were educators, nurses, parish sisters and peacemakers, and places their activism within the context of Catholic social teaching and their response to the call of Vatican II (1962-1965) to 'read the signs of the time' and 'aid humanity effectively'. Engaging in debate surrounding oral testimony, identity, feminism and trauma, their life stories are integrated into the cultural and political climate in which the sisters lived and worked, exposing the complexities of societies at war and the personal and social transformation that comes with peace. The book enriches our understanding of religious life in Northern Ireland during the latter part of the twentieth century and will be of interest to scholars of Catholic studies, peace and conflict studies, oral history, gender studies and Irish studies.