The Sisters of Our Lady of Sion have been in Bayswater since 1860 at the invitation of Cardinal Manning.  From the outset in 1842 their founder (Theodore Ratisbonne) felt called by God to pray and work for the healing of the hostility between Jewish and Christian communities both of which they knew and loved.

At the original Sion Convent and then at the Study Centre for Christian –Jewish Relations the sisters strove to teach Christians about the roots of Christianity and about living Judaism. They also worked to overcome anti-Semitism and prejudice.

 Now in this 21st Century “the Congregation grows in understanding its vocation and responds in a new way to the founders’ inspiration. (Constitutions  Art. 13)  Society has become more pluralistic and numerous faith communities now live alongside each other; horizons have widened.

Today the  Sion Centre for Dialogue and Encounter  
provides a setting for study and growth in mutual   
understanding between Christians and Jews and
also between other faiths and cultures to enable us
 ‘to do justice, to love kindness
and to walk humbly with our God ‘ (Micah 6:8).