WINE, song and a Bailey's cheesecake were the order of the day when an order of nuns marked the 100th birthday of one of its members.
Sister Agatha, of Brentwood Ursuline Convent at The Grange in Queens Road, marked her big day with a special Mass, a guest singer and a three course dinner.
In honour of her achievement, she received cards from the Queen and Work and Pensions Secretary Iain Duncan Smith, along with a cheque from the Irish government.
Having arrived in Brentwood from her home in Woodstown, near Waterford in the Irish Republic, at the age of 17, Sister Agatha is well placed to understand the history of the convent, which was founded by Mother Clare Arthur on April 23, 1900.
"Mother Clare, she was very nice," Sr Agatha told the Gazette.
"She was strict in her own way but what stood out most was her kindness – she was very kind.
"She liked animals and she loved her dog, Poppy."
The convent founded several schools including the Brentwood Ursuline Convent High School next door.
Most of her memories of the convent are fond ones, although she does vividly remember when the building was set alight during a German bombing raid in the Second World War.
"We all went down to the shelter underneath the school," she recalled.
"We all had to go down to the shelter and everybody had to be accounted for.
"Luckily they all were all safe."
Many sisters in the convent taught at the Ursuline until recently.
Now they help the community in other ways, working in day centres for the homeless, with prison and hospital chaplaincy services, in local hospices and with the Irish travelling community.
One of Sister Agatha's fellow nuns, Sister Philomena, even scaled the barricades during the eviction of travellers from Dale Farm in 2011.
"The protesters wouldn't let anyone through," Sister Philomena said.
"They had cut a huge whole in the barricades but refused to let anyone through it.
"In the end I had to climb over to reach those inside."
Besides the Ursuline, the nuns have founded two primary schools and two schools in Kenya.
In July Sister Teresa, one of the other nuns at the convent, returned from one of the African schools, where she taught skills such as carpentry, masonry, motor-mechanics, dressmaking and knitting.
"It just enabled them to begin to support themselves, their families and in turn their villages," she said.
"They struggle to identify learning difficulties there and I noticed one boy was dyslexic.
"There they are often regarded as slow and unable to learn.
"I went to explain that in his mind his wording and spelling were great but he was punished because they didn't understand."
Sister Anne, the sister-in-charge, remains a governor of the Ursuline.
Now retired from teaching, she is still motivated to help others.
However she does acknowledge that the sisterhood is different today from when she took her vows of poverty, chastity and obedience in the mid-1950s.
"It was more of a career at the time," she reflected.
"Now, in more ways than before, people who join want to serve the church and live a dedicated life.
"I think that people aren't joining this sort of community because there are so many other opportunities now for young women to help people.
"But there weren't so many career opportunities back then."
Before Sister Agatha arrived at the convent in 1930, the nuns played host to and taught Princess Marie Jose of Belgium during the First World War.
In later life the princess was dubbed the May Queen in reference to her 35 day reign as the last queen of Italy.
More recently the convent played host to the Madagascar Olympic team officials and the Burkino Faso Paralympic team in August last year as they prepared for London 2012.
There was no lack of support for the West African athletes during the team's time trial road races.
On Friday, however, the nuns' mostly Irish roots were unashamedly obvious as a spontaneous singalong accompanied cathedral singer Robbie Watson during his rendition of Danny Boy.
Among the impromptu choir was Mary McDonagh, wife of the Irish ambassador to the UK.
"It has been a wonderful day," she said.
"We had a lovely Mass and it was a very powerful service."
"Everyone here is so enchanting, they are all lovely girls.
"I wish Sister Agatha all the best for the day and in the days ahead."
The sisterhood likes any good excuse for a party and they have already got the next one lined up on August 10 – when Sister Agatha celebrates the 80th anniversary of taking her vows.
