By CANON TOM DAKIN

The Sisters of Mercy from Mount Vernon in Liverpool established a Branch House at Lancaster in 1853. "The Sisters began teaching and organising visitation of the sick poor in the area." The left in 1928. Mgr Brimley was a curate at this time and succeeded as Parish Priest after the death of Canon Blundell in 1935. It may have been an impression of the value of the sick visiting by the Mercy Nuns which caused him to look for other sisters who might resume this work. He has left no clue about how he made contact with the Sisters of St Catherine from Braunsberg in East Prussia but he was able to announce on February 20th, 1938, that Rev. Mother had written to say the Sisters would be ready to leave for England about the end of March. They actually left on April 20th and arrived in Lancaster on Friday, 22nd, to occupy 35 Higher Greaves as their convent. They named the house 'Regina Caoeli.

The house had previously been open for inspection by parishioners on Monday, April 18th, 10.00-12.00, 2.30-5.00. At this time there was a special collection every Sunday to reduce the debt on the school. It had been agreed at a public meeting on March 13th that on the last Sunday of the month this collection would be diverted to the support of the Sisters. It was also suggested that a little offering from those who were to benefit from their work might be appropriate but in no way obligatory.

The Sisters settled in and were soon so well integrated that on September 4th it was announced that in future the Sisters of St Catherine would instruct all women converts at the convent on Higher Greaves. Fr Prescott at St Joseph's, Skerton, and Fr Wickwar who served St Thomas More's, were pressing the Sisters to help in their parishes also, and the news came in October that Mother General had agreed to send two more Sisters.

Before the Sisters had been here a year special prayers were being said for peace - February and August 1939. On the Sunday on which war was declared the Sisters were at Mass in the Cathedral. Mass was at 10.30. Mr Chamberlain broadcast at ll.00. Towards the end of Mass Mgr R.L.Smith entered the sanctuary to direct the celebrant to make the addition to the Prayer for the King in time of war, before going into the pulpit to announce to the congregation that a state of war now existed between this country and Germany.

The Sisters, naturally, were unable to suppress their tears. The loving service they had offered to the people of Lancaster was so contrary to the selfishness at the root of war. They were first interned as enemy aliens on the Isle of Man. Mgr Brimley later obtained their transfer to a convent in Carlisle. They returned to Germany after the war. East Prussia had been annexed by Russians and the ethnic Germans expelled to the west. It is not known where the Sisters eventually found a home and it would seem hardly possible now to establish a link.