Ann Crawley, CSJP (1939-2025)
Sister Ann Crawley was born in London, England, on the 20 December 1939, and raised in Dublin, Ireland, as the third of ten children born to Joseph and Catherine (Lynch) Crawley. In 1961, she entered the Sisters of St. Joseph of Peace and made her final profession on the 31 March 1970, in Nottingham Cathedral in Nottingham, England.
Sister Ann trained in nursing at Leicester General Hospital in Leicester, England, graduating with a State Registered Nurse license in 1974. She also took a midwifery course at Thorpe Coombe Hospital in London. Her first appointment was to St. Hugh’s Maternity Hospital, Cleethorpes, Lincolnshire, England. When the maternity hospital closed two years later, sister Ann felt called to serve on the missions.
Throughout her life and work, Sister Ann manifested Mother Clare’s desire, “That I should do all I could for those whom He had loved so well.” She travelled the world in pursuit of this call, ministering to people in need in England, Cameroon, Liberia, Ireland, and Haiti. Sister Ann had tremendous drive and energy.
Sisters were already serving in Cameroon when Sister Ann joined them. She soon set up a hospital in Widikum, a remote area that lacked medical facilities. Located in the rainforest, the heat and humidity were quite oppressive, and there was no water supply. A group of people in Leicester raised funds to pipe water to the hospital. This enabled the sisters and local staff to run the hospital and serve the people. Sister Ann delivered many babies during her time in Widikum; some of the girls were even named after her.
After serving six years in Cameroon, Sister Ann was asked to return to the United Kingdom to assume the role of Vocations Director. This was a demanding endeavor because it required a lot of travel as part of a team. They were tasked with talking in schools and colleges, meeting women who might be interested in religious life, and helping young women discern their vocation in life. In preparation for this work, Sister Ann pursued a three-month, faith and justice course at the Columban Study Centre, Navan, Ireland.
In 1988, Sister Ann responded to an appeal for nurses to help at a leper hospital in Liberia. She departed Africa two years later to care for her ill father in Dublin. While in Ireland, she joined the CSJP Sisters in Peace House, where she cared for the sick elderly, served in a night shelter, and helped refugees.
In 2009, Sister Ann’s deep love for God’s people took her to Milot, Haiti, where she spent the next eleven years in loving service. Once again, she focused her presence and advocacy on those most in need, providing basic provisions and access to education and building houses in collaboration with local builders. She had a knack for inspiring others to join in supporting these projects.
“I have chosen to live not as a bystander,” Ann wrote for, Living Peace in 2017, “but rather to live in this world – in Haiti – as an active participant in fulfilling a dream of a better today and a brighter tomorrow. You and I want our lives to matter and the world to be marked in some small way by our journey. Haiti has taught me that in order to succeed on this journey, we need each other. We cannot do it alone.”
Sadly, Sister Ann’s health began to fail, so she returned to England. she was part of the community at St. Joseph’s Convent in Leicester. She stayed in regular touch with the friends that she made in Haiti and kept their needs and concerns close to her heart.
Sister Ann Crawley died peacefully on the 10 September 2025, at Aaron Court Home in Leicester with her sister Jacinta by her side.
Sister Ann was a prayerful, friendly, artistic woman. She loved walking, particularly around the garden praying the Rosary. She will be sadly missed.
May Sister Ann rest in the peace and love of God.