On May 1, 2025 —Alpha’s Founder’s Day—Sisters of Mercy from Jamaica and abroad, Mercy school leaders and staff, clergy, and long-time friends of the Sisters of Mercy of Jamaica gathered together to bless the new interment site for the Founding Sisters of Mercy of Jamaica at Alpha.
The idea for the creation of this site was sparked when Sister Theresa “Terry” Lowe Ching requested to be buried at Alpha. Honouring her wish, it was later decided that the garden would also become the final resting place for ten founding Sisters. These included Alpha’s Foundress, Jessie Ripoll, and her two companions Josephine Ximines and Louise Dugiol. These Sisters had been buried at Calvary Cemetery; a site which had deteriorated over time and become increasingly inaccessible due to community instability. After nearly two years of approvals and preparations, the remains of Sister Terry and the ten Founding Sisters were interred at Alpha —a homecoming to the land which they had transformed into a space of learning and shelter for many. The site now stands as a peaceful space where visitors can pray, reflect, and honour the Sisters’ legacy.
The blessing ceremony began with a heartfelt message from Sister Susan Frazer, RSM, who expressed gratitude to those who helped make the project possible. This was followed by speeches, scripture readings and musical performances from select members of the Mercy community such as Ms. Marcia Tai Chun (Chief Executive Officer, Sisters of Mercy of Jamaica), Bishop John Persaud (Bishop of Mandeville and Montego Bay), Mrs. Kali McMorris (Principal, Convent of Mercy Academy, Alpha), and the school choir from the Convent of Mercy Academy, Alpha.
Monsignor Gregory Ramkissoon (Vicar General of Archdiocese of Kingston & Founder of Mustard Seed Communities), presided over the ceremony and shared his reflections on how we all, like the Founding Sisters, should embody lives of P.R.A.Y.E.R (Praising. Repenting. Asking for wisdom. Yielding. Embracing peace. Reviving God). He noted their dedication to the vows they took and how their lives were examples of faith, hope and love. In a poignant moment, the names of each of the ten Founding Sisters were read, followed by a moment of silence. Afterwards, members of the audience were invited to call out the names of other dearly departed Sisters of Mercy who have touched their lives. This entire ceremony served as a powerful act of remembrance which not only honoured the Founding Sisters but also provided inspiration to the current Mercy community to continue their legacies.
You can learn more about the lives and work of each of the Sisters now interred at the Founders’ Garden below.
JAMAICAN FOUNDERS:
Sister M. Peter Claver Ripoll (Jessie) purchased forty-three (43) acres of land, and a cottage called Alpha. She and a homeless girl named Mary moved there on May 1, 1880. In the beginning, Jessie supported the homeless children with a garden and laundry. She joined the Sisters of Mercy in 1891, as a novice and received the habit at Holy Trinity Cathedral with her friends Josephine and Louise. She died after a life of service on December 10, 1949.
Sister Margaret Mary Ximines (Josephine), one of the original companions of Jessie Ripoll, was devoted to working with the poor people of Kingston. After the Alpha property was purchased, she worked with the eighty-four (84) girls and twelve (12) boys at the orphanage and farm school. She entered the novitiate of the Sisters of Mercy in 1891 and received the habit at Holy Trinity Cathedral. After a long life of service, she died on August 19, 1944.
Sister Mary Joseph Dugoil (Louise), one of the original companions of Jessie Ripoll, worked zealously among the poor in Kingston and with the children at the orphanage. She asked to join the Sisters of Mercy in 1891 soon after the Bermondsey sisters arrived. She oversaw the Alpha Convent of Mercy Academy when it opened in 1894. She suffered from tuberculous for six years before dying on January 31, 1895.
BERMONSEY, ENGLAND FOUNDERS:
Mother Mary Winifred Furlong was the leader of the Sisters of Mercy who arrived at Alpha from Bermondsey, England, on December 12, 1890. She suffered after contracting typhoid and tuberculosis. The morning before her death, she thoughtfully spoke to each sister and around midnight renewed her vows and offered her life to God. She died on November 21, 1893, after only three years in Jamaica.
Mother Mary Xavier Brison (Mary) came from England in 1891 at the age of 26. She wanted to devote her life to the poor and was energetic and talented. She was elected as the third superior of the Sisters of Mercy of Jamaica in 1903. She was a gifted leader who governed with competence and grace. After a long life of service, she died on November 4, 1948.
Sister Jane Francis de Chantal Higgins was a novice from Bermondsey when she arrived in Jamaica in December,1890. She was the first to profess vows as a Sister of Mercy in Jamaica. She recorded the early Annals of the convent and was the head of the Alpha Boys School and began the first music programme at Alpha Boys School. She acquired fifes and drums from England and made band uniforms for the boys in 1891. She was affectionately known as “Mother Dee” by the Alpha boys.
Sister Mary Faber Sleven (Caroline) was recruited in England in 1898 by Mother Mary Aquinas Kearns, the second superior of the Sisters of Mercy of Jamaica. After she professed her vows, she died on August 24, 1904. She was the third of the candidates of the class of 1898 to die at a young age.
Sister Mary Augustine Bloomfield (Julia) was recruited in England in 1898 by Mother Mary Aquinas Kearns. She died at a young age on November 2, 1901, the second of her class to die that year. Her death came soon after her profession of vows. She had arrived in Jamaica to join the Sisters of Mercy three years earlier.
Sister Mary Mercedes Sullivan (Catherine) was recruited in England in 1898 by Mother Mary Aquinas Kearns. Deathly sick as a second-year novice, she pronounced her vows in the presence of the bishop and the community before dying on February 21, 1901, after only three years in Jamaica.
Sister Mary Camillus Barrett (Cecilia) was recruited in England by Mother Mary Aquinas Kearns in 1891. In June of 1892, she was received as a novice. She died on January 8, 1913.
Sister Theresa Lowe Ching was born and raised in Gordon Town and entered the Sisters of Mercy in 1960. She was appointed Director of St. Michael’s Theological College, an affiliate of the University of the West Indies, in 2013. She died on November 10, 2023. Sister Theresa is here with the Founders of Alpha, due to her vision for the building of the Alpha Mercy Historical Centre. Sister Theresa began a group of Mercy Associates in 1988 on the Alpha Campus. Their first project was to sponsor needy students at the Convent of Mercy Academy, Alpha. She, along with her Associates in Mercy, have had a significant role in the development of the Historical Centre so that the legacy of the Sisters of Mercy is known for generations to come.
From this tiny band of women, the seeds of Mercy grew and sprouted. Many schools were started on the Island from this center of education, ALPHA. Today, ALPHA has six schools on campus and three schools in the Parish of Manchester. Today approximately 4,500 students are taught every day throughout Jamaica.
May these Founding Sisters rest in peace at this sacred place where the Mercy Ministries began on May 1, 1880.
