I was honoured to play a small part in a liturgy for our recently deceased former Principal, Sr Angela Ryan, this week. Angela was my boss for a few years and Principal when my wife finished here in 1982, having been twice in that role, first from 1981 – 1983, when she was called away to be Province Leader and again from 1996 – 1999. When she returned in 1996, Angela promised not to set about changing things straight away, but, as suggestions were made, she agreed to ‘put them on the table’. After many suggestions and many items were placed on the said table, I raised my hand. “Yes, Damian?” She asked. “I think we’re going to need a bigger table!” I responded. I recall her response was nothing but a wry smile.

Angela finished at Kilbreda as a student 70 years ago, this year. Her peer group have met regularly over the years, but I’m not sure if they celebrated their 70^th anniversary prior to her death on Monday at 7.10am. Angela loved her time at Kilbreda and Mathematics was her favourite subject, by far. In fact, when she attended choir sessions, she was asked by Mother Andrew not to sing! She was an accomplished public speaker, her father Chris Ryan, volunteering his services in teaching these skills to interested girls. After his retirement, Mr Ryan came to work at Kilbreda for a few years as bursar.

In an interview I conducted with Angela in St Brigid’s Chapel, two years ago, I asked how it felt, not only working alongside her father and sister, but also being their boss. Angela was unphased by this, which led me to believe they had a wonderful relationship in a family, where it seems, there was no place for egos. As was usual for Angela, the Ryans just got on with the job.

It has been a privilege to walk with this calm and wise woman for a small part of her journey, during which she made such a positive impact on so many lives, within these walls and in the wider world. She was delighted to know that, in part due to her efforts, a sign appears on Kilbreda’s gates, reading “Kilbreda is a child safe school”.

Damian Smith

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