The Sisters of Mercy arrived in Yass from Ireland in December 1875, and after nearly 150 years of service to the Yass community, the last of the Sisters has now moved on.
St Augustine’s Church is hosting a Mass of Thanksgiving, followed by a special ceremony and lunch to celebrate the Sisters legacy and impact on the community in Yass, on Sunday the 18th of July.
The celebration will also serve as a farewell for Sr Aileen Wales, the last of the Sisters to depart Yass.
“They’ve actually already gone; the last of our Sisters had a fall and was living on her own,” said Annabelle O’Connell, a member of the Parish Pastoral Council (PPC), involved in organising the celebrations.
“They’ve been here for a long, long time, and it’s something that’s definitely worth celebrating and honouring and celebrating,” she said.
1. Sister Mary Benedict, her lovely Irish accent and spontaneous gaiety inherited from her birthplace Galway
The Sisters of Mercy play a unique role in the history of Yass, in particular through their relationship with the local aboriginal community.
When The Sisters of Mercy first arrived in Yass, one of the first to welcome them was the remarkable aboriginal woman ‘Queen Lucy’, who welcomed the “sacred ladies” on behalf of her community.
From here, a special relationship between the two groups was born. When the State Department of Education issued instructions to the Sisters about their schools, forbidding the admission of aboriginal children among white pupils only a few years later, it was the Sisters who organised and led many of their classes.
This is just one example of the historically significant work of the Sisters of Mercy in Yass, and Annabelle says their absence means the rest of the Parish will have to fill the void they leave.
“It has created a hole, we do need to sit down and make sure that the people that the Sisters were supporting are supported, but that’s going to be down to the Parish now to fill that hole.”
“It is up to all of us; we can’t just rely on ordained people; we as a people have to do some of the stuff ourselves,” she said.
Mass will start at 10:15am, with lunch starting at 1:15pm.
All are welcome to attend whatever part of the celebration they would like to, but an RSVP for lunch is essential for catering purposes.
Max O’Driscoll
Photo at top – Sr Mary Corcoran, Sr Patricia Weeks and Sr Barbara Murray
