Sr Mary Paul, was the last member of the Our Lady Help of Christians congregation.
It’s the end of an era with the passing of Sister Mary Paul, the last of the Our Lady Help of Christians congregation, who has entered eternal life aged 99, The Catholic Weekly reports.
Affectionately known as “God’s Housekeepers”, they were a special group of women whose congregation took shape in Australia in the 1920s.
Established to minister among the Indigenous people of remote Western Australia, due to dwindling numbers and an ageing population, they accepted an offer to relocate to NSW and set up a small community to look after the domestic duties at the seminaries of St Columba’s at Springwood and then St Patrick’s at Manly.
Loved and respected by all who knew them, the dedicated women, led by Sr Paul, demonstrated a life of dedication and commitment to hard work inspired by their faith which impressed many.
Born Elizabeth Brigid Killian in Ireland and one of 10 children, Sr Paul entered the congregation in 1954 after reading their brochure at St Mary’s Cathedral ironically, where her funeral was held 65 years later.
Unlike many of the founding members of the Congregation, she didn’t have a desire to work in the missions, she was actually attracted by the hard work they did looking after seminarians and clergy.
Retired Sydney auxiliary Bishop Geoffrey Robinson, the nephew of Sr Joseph, a member of the order, said theirs is a remarkable story of perseverance, hard work and faith.
Sydney priests bear the coffin of Sister Mary Paul out of St Mary’s Cathedral on 27 August. Photo: Funeral Video Australia/Catholic Weekly.
“I first met them as a small baby when I visited and don’t think there was a single one of the sisters that didn’t take a turn of nursing me so I’ve known them all my life,” he said.
“Beginning in Perth with the sisters of St John of God who ran a hospital, their longing was for the poorest of the poor and they moved to the Kimberley’s and supported the indigenous communities.
“However, one of the sisters died suddenly and they were called back to Perth before being offered a base in Springwood in NSW.
A former member of the congregation, Sr Bernadette, now known as Marie Frankham, was one of the last to join the order and left after nearly 20 years due to the dwindling numbers.
She said despite loving the work, she could see the “writing on the wall” for the order and has since married and is living on the Central Coast.
“If the numbers were flourishing I’d still be there, but as there were so few of us I knew there was no real future for us and I would virtually be left on my own,” she said.
“It was such a hard decision because I absolutely loved the work and it really was a privilege to be part of the life of current and future priests.
“It is very, very sad that the end of the order has come, we were so appreciated and played such a big role in the lives of so many Sydney priests for so many decades, I can honestly say I don’t regret a minute of it.”
This is an abridged version of an article by Debbie Cramsie, published in The Catholic Weekly. Read the full article here.