Church of the Sacred Heart of Jesus
                 Sittingbourne

For more information contact:

11 London Road

Sittingbourne

Kent

ME10 1NQ

Tel: 01795 428744

The Sisters of Christ

formerly

THE  CONVENT  OF  THE  NATIVITY  OF  OUR  LORD

The sisters of the Nativity of Our Lord arrived in Sittingbourne in 1894.  They were a Sisterhood of Religious Women who at that time had all their convents in France.

The Order was founded by Mother Mary-Joseph de Franssu (April 1751 – March 1824) and Father Louis-Barthelemy Enfantin (August 1776 – 1854)

In 1892 they had had several invitations to come to England, and were at that time fearful that the French Government might expel all Religious Sisters.

On October 5^th 1894, a small group of sisters took possession of a property known as Schamel, and opened a convent. The hermitage, on the corner of Ufton Lane, was originally a Catholic property before the Reformation, and was used by pilgrims passing through to Canterbury. 

Once again, every effort was made to discredit the Catholic Faith and convent life, with lectures from ‘The Escaped Nun’ and ‘The Rescued Nun’.

Protestants were warned not to allow their children to be placed under the influence of Roman Catholics.  Father Eugene O’Sullivan left one meeting narrowly escaping physical violence from the crowd.

The Sisters were badly treated by many of the townsfolk, but soon won affection and respect.  They won an ally in the editor of the local newspaper, who sent his daughter to the school.

On January 12^th 1895, ‘The Lamp’ magazine published:

‘It is consoling to find that a great portion of the hermitage grounds are once again in Catholic hands, having recently passed into the possessions of the Ladies of the Nativity of Our Lord,  a well-known French educational order.  The nuns are very proud of the historical associations that cling to their convent.  They have just opened a boarding school, which, considering the extent of the grounds, and the remarkable healthiness of the neighbourhood, ought to be very successful’.

From the earliest years, Catholic and non-Catholic pupils were received from abroad, from Sittingbourne, neighbouring parishes and from all over Britain.

Numbers rose from 107 pupils in 1923 to over 400 in the 1980’s.

The Convent saw many changes over its ninety-nine years.  There were many extensions to the property to accommodate the expanding community.

The Sisters took an active role in the life of the Parish, giving religious instruction to children who attended non-Catholic schools, visiting the sick, with the distribution of Holy Communion, and with the care of the sanctuary, sacred vessels and altar linen.

In fact, this is still a great role they play in the parish today.

Sadly, in 1993, the convent closed.  The property was sold in 1994 and developers built flats and houses on the land. 

However, memories live on in the names of the roads.

A new property was purchased, not far away, in London Road, for the Sisters who were retired.  With dwindling numbers of nuns, several communities merged and The Sisters of Christ were founded.

The Sisters still take an active role in parish life, in the choir, visiting the sick and housebound, parish council, and take part in and enjoy the social events of the parish.

The nuns from France arrive to take over the Hermitage and begin their own Convent	On the steps of the Shrine at Aylesford Priory	A Procession at Alyesford	Recognise anyone on their day out at Aylesford?

 Thank you to Susan McMeel for researching this information