Co-founder and former joint CEO of Social Justice Ireland (SJI) Sr Brigid Reynolds has died aged 82.
She led Social Justice Ireland with Dr Seán Healy from 2009.
Paying tribute, CEO John McGeady said Sr Brigid made "an indelible mark on social justice advocacy in Ireland".
"Guided by a vision of society in which each person's dignity is honoured, Brigid was dedicated to addressing inequality, poverty, and social exclusion," he said.
Born and raised on a farm near Mohill, Co Leitrim, Sr Brigid was educated with the Marist Sisters in Carrick-on-Shannon and graduated with a science degree from University College Dublin.
She entered the Marist Sisters Religious Order and was assigned to Kaduna in the north of Nigeria where she spent two years lecturing in a Teacher Training College.
It was there she began her life’s work of social justice advocacy, serving as secretary to an Episcopal Commission to tackle poverty and promote social inclusion, and as spiritual director for women’s organisations in the north of Nigeria.
On her return to Ireland in 1980, she taught science in a secondary school in Dublin, before being recruited by The Conference of Major Religious Superiors, subsequently renamed the Conference of Religious of Ireland (CORI).
In 1983, she was joined in CORI by Dr Healy, and for the next 25 years they "spearheaded" its Justice Commission which advocated for social justice through education, policy analysis and development.
In 2009, they established SJI which included engaging with government and civil society, promoting , advocating, and commenting on social justice issues.
In 2023, Sr Brigid retired as joint CEO and Company Secretary.
Chairperson of the SJI Board Professor Tony Fahey said Sr Brigid was a leading member of a generation of men and women in the religious life in Ireland who, in the aftermath of the Second Vatican Council, brought "a new energy, vision and range to the traditional Christian commitment to service of the poor and afflicted".
"She combined the spirituality of a religious vocation with the warmth of a deep human sympathy and the energy, skill and practicality of a tireless social campaigner," Mr Fahey said.
"The goal of her advocacy was to bend the arc of history towards justice, especially in social policy and social services in Ireland. The traces of her impact in those fields are many and lasting. Ireland in her time was a better place because of her presence in it."
