Sister Ellen Flynn has been a Daughter of Charity – the organisation who founded The Passage – for 53 years and spent nearly 10 years as the CEO of The Passage.
Ellen has also been Provincial (the person in overall charge) of the Daughters of Charity in Great Britain and Australia.
Whilst growing up as a child overseas she had witnessed great poverty, she did not have a background in homelessness when she arrived at The Passage.
“I had a background in teaching music, and had recently spent a year doing a management diploma when the Daughters appointed me to lead The Passage. I spent a lot of time with those using the services and those providing services on the frontline and learnt so much; in particular the need to focus an approach that was not a handout, but instead one that helped the people to transform their lives and deal with the root cause of a person’s homelessness.” – Sister Ellen
The origins of The Passage
Sr Ellen remembers being struck by the stories of how The Passage was formed and how it resonated with the mission of the Daughters.
“Our mission is to be Given to God in community for the service of those experiencing poverty. Supported by the Cardinal Archbishop of Westminster the Daughters made use of space in their building (a long corridor known as The Passage) to create a safe space for those on the streets. That practical application in doing so to create The Passage exemplifies this mission.”
“There is also a lovely story of Sr. Eileen – The Passage’s first CEO – hearing that a local restaurant was closing down and they were happy to give all the furniture to the newly established charity. Sister Eileen rallied those on the streets to help transport the furniture from the restaurant to The Passage and then create a safe space that they could call their own.”
Women in leadership
Sr Ellen feels it was a great privilege to be a woman leading the organisation at the time and felt there were many aspects in that leadership (compassion, strategic thinking, putting the person at the heart of all things, to name just a few) that women bring, and is a great believer that women can bring a much needed feminine approach to leadership roles too.
She also enjoyed the work The Passage engaged in around influencing those in power, such as government and local authorities and to encourage The Passage to take innovative approaches to tackling homelessness; something that lives on today in the work of organisation.
Advice for future changemakers
Sr Ellen also has good advice for any woman who wishes to bring about positive change in society:
“Have conviction and clarity in what you are trying to do, and don’t be distracted by those trying to lead you away from that. Always hold onto your integrity and always be humble when you get things wrong.”
A lasting legacy
The Passage has been built on the foundations of women like Sr. Ellen, (and Sr. Eileen, Sr. Barbara and Sr. Bridie who came before her) and is forever grateful for their inspirational leadership that ensured our values remain at the heart of all we do.
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