Sister Clare Crockett retreat to take place at the Long Tower

The retreat will host guest speakers including: Father John Hogan, Father Stephen Quinn, Myra McLaughlin, James Bonner, Stephen Gallagher, and Jennifer Kearney.

A special healing service will be celebrated on the Thursday night, April 18, celebrated by Fr. Michael McGoldrick, and the retreat will close with a special Mass celebrated by Bishop Dónal McKeown at 3pm on Sunday, April 21.

Shauna Gill, Sr. Clare’s sister, said each year the retreat draws in hundreds of people, and thousands more who watch it online.

She added: “That’s what Clare was all about, bringing people closer to God. We hold this week of services each year around the anniversary of Clare’s death to remember a beautiful person who touched the lives of so many.

“Our theme for 2024 is ‘Come Follow Me, New Beginnings’ remembering Clare’s calling to follow Christ. I heard a lot of people talking this Easter about how the Good Friday Passion service changed Clare’s life, so this year we’re reflecting on Clare’s mission and how everything about her after that day was about following God and her new beginning.

“Our family has been inundated with stories from people across the world whose lives have been touched by Clare.”

Brandywell born Sister Clare, aged just 33, died on April 16, 2016, when an earthquake struck the home and school of Servant Sisters of the Mother in Playa Prieta, Ecuador, where Clare had been working for two years helping the poorer children of the region receive a higher standard of education.

Since then a mural has been painted on the gable wall at the junction of Deanery Street and Lecky Road, close to Sr. Clare’s family home, and a monthly Mass has been celebrated in the Carmelite Priory and Retreat Centre in Termonbacca.

Sister Clare’s retreat begins every morning with 7am and 10am Mass, followed by Benediction and a guest speaker in the evening at 7pm.

A healing service will take place on Thursday, April 18 at 7 p.m. On Saturday, April 20, there will be a guest speaker at 10am Mass and 3pm Mass. The retreat will conclude on Sunday, April 21 at 3 pm with a closing Mass celebrated by Bishop Dónal McKeown.

15 photographs of Sister Clare Crockett Retreat in the Long Tower Church with talk by Andrea Corr