The Benedictine sisters of Kylemore Abbey in County Galway and the Kylemore Abbey Campaign in New York City are proud to announce that the goal for the new education center has been reached. Over one hundred gifts, mostly local donations, propelled the amount raised to $205,000!

John Feerick, former dean of Fordham Law School and head of the Feerick Social Justice Center, led the charge to help the sisters. Others on the board are assistant dean Robert Reilly, law school alumni: James Tolan, Dennis Kenny, John McEnroe, Dennis Lynch, Domhnall O’Cathain, Geraldine Cunningham, Virginia Ryan; also Adrian Flannelly (Irish Radio USA), Eva-Maria Streier (Director of the German Foundation in NY) and Fr. John McGuire, OP (Pastor of St. Joseph’s Church) and two alumnae of the former Kylemore Abbey School, Rosalind Secker Walker and Juliet Wallace.

Sr. Maire Hickey, OSB the Abbess of Kylemore Abbey stated, “It is not easy to find words to express the deep gratitude of all of our community in Kylemore on receiving the news that on St. Patrick’s Day that the Campaign target of $200,000 for our new Education Centre had been reached. We are facing big challenges in Kylemore, if this beautiful place is to survive with a strong spiritual message into the future. Your love and support over the past months, ending with this wonderful gift, have given us courage and hope that it will not be long before we can get to work on the project of renovating and modernizing our former boarding-school premises into an educational facility that will be serving the needs of our time”.

The second phase of the campaign is unfolding and will entail replacing or repairing all 72 windows of the first floor of the historic castle. This will be a major project for the abbey and will give donors a chance to “name a window” as a means of recognizing loved ones.

If you would like more information on the Windows Project or would like to follow the progress of the construction on the new Education Center, contact Mary Reed at 914-420-3517 or mreed@friendsofkylemoreabbey.com Please see the web site at: www.friendsofkylemoreabbey.com