Sister Teresa McKeon: 70+ years of service to Sierra Leonean women and girls
Sister Teresa McKeon, of the St. Joseph of Cluny congregation, arrived by ocean liner to Sierra Leone in 1954. She has dedicated her life to serving the needs of women and girls across Sierra Leone over the past 70 years.
One of the first Irish women to obtain a mathematics degree at University College Dublin (UCD), Sr Teresa initially worked as a teacher, and then became principal of St Joseph’s Secondary School in Freetown, where she served for 20 years.
Following a period as Provincial Leader in West Africa, she moved to Bo District in Southern Sierra Leone, to work with rural communities, focusing on educating and empowering women and girls. During Sierra Leone’s Civil War, Sr Teresa was forced to move to Guinea to continue her work. There she provided service to Sierra Leonean refugees living in five camps along the border. The focus of her work there was again on women and girls, ensuring their protection, education and empowerment.
Hear more about the great work of Sister Teresa McKeon in Sierra Leone
In 2024, Sister Teresa was awarded a Presidential Distinguished Service Award, by President Michael D. Higgins. This marked her second presidential award, having previously been awarded the Sierra Leonean order of Rokel by the then President Earnest Bai Koroma in 2017.
This year, the Embassy of Ireland in Sierra Leone celebrated Sr Teresa’s life’s work alongside St Brigid’s Day.St Brigid’s Day, an Irish feast day, has long been a symbol of the strength and courage of women, and so it was fitting to celebrate one of Ireland’s most inspiring women on this day, in the school where Sr Teresa resides.
On being presented with her PDSA at the event, Sr Teresa said: “I think you’ll have to pinch me, I still don’t quite believe it.”
“I am only one member of a congregation, itself a member of a wide network of people who dedicate their lives and work to uplifting those people most in need. I didn’t come here for awards; I came here for the women of Africa.”
The event was attended by sisters of the St Joseph of Cluny congregation from across the country, alumni and the current staff and students of St Joseph’s primary and secondary schools, and members of the Irish community, including two of Sr Teresa’s nephews, who travelled to Sierra Leone from Ireland for the celebration.