Our strong focus nationally and internationally is on the care of women who have been wounded by life's circumstances. This involves serving women and children who are homeless, victims of domestic violence, women in need of sheltered accommodation, people needing support in parishes, youth groups, the elderly, people suffering from addictions, people trapped in prostitution.

There is a whole-heartedness and a 'stickat-it-ness' demanded in our lives and it is for this reason that we take an added vow of 'zeal' which gives us that courage and strength to go the extra mile with people and not to give up in the face of lack of tangible 'results'.

Relationships are key in all of our communities and services and are a constant.

However, the ways in which we are present to those in need changes in response to changing cultural contexts and globalization.

Nowadays there is greater mobility and flexibility in the manner in which we respond.

Sisters collaborate with many other groups in reaching out to those in need.

Some of the developments over the recent past have been raising awareness around the needs of women in prostitution and those who are being trafficked. We invited one of our Sisters from New York who has done research with women who have been trafficked in Europe and Asia to speak at a conference in Dublin and Belfast last year. A collaborative group from the Conference of Religious in Ireland and the Irish Missionary Union have picked up the issue and have since worked to raise awareness on the effects of this modern day slavery between developing and developed countries. .

We have Sisters in Brussels and at the UN bringing experience from the ground on this issue to the awareness of legislators.

Many Good Shepherd Sisters in Ireland today served for years in mission countries.

We have now found a new way of being missionary. This is done through Sharing Fair Projects, where we help to sell items made by women in our projects in poorer countries. This is seen not just as an economic transaction but the developing of a relationship between peoples: that those who buy goods here will get to know something of the lives of those who crafted the goods, each of whom sends a blessing to the eventual purchaser.

We facilitate young people in schools, college students and women's groups to become aware of local and global issues in society and help to challenge attitudes. . We work with many groups to raise awareness of unjust structures in society.

Our communities are places of prayer and older Sisters and our Contemplative community are happy to devote more and more time to praying for all those who are in need. Several Sisters also accompany people in prayer guidance and spiritual accompaniment.

Early next year we hope to move into a new partnership with An Croi, Ashbourne in providing a nurturing spiritual space at one of our communities in Cork. This will mean that a creative, contemplative, holistic and ecumenical training in spiritual guidance will be available in Cork and the spiritual needs of some people who may not go to large organized centres will be met.

More and more people are journeying with us and sharing Good Shepherd spirituality and/or responsibility through 'Friends of the Good Shepherd', Boards of Management, volunteers, benefactors, and in this way we mutually develop our 'Shepherding Gifts'.

Good Shepherd Sisters are an international Congregation of religious women in the Roman Catholic Church, numbering 4,500 and present in more than 65 countries in five continents.

Today there are 136 Sisters in Ireland and ten in Ethiopia which is attached to the Irish Province.

Good Shepherd Sisters have 16 Active Apostolic Communities and one Contemplative community in Ireland.

If you would like to contact Good Shepherd Sisters you can do so by texting/phoning Sr Margaret Lynch at 086-0834825 or on email:

magsrgs@yahoo. com