Lochinvar Sisters of St Joseph
Celebrate Their 125th Anniversary of
Foundation
To mark their 125th anniversary of foundation, the Sisters of St Joseph of Lochinvar invited all who wished to join them in a Thanksgiving Mass at the Sacred Heart Cathedral, Hamilton on 30th August, the Saturday before their foundation day 03 September. On this sunny morning a large congregation packed the cathedral for a rich, strong liturgy led by Bishop Michael Malone with many priests of the diocese and beyond. The relatives and friends included Mercy and Dominican Sisters, Our Lady’s Nurses, Redemptorist priests and Marist Brothers along with the largest ever representative gathering in the diocese of Sisters of St Joseph. Among these were Jill Dance, President of the ANZ Federation of Sisters of St Joseph and Leader of the Tasmanian Josephites, Mary Comer (Leader, Perthville), Noelene Quinane (Leader, Goulburn) , Kate Ryan and Josepha (representing the Whanganui Josephites), and Anne Derwin, (Leader, Central Josephites). This large Josephite presence was a boost to the Lochinvar Sisters especially nearing their formal chapter at this anniversary and another event in what has become a strong momentum of Josephites moving into the future together.
After an entrance procession representing the diversity of ministry among the Sisters, the congregation was greeted by Louise Campbell, a local indigenous leader and educator and a former pupil of the Sisters, who led us in an acknowledgement of country. The congregational Leader, Sr Patricia Egan, followed Bishop Michael’s greeting with a welcome to all that captured the spirit of the Mass. Patricia welcomed especially all the Josephites with their special bond through the heritage of our founders Blessed Mary MacKillop and Fr Julian Tenison Woods. She welcomed all Religious and all who have worked with and supported the Sisters, and especially the mothers of the Sisters present, representing generations of parents who passed on the gift of faith to their daughters, and gave them to the service of God as Sisters of St Joseph. Patricia spoke with gratitude of the four young founding members of the Lochinvar congregation, and of the over 500 who had followed them, and asked God to bless our efforts to establish God’s reign of love in the world.
The first reading (by Mark Caesar, brother of Sr Jacinta RIP) was Sirach 50: 22- 24, recognising the goodness of God all our days and praying for the gifts of cheerfulness and peace. The sung response was Lord, I thank you for your faithfulness and love, in Sr Clare Tobin’s setting of Ps 137(138). The second reading (by Sr Anne Moylan) was 1 Peter 3: 8 -16a, named by Fr Woods as The Epistle of the Institute of St Joseph. The Gospel was John 15: 9- 17, from Jesus’ last words to His gathered disciples before His death.
Following the Readings there was a short, moving recommitment by the Sisters, led by Patricia and the leadership team. Before renewing the commitment of our vows, Patricia stated, We cannot celebrate the blessings without acknowledging that individually and corporately, in actions and words, we have not always lived up to the standards of the Gospel and our Josephite Constitutions. The Lochinvar Sisters stood in the presence of the gathered community, and led by the leadership team, asked forgiveness for failures to love, to challenge what is unjust, to share ourselves and our resources and to care for our eco-environment. The Sisters’ responded as one, Lord have mercy. On this 125th anniversary, after the prayer for forgiveness, the Sisters together renewed their vows.
Following this communal prayer was a reflection on the readings by Sr Michele Connolly, unfolding especially the richness and depth of the command of Jesus to abide in my love.
The prayerfulness of this Mass was greatly uplifted by moving choral and instrumental music, led by Gregory Smith, cathedral musician (grandnephew of Sr Chanel Garaty). The Mass texts were Greg’s own Mass of Joy. Well known hymns with strong rhythm allowed the congregation full hearted participation from the opening All People that on earth do dwell to the concluding Holy God we praise your name. During the Presentation of Gifts, Dom Moreno’s Salve Joseph united the Josephite Sisters’ hearts and voices in a hymn they have sung for over seventy years. During the Communion Procession, David Haas’ We are Called and Christopher Willcock’s My Peace Be Upon You provided reflective and varied hymnody.
The cathedral sanctuary was decorated with two large, beautiful floral arrangements and on the left was the large Lochinvar Josephite banner, made to celebrate Mary MacKillop’s beatification. The image of this banner was chosen for today’s Mass booklet cover. At the front of the sanctuary on the right was an artistic arrangement of Australian flora and three large photographs, those of Fr Julian Tenison Woods, Blessed Mary MacKillop and our founding Sister Guardian, Sr Ambrose Joseph Dirkin. The Mass booklets were beautifully produced. With the prayers, art, history notes and lists of Sisters, living and deceased, they would form a fitting memento, encapsulating the 125 years based at Lochinvar, linked back to Perthville and Penola.
This was truly a day at the Sacred Heart cathedral when all could claim our one original title, Sisters of St Joseph of the Sacred Heart, of one heart, on one foundation.
Jan Tranter rsj
