Sr Lynne fcJ from the Liverpool St Hugh’s community, was part of a group who met Her Majesty the Queen at Clarence House to share the impact of the work of religious sisters, particularly in support of vulnerable women and girls
From the International Union of Superiors General (UISG) Newsletter:
“Less than one year after their historic meeting during the State Visit to the Holy See, Catholic Sisters met again with Her Majesty the Queen at Clarence House to share the impact of their global work, particularly in support of vulnerable women and girls.
London, 15 July 2026 – Nearly a year after their historic meeting in Rome during the State Visit of Their Majesties The King and The Queen to the Holy See in October 2025, representatives of the International Union of Superiors General (UISG) met again with The Queen to share the impact of their work over the past year, with a particular focus on advancing dignity, protection and opportunity for vulnerable women and girls.
The audience was attended by Sister Roxanne Schares, SSND, Executive Secretary of UISG; Sister Abby Avelino, MM, International Coordinator of Talitha Kum; and Sister Maamalifar M. Poreku, MSOLA, Co-Executive Secretary of the UISG-USG Commission for Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation. They were joined by Sister Lynne Baron FCJ, Area Leader of the Sisters, Faithful Companions of Jesus in Britain, and Archbishop’s Delegate for Catholic Social Action, Archdiocese of Liverpool.”
Sr Lynne fcJ writes about the experience:
Imagine my surprise when on 23rd May I received an email from the British Embassy to the Holy See asking for a zoom meeting. I had no idea what this could be about, and I replied hesitantly at first until a zoom call was arranged. It was then that I learned that I was being invited to meet HM the Queen.
Understandably I wondered how I had been chosen, as it was essentially a follow up to the previous meeting between Queen Camilla and the members of UISG in Rome, but it seemed that they wanted a UK based religious sister with grass roots experience of working with women and girls.
There is plenty of protocol and confidentiality around these visits, and we were accompanied by Anabel Inge the Deputy British Ambassador to the Holy See, who led us through the different steps needed. We also had a number of preparatory meetings to discuss what each sister might share of her role and experience. I found these meetings really rich and life giving; the others are all doing amazing work on a more global scale, but it was so natural to hear about it and recognise this as the sum of all the work being carried out by religious sisters in local situations across the globe. Each sister, in each small place and project, matters as a part of the whole.
We arrived in London on the 14th July and had been given tickets to see an exhibition at the Palace about the life of Queen Elizabeth II, followed by a meal together and an opportunity to look again at plans for the following day.
On 15th July we met for breakfast with someone from the Foreign Office working in the Anti-Trafficking team, and then went on to Clarence House. The Queen showed a real interest in the work being done on both the global scale and locally by religious sisters, as well as on the personal stories that each sister was able to share from her own experience, whether that was Sisters in Lebanon remaining to care for children in the midst of conflict and war; Sisters in Philippines enabling women to move beyond experiences of having been trafficked; Sisters in rural Uganda working to empower women whose families are impacted by climate change; or Sisters in UK working with women in areas of social deprivation and exclusion. The Queen was interested in my presence in Liverpool as she supported the redevelopment of the Spellow Library Hub in Liverpool which had been burnt during political protests in 2024.
Following the visit to Clarence House we were taken to the Foreign Office to meet with Baroness Harriet Harman, the UK’s Special Envoy for Women and Girls. Again, this was a fascinating meeting and one which clearly sparked many connections within the group gathered.
I thoroughly enjoyed the whole experience; meeting the other sisters, having an opportunity to visit Clarence House and the Foreign Office were a great privilege; but I also felt very proud to be part of this international network of Sisters, and to have an opportunity to highlight the work done in so many ordinary and extraordinary ways by religious sisters.
Top photo: Britain’s Queen Camilla meets with representatives of the International Union of Superiors General (UISG) on July 15, 2026. From left to right: Sister Lynne Baron, Sister Maamalifar, Sister Abby Avelino, Queen Camilla, Sister Roxanne Schares, and Anabel Inge. | Credit: Buckingham Palace. Taken from ewtnnews.com
Second photo: from the Royal Family Social Media 15 July 2026
