Sister Stanislaus Kennedy: A Life of Service and Social Change

Sister Stanislaus Kennedy, widely known across Ireland as Sr Stan, devoted more than six decades to confronting homelessness, poverty, and social inequality. Born Treasa Kennedy on 19 June 1939 in rural Lispole on the Dingle Peninsula in County Kerry, she grew up in a farming household where community and mutual support were woven into daily life. Those early experiences shaped her lifelong conviction that every person deserves dignity and stability.

In 1958, at the age of 19, she entered the Religious Sisters of Charity. Two years later, after professing her vows, she adopted the name Stanislaus. Her early work with the order took her to Kilkenny, where she began developing practical social services for families in need. Recognising that empathy alone was not enough, she pursued academic training, later completing a degree in social science and a master’s in social policy at University College Dublin. Her studies deepened her belief that charity must be paired with structural change.

The issue that transformed her into a national figure emerged in the mid-1980s, when her research revealed that large numbers of women in Dublin were homeless but invisible in public statistics and government responses. In 1985 she founded Focus Ireland, an organisation created to help people move out of homelessness into secure housing. Focus Ireland grew from a small advice point into one of the country’s leading housing and advocacy organisations.

Sr Stan later turned her attention to other groups at risk of marginalisation. In 2001 she helped establish the Immigrant Council of Ireland, promoting the rights and social inclusion of migrants and refugees. She also encouraged young people to become active in creating a fairer society by supporting initiatives centred on youth-led social innovation.

Her work did not remain confined to charities. From 1997 to 2004 she served on the Council of State, advising the President of Ireland and speaking on behalf of those whose voices were often left out of public debate.

Sister Stanislaus Kennedy died on 3 November 2025 at St. Francis Hospice in Blanchardstown, Dublin, aged 86. Tributes described her as compassionate but unyielding in her pursuit of justice. Her legacy endures in the organisations she built, the policies she influenced, and the countless individuals who found support, safety, and a sense of belonging because she refused to accept that homelessness or exclusion were inevitable.

Listen to Senator Aubrey McCarthy’s tribute  here

photo credit:  Immigrant Council of Ireland.