The Congregation of the Holy Faith was founded in Dublin in the aftermath of the Great Famine, in response to the desperate need for education in the city. It was an immediate answer to the harsh realities of the time.

The Congregation was established by Margaret Aylward, a woman from Waterford born in 1810, the daughter of wealthy merchants. She was first educated at a local Quaker school and later attended the Ursuline convent in Thurles. After finishing school, she volunteered with the Presentation Sisters, working in one of their schools in Waterford. This experience, combined with her own education, gave her a deep appreciation for the transformative power of education, especially for those living in poverty.

Margaret was not only educationally aware, but also politically conscious. Her father had been a friend of Edmund Rice, founder of the Christian Brothers, and so she grew up in an environment that valued education as a way of improving society.

In the 1840s she moved to Dublin, settling in the Gardiner Street area. There she encountered the poverty of the Dublin slums, filled with dispossessed people—especially women and children, as many of the men had gone to work in England. During this time she joined the Ladies of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul and met the Vincentian priest, Father John Gowan, who had worked during the famine in County Wicklow. He, too, emphasized education as the most powerful path out of poverty.

Margaret summed up her mission with the words: “Our chief care is for the poor, and our principal concern is the defense of the faith.” Guided by this conviction, she began establishing primary schools. These schools not only provided education but also material support such as food, clothing, and basic necessities for the poorest families. Many of the schools were dedicated to St. Brigid and were first opened in the inner city of Dublin, in places like Crow Street, Little Strand Street, and The Coombe, before spreading to suburban areas such as Finglas, Skerries, Greystones, and Celbridge.

In 1861, at the request of Cardinal Cullen, Archbishop of Dublin, Margaret extended her vision to secondary education. She founded her first secondary school as a boarding school in Glasnevin. Soon, schools were also opened in Clarendon Street, Dominick Street, and beyond Dublin, reaching as far as New Ross in Wexford, where a boarding school was founded in 1924.

Today, all Holy Faith schools are managed by boards of management, with members of the Congregation serving as representatives of the trust. In 1884, Margaret wrote: “These schools will always be schools of faith—a faith that is living and active.”

The Congregation’s membership in the Le Chéile Catholic Schools Trust has been a great gift, fostering collaboration with many other Congregations and strengthening the schools’ Catholic ethos. This ethos is understood not only as religious identity, but as the living out of Gospel values—justice, compassion, and care.

Margaret Aylward herself was described as a deeply patriotic woman who believed that “the future of Ireland lies in the education of the poor.” For her, education was both a defense of faith and a means to uplift society.

The ethos of Holy Faith schools is like background music, present in everything that happens within their walls. It is not only taught but caught, shaping the total development of each student. Boards of management work to ensure that this ethos is maintained, providing a quality of life for students and staff alike, fostering holistic education.

The Holy Faith Congregation also looked beyond Ireland. In the 1940s they began overseas missions, starting in Trinidad in 1947. By 2025, the Sisters are present in Trinidad, New Zealand, the United States, and South Sudan. They also served in Australia, Peru, Mexico, and American Samoa. While education remained central, many Sisters also worked in parishes and faith development.

In South Sudan today, Holy Faith Sisters continue to build up the educational system, which is still fragile after decades of war. They are particularly committed to training women teachers, making schools safe and welcoming places for girls. This, they believe, is a powerful contribution to peace and development.

The Irish missionary movement, supported by the generosity of the Irish Church, has borne fruit in education, healthcare, and teacher training worldwide. As Holy Faith sisters continue Margaret Aylward’s mission, they witness to a faith that is active in love and service.

Looking to the future, the Sisters express hope for their schools. They believe that with ongoing development in education and the training of teachers, students will continue to be helped to discover their gifts, to grow in self-confidence, and to contribute to a better society.

Holy Faith schools aim to be rooted in faith and tradition, yet forward-looking—raising and equipping children and young people for life today and in the future.

As stated in their Constitution, article 66: “Through the witness of our lives and through our work in the service of faith, we seek to form integrated and self-reliant persons who experience God in their lives. As they become convinced of God’s love for all, and aware of the injustices and needs around them, they will be moved to work for a better world.”