Nano Nagle Day Care Center is blessed and open

Intermountain Catholic

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The Saint Vincent de Paul kindergarten class on the back two rows sing a song for the guests at the blessing for the Nano Nagle Children's Center. The children seated in the front row are Nano Nagle day care children. They enjoy playing and watching the older kids perform. Later they had cookies and punch at the reception.

SALT LAKE CITY — "Jesus you’re my friend. You are here with me. I know you are always by my side. Say yes, say yes, to our God," sang the Saint Vincent de Paul first grade class.

"Welcome everybody to our day care center and the blessing of our building that has been here for so long," said Jeramie Green, director. "This building has housed so many wonderful women before us who have served the parish and community."

St. Vincent de Paul School Principal Mark Longe said the day care center was named the Nano Nagle Children’s Center after Nano Nagle, an Irish sister who opened many schools throughout the world. Nano was born in Ballygriffin, Killavullen County Cork Ireland in 1718.

Nano lived in a period during Irish history when the English had imposed oppressive laws which made it a crime of treason to educate the Irish and forbade the practice of the Roman Catholic faith.

"So boys and girls the people in Ireland could not go to church and they could not practice their faith," Longe told the students. "So Nano’s wealthy parents sent her to be educated in an Irish community in Paris, France. As an adult, she entered a French convent, but then returned to Ireland after the death of her mother and sister Ann.

Longe said Nano was inspired by her sister’s charitable example, and opened a school for 35 girls in a two-room cabin – an action that was punishable by death. This began her great and dangerous career in education. She opened many schools, educating children by day and visiting and nursing the sick by night. This led to her being known as the "Lady with the Lantern."

"Nano founded the Sisters of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary on Dec. 24, 1775. Nano died from tuberculosis on April 26, 1784. The Presentation Sisters continue Nano’s work around the world today. The Presentation Sisters opened and staffed Saint Vincent’s School from 1964 to 1994. They lived in the convent, which has now been converted into the Nano Nagle Children’s Center.

"We take great pride in naming this convent the Nano Nagle Children’s Center after the many sisters that have come through here and educated many students over 40 years in this community," said Longe. "We are very happy to do this in her honor.

"I want to thank all those who helped get this program started," said Longe. "Some was done inhouse, and some was done by contractors. I want to thank Jesse DeOllos, plant manager for the school and parish, who has done a tremendous amout of work. I also want to thank Msgr. M. Francis Mannion for his support of the program in getting it done. It is a needed area in Catholic education. I want to thank the staff for their dedication, hard work, and flexibility."

The Center has an infant room equipped with a crib for each baby, and it can accommodate 32 children. It also has an outdoor deck that is fenced in, on which the children can play and do art projects. It will soon have walking paths.

"Our goal is to put in a switch-back Stations of the Cross, and a prayer garden," said Longe. "So the kids in the school and the parishioners can also use this space.

"A lot of our parents were dropping their kids some place else and then bringing their older kids to school," said Longe. "So we wanted to provide a one-stop program. The proceeds will be used for the upkeep of the Center as well as go back into the school and the parish."

Longe said the Center is open from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., and the children are provided with meals. The convent is perfectly suited for a children’s center, and is equipped with a beautiful kitchen.

Green said Longe had the vision for the Center because he is always wanting to better St. Vincent de Paul School and provide more for the parents. They started working on the project in the fall, deciding what needed to be done before it could be ready for children.

"The convent was in great condition," said Green. "So we took out some of the carpet and put in new linoleum, painted it, and bought new furniture for the children. We had a few donations, a Girl Scout Troop came and planted some flowers, and another Girl Scout Troop did some wall art for us. We have an Eagle Scout who is going to come and build a sand box for us. So we have been very blessed with people giving us their time and talent.

"We opened in February," said Green. "We now have 11 children for whom we are caring. We have eight 2 and 3 year olds, and three infants. We have room for growth because we can take up to 32 in this building, and we can also use Holy Family Hall if we need to in the basement where we have our extended day care. It is such a beautiful, quiet space.

"I have a staff of three-part time assistants and Rebecca Camera is my full time assistant," said Green. The part-time assistants work in the morning, and Rebecca and I work in the classrooms in the afternoons, and a girl comes in from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. So we are excited."