Campaigner and advocate Sr Stanislaus Kennedy has died at the age of 86.
Known to many as Sr Stan, she died this morning at St Francis Hospice, Blanchardstown, following a period of illness.
In 1985, she founded Focus Point, now Focus Ireland, following her research into the needs of women experiencing homelessness in Dublin in the 1980s.
In a statement, the Religious Sisters of Charity said she worked tirelessly to support the homeless, immigrants and those in disadvantaged communities throughout Ireland and beyond.
Focus Ireland said in a statement that the charity was heartbroken by Sr Stan’s passing.
“We would like to express our thanks to all the medical staff who showed great care for Stan in recent times.
“Sr Stan, as she was affectionately known, was a visionary, a tireless advocate, and a compassionate force for change whose legacy will forever shape the heart, soul, and values of Focus Ireland,” it said.
‘Powerful voice for compassion’
Sr Patricia Lenihan, the Sisters of Charity’s superior general, said Sr Stan was a “powerful voice for compassion, equality and systematic change throughout her life”.
“While there is a deep sadness, we are confident that her legacy of a life dedicated to the service of others in need, will continue to inspire us and generations of activists and social innovators in Ireland,” she added.
Taoiseach Micheál Martin said he was “deeply saddened” by Sr Stan’s death, describing her as a “true Christian who dedicated her life to helping those on the margins”.
I am deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Sr Stanislaus Kennedy – a passionate advocate for helping those in need.
In 1985, she founded Focus Point now known as Focus Ireland, to support those experiencing homeless.
— Micheál Martin (@MichealMartinTD) November 3, 2025
Sr Stan was born Treasa Kennedy on 19 June 1939 near Lispole on the Dingle Peninsula in Co Kerry.
She described her childhood as simple and carefree, and said from her early life she was aware that some people were better off than others and wanted to help those who were less advantaged than her.
Watch: A day in the life of Sister Stan in 1985
Aged 18 she left home, and entered into religious life, joining the Sister of Charity and becoming Sr Stanislaus Kennedy.
She was sent to Kilkenny to work with Bishop Peter Birch, where they set up a social services network. Among them, a meals on wheels, said to be one of the first of its kind in the country.
Described as dedicated and idealistic, her work for social justice would become her main drive, telling RTÉ in 1972: “I deal with all kinds of families, they may be materially in need or emotionally in need.
“This may mean giving them material help, it may mean very long term intensive work with the parents and the children.”
People follow her, there’s no doubt about that.
She described the death of Bishop Birch in 1981 as “a huge loss”, and left Kilkenny two years later.
She recalled how she first encountered homeless people in Dublin, moving there to study the issue in UCD.
It would become the cause that she would dedicate most of her life to.
Sr Stan set up a number of voluntary organisations, was appointed the first chair of the Combat Poverty Agency, and in 1985 set up Focus Point – the charity still running today as Focus Ireland.
Her lifelong friend, Sr Sheila Wall, once said Sr Stan would go to the ends of the Earth for anyone.
“People follow her, there’s no doubt about that,” she said.
Sr Stan Described has been described as dedicated and idealistic
In 2009, the Ryan Report found that two lay workers at St Joseph’s residential home in Kilkenny had abused children in the 1970s.
Sr Stan had lived and worked there at the same premises.
She later said the first time she heard of any sexual abuse there was in 1995 when the gardaà investigated.
In 2020, she told the RTÉ documentary Being Stan, a Life in Focus: “I was accused of being complicit with it, in the sense that it was alleged that I knew about the abuse and did nothing about it.
“I knew I knew nothing about the abuse, absolutely I didn’t know. But, nevertheless the allegation really upset me. It questioned everything I was about..
“I had to realise what I was suffering was nothing compared to what the boys had suffered.”
Immigrant Council of Ireland
In the early 2000s, she took up another issue – the number of new arrivals to the country, some overwhelmed and needing help.
She set up the Immigrant Council of Ireland, saying on its opening: “They’re a huge benefit to our society, and have the potential to have be huge benefit, not only economically, but socially and culturally as well.”
In May 2015, she announced that she would be voting yes in the marriage equality referendum.
But it was tackling homelessness that remained a constant, her message remaining consistent: “To think at this stage in Ireland, we a wealthy country, have that number who are homeless.
“It’s appalling. It is a disaster that’s caused by the priorities and policies of successive governments that did not provide social and affordable housing. It’s that simple.”
When she set up Focus 40 years ago, she believed homelessness could be solved within a decade. The problem though persisted, so too did her campaigning.
Born Treasa Kennedy, becoming Sister Stanislaus Kennedy, known to all as Sr Stan.