The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the Lord’s name. (Job 1: 21)

The Sisters of the Infant Jesus lost a true genuine Rev. Sister Bernadette O’Reilly on January 15th, 2022 surrounded by the Infant Jesus’ sisters and her family. Sister Bernadette O’Reilly, a former teacher in Ballymun, Dublin, has been a missionary in Jos, Nigeria, since 2003.

 On January 15, 2022, Sisters of the Infant Jesus, her family, and the people of Plateau, Nigeria, children, women, men, young and old, Catholics and non-Catholics, Muslims and non-believers, wept bitterly because a gentle soul had died.

Sister Bernadette, you were a living saint who walked the earth’s surface. You were recognized and loved by everyone because your presence was felt and your footprint was left behind wherever you went.

You were vulnerable and fragile, yet strong and agile, like the Infant Jesus, and you sat still very early in the morning with your legs crossed in meditation before your creator to begin your day like the heroine that you are, and you worked sacrificially and dedicatedly until your last moment on earth.

 You were so charitable with your time, talents, and resources to everyone, and you were always ready to help anyone who needed it. You, like our dear Mother Mary, nurtured your pain in silence and reflected on it so that you could share in the pain of others.

 You had a special love and care for your pupils, as any loving mother would; you knew each one by name and called them by their parents’ names as well. You knew each pupil’s weaknesses and strengths, and you never gave up on the weak, but instead helped them grow.

You were an excellent teacher and mother. You were straightforward and humble in your interactions with others. We prayed, cried, and burned candles day and night for God to heal you and return you to us while you were sick, but he said no! Allow her to come; she has fought the good fight and kept the faith. Allow her to come and receive the crown that I, the Lord, the Righteous, have prepared for her. Sister Ber, you were an amazing and extraordinary sister who shared this part of our lives with us.

 You gave everything you had to help others. Thank you for the life you lived and for the lives you inspired. You live on in the hearts of all Nigerian sisters, in the hearts of the pupils you adored. Everyone is somebody to Sr. Bernadette.

We absolutely love you, but God cherishes you even more. Rest in Perfect Peace until we meet again.