Mass was celebrated in St Patrick’s Church, Fermoy on Tuesday morning to recognise the great service that The Little Company of Mary has given to the people of Fermoy. This follows the recent exhumation the remains of six nuns that were originally interred in their burial plots in the former Convent of the Maternal Heart of Mary at Monument Hill in the town. The nuns’ remains were reinterred in their Order’s regional headquarters in Limerick.

Cork County Council granted the exhumation order necessary for the sisters’ remains to be moved in what was a highly regulated procedure. The exhumation was kept secret and was carried out in the early hours of a weekday morning in keeping with protocol which is standard practice, given the sensitive nature of the project, and so as not to attract public attention.

The ‘Blue Nuns’ as they were more usually known because of the colour of their habits, were held in great affection in Fermoy because of their work with the sick and people in need. For nearly a century, they went about their ministry, visiting, caring and praying for the sick and dying and doing what they could to help the less well off in the community. The last of the Order has now moved away from Fermoy which is why they want to bring the sisters’ remains back to their Castletroy base.