BIOGRAPHY

Sarah Donaldson was born in Dromore, County Down, Northern Ireland, UK, on 20 August 1908. Her father, John, worked for the railroad, while her mother, Ellen Connolly, was a homemaker who passed away when Sarah was just 4 years old. Sarah was an only child. From a young age, she lived and studied at a school run by the Sisters of Mercy, where she was deeply immersed in Catholicism. Though Sarah had considered a religious vocation, she was also drawn to nursing. One day, two Sisters of Mercy, Mother Domenica and Sister Estelle, visited her school. They had traveled all the way from Mobile, Alabama, to present their mission—promoting schools in Alabama and inviting anyone interested in joining their order to help teach children. By this time, Sarah was a teenager and carefully weighed her decision. She waited two years for an exit visa, as her father was hesitant to see her leave. On 27 December 1928, Sarah met two other young women in Belfast. Together, they traveled to Cork, Ireland, to embark on their journey, setting sail from the port of Cork.

They arrived at Ellis Island and later made their way to Mobile, where the two nuns who had met them in Ireland were there to welcome them. The three newcomers officially joined the order: Sister Aidan, Sister Brandon, and Sister Elizabeth. Sister Aidan began teaching at the former St. Joseph’s in Mobile on 1 September 1929, just shortly before the onset of the Great Depression. She also worked at St. Mary’s and taught in Huntsville, Birmingham, and Bessemer. From 1956 to 1964, she served as the principal of St. Ignatius, later returning to teach there again from 1969 to 1978.

Sister Aidan passed away in Mobile, Alabama, USA, on 25 October 2019, at the age of 111 years, 66 days.

RECOGNITION

Donaldson’s age was verified by Dr. Andrew Holmes and validated by the ESO on 9 November 2020.

ATTRIBUTION

* “A life in service: At age 102, Sister Mary Aidan remembers her childhood in Ireland, her teaching days at St. Ignatius and one famous student in particular” – AL.com, 4 September 2010

* “Oldest Living Sister of Mercy Celebrates Her 109th Birthday” – Sisters of Mercy, 14 September 2017

GALLERY