Our Trustees

Sister Mary McNulty - Superior of England and Chair of Trustees

I grew up on a small farm in County Mayo in the west of IRELAND. In our family we were nine children, five boys and four girls. At the age of 18, I went to England to join the Pallottine Sisters in Rochdale in Lancashire.

After my first profession in 1969 I went to London to study for my 'A' levels. This was followed by a Batchelor of Divinity at Heythrop College and a Postgraduate Certificate in Education at the Institute of Education.

My first work experience was cooking for a year at Pallotti Hall, our Residential Home for Children, in Macclesfield in Cheshire. At the time we had 57 children under the age of five. It was quite a challenge for a 23 year old. I also learned to drive.

In 1976 we opened a new community in Greenford in West London. For twelve years I worked there in our Pallottine parish. My main work was as the Catechetical Coordinator in the parish, but I was involved in many parish activities. For the first five years I was also a Class Teacher in the Visitation First and Middle School, then I worked part time at Cardinal Wiseman High School teaching Religion and Scripture to a small group.

I returned to Ireland in 1988 and for nearly two years I was a member of the Retreat Team in the Pallottine College in Thurles, County Tipperary. After this enriching experience I was sent to Africa.

In 1990 we opened our mission in the Singida Region in the centre of Tanzania, an impoverished semi-desert area. With the encouragement of the Pallottine Fathers we have built a convent, a Secondary School and a dispensary in Siuyu, a small village in the centre of Tanzania and a Formation House in Arusha. For twenty three years I have been part of the administration team and from 1995 to 2010, I was Headmistress of Pallotti Secondary School. Today we have a thriving mission with three communities in three dioceses - Singida, Arusha and Tabora.

Since 2010, when I was elected as the Provincial Superior of the Pallottine Sisters of the English Province, I spend half a year in England and half in Tanzania.

Sister Leonie Rowan - Trustee

I entered the Pallottine Sisters, having completed my secondary education in my home town of Liverpool, in 1957.

I am now a retired teacher. I taught at Beechwood Convent School, Rochdale; at Our Lady of the Visitation, London; and at Holy Family Primary School, Rochdale. I retired in 2010 and celebrated my Golden Jubilee, as a Pallottine Sister in August 2012.

Currently, I am doing voluntary work in my local area. I am part of the Chaplaincy Team at the Royal Oldham Hospital, part of the Pastoral Team at Buckley Hall Prison and I am a Eucharistic Minister in the Parish of St. Patrick, Rochdale.

Father John Martin, BSc Dip SW - Trustee

I was born and raised in the inner city of Dublin in Ireland. I am one of eight children and have five Sisters and two Brothers. As a family we all left Ireland in 1967 and moved to Shepherd's Bush, London. Having been in London for 18 months we then moved further north to Nottingham where the family settled and have remained till the present day. As a loving and caring family my memories of my childhood are of fun, love and laughter and over the years I have been blessed with 6 Nieces, 8 Nephews, 1 Great Nephew. I also have 56 Cousins plus 25 Aunties and Uncles. I grew up in Nottingham and in the Summer of 1978 I finally left home to become a Brother of Saint John of God.

Both my Parents gave my siblings and me, a depth of love that has helped to form me into the person I am today. They were selfless and would put us first in all things. My memories of the love and care they showered upon us will always stay with me. We had loving Parents who taught us right from wrong and to show respect to others.

During my 4th year at Secondary School I was waiting in the Library and looking through a magazine rack when a booklet on the Hospitaller Order of Saint John of God fell onto the floor. The bell rang for class so I took a quick look at the booklet and then returned it to the rack and went off to class. A year later something very similar happened, so I decided to call the Brothers. I was only 16 at the time and the Brothers felt I was too young to join the Order.

It was three years later that I entered the Hospitaller Order of Saint John of God in 1978 and commenced the Hospitaller Formation Study Program which was spread over 6 years.

I made my Solemn Profession in August 1994. Prior to this I attended various courses such as a residential course in Facilitation Skills, at the Institute of Facilitation Kinharvie. I was also a member of the COPCA working party which had a remit of drawing up guidelines for vulnerable adults. I did my degree in Social Sciences.

During my time in the Order I have held various positions, such as Prior, Provincial Councillor, Regional Manager, Pastoral Care Officer, Chairman of the Charity and more recently Provincial. I have also represented the Order on a number of international commissions.

I was elected Provincial in 1998 to serve a term of office lasting 3 years. I have been re-elected at each of our last three Chapters and I have now served 12 years as Provincial of the Order in the UK. As Provincial I led a team of 28 Brothers. I was responsible for a budget of £21m with a staff team of over 1200 people. During that time I had to make a number of difficult decisions for the Brothers to continue their Mission of Hospitality in Great Britain. These difficult decisions included the closure of our Mother House in Scorton. The Brothers had settled in Scorton in 1880, so this was a very difficult decision to make and one which I was ultimately responsible for. The Mother House of the Province consisted of a hospital, a community of Brothers and also the archives of the Order in the UK. With the closure came redundancies, the relocation of retired Brothers and the relocation of patients.

As Provincial I also had responsibility concerned with the Migrant Project and the Medaille Trust. The Medaille Trust was founded in 2006 by a number of religious congregations, in response to the plight of thousands of men, women and children who are being trafficked in the UK each year. I am also a Trustee of another charity Nazareth Care.

As a Brother of Saint John of God I have been able regularly to attend a number of 8 day annual retreats. I have also had the privilege of experiencing a 30 and 40 day retreat and I consider myself to have a solid prayer life, where I find time to be with God.

I left the Hospitaller Oder in 2010 to study for the Priesthood. I am just finishing my training for the Priesthood and I will be Ordained a Priest on Saturday 13 July 2013 in Nottingham Cathedral by Bishop Malcolm McMahon, OP.

Interests:- Socialising, Walking, Cooking, Gym, Listening to Irish Folk Music, Travelling and Foreign Affairs.