ARCHDIOCESE OF MELBOURNE RELESE:
Thursday 24 May 2012
SR MARGARET McKenna RSM, who spent 27 years at All Saints' Parish, Fitzroy, recently passed away.
A Rosary for her was held on Tuesday night 15 May at All Saints Church in Fitzroy at 7pm. Her funeral was at Our Lady Help of Christians, Brunswick East on Wednesday 16 May at 1pm.
Sr Margaret's nephew, Kevin Lyons, paid trubute to his aunt in the eulogy at the funeral Mass.
"In a very practical way, [Sr Margaret's] life magnified God, and his love, for us all," he said. "All of us, perhaps in different ways, saw God in what she did. And during her life, she truly rejoiced in God and the opportunities he gave her to care for others: that joy was evident to all she met."
Kevin said it was impossible to calculate the number of lives Sr Margaret touched in a positive, loving way.
"She brought learning and beautiful music to literally thousands of students. More importantly, she taught them about Faith and Hope and Love, St Paul’s trinity of virtues. And she showed the students these virtues in action - by the way which she treated
them. In the words of the hymn based on Psalm 103, Meg was “slow to chide and swift to bless”.
Read the eulogy for Sr Margaret in full
Parish Priest of All Saints' Fr Thinh Nguyen said Sr Margaret demonstrated a great witness of faith, faithfulness to the charism of St Catherine McAuley, the foundress of Sisters of Mercy, and ministery of the gospel in Fitzroy. He paid her the following tribute:
Sr Margaret was a prayerful, kind, compassionate and generous in sharing her many gifts with others. She was a special person who showed great love to all those with whom she came in contact. Born on 4 August 1928, she was a Sister of Mercy for 46 years, 27 of them in All Saints' Parish, Fitzroy. Her motto was 'Behold the Lamb of God'.
Sr Margaret was a school principal at Sacred Heart School, Fitzroy from 1986 until her retirement in 1991. She remained actively involved in the school community. She taught children how to read in public, marking where to stop, pause and breathe; giving good tips on how to project their voice and be heard, speak with confidence and practise readings at Mass, and how to behave at church.
Sr Margaret loved to collect rugs, clothing and toys for disadvantage children at school. Her boot was a treasure chest of rewards —chocolates, lollies, scarves and presents— which she distributed to the eager children hovering around her.
She also helped the girls with transition from Sacred Heart School to the Academy, with purchases of books and uniform that were donated through the many networks she had established. She was tireless in her efforts to make sure these girls had the best chance possible. We all loved her and we will miss her presence at All Saints and Sacred Heart at Fitzroy.
To quote Catherine McAuley: "... will we meet in heaven? Oh what joy to even think about it!"
THE EULOGY FOR MARGARET PATRICIA McKENNA BY HER NEPHEW KEVIN LYONS
Introduction
The Magnificat is one of the most important, and most beautiful prayers, in the New Testament. It is the hymn of praise of Our Lady after she learns that she is to bear the son of God. It commences:
“My soul magnifies the Lord.
And my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour.”
I thought of my aunt Meg when I first heard the Magnificat. In a very practical way, her life magnified God, and his love, for us all. All of us, perhaps in different ways, saw God in what she did. And during her life, she truly rejoiced in God and the opportunities he gave her to care for others: that joy was evident to all she met.
Early Family Life
Margaret Patricia McKenna (Meg to so many) was born in Ulverston Tasmania in 1928 to Gwendoline and Bernard (Snowy) McKenna. Snowy McKenna was a dairy farmer who was very much of Irish extraction: it is reflected in Meg’s choice of music during the offertory today.
Her sister, Pauline, my mother, was born in 1931. Just 5 years later, when Meg was 7 years old, their mother died suddenly. It was an unbearable sadness for the young family. Her father found it difficult to cope with his grief - and with the care of two young girls.
As a consequence, the next year, Meg and Pauline went to the boarding school at Deloraine Convent which was conducted by the Sisters of Mercy. It was a difficult time for both of them. But it brought Meg and Pauline closer together even though they were different in many ways: Meg was a quiet and patient girl - who obeyed the rules. Pauline was a confident, strong-willed girl - who challenged the rules. As a result, Meg was always looking out for – and looking after - her little sister. She continued to do so until my mother died.
Joining the Order
When Meg finished secondary school, in 1946, she entered the novitiate of the Mercy Order. She left her family in Tasmania and moved to Victoria. After religious and teacher training, in 1954, she took her final vows as a Sister Of Mercy. She became known as Sister Francesca.
Whenever my friends tell me what is bad about the Catholic Church – and there are a few things – I always tell them about my “Aunt the Nun” as an example of all that is good about the Catholic Church. Because she has dedicated her life to the service of others as a result of her love of God. And because she undertook all she did with love, care, grace and respect - and without fuss.
Teaching Life
For over 50 years, Meg was a teacher and principal of a number of schools in Victoria and Tasmania. I laugh when people speak of the working woman as a some sort of modern invention.
When Meg took her final vows in 1954, at the age of 25, she was put in charge of a establishing a new Catholic primary school, St Mary’s in Greensborough. At the time it opened, she had 55 students and only two novice sisters to help her. At first, there was no school at all. Classes were held under the gum trees. Soon, the Church hall was converted into a school room during the week. Within 10 years, Meg had overseen the building of a new school. The number of students had increased to 800 and there were 16 staff.
This was typical of what Meg achieved in the next forty years in schools around Victoria and Tasmania. It is impossible to calculate the number of lives she has touched in a positive, loving way. She brought learning and beautiful music to literally thousands of students. More importantly, she taught them about Faith and Hope and Love, St Paul’s trinity of virtues. And she showed the students these virtues in action - by the way which she treated them. In the words of the hymn based on Psalm 103, Meg was “slow to chide and swift to bless”.
But it was not just the students whom Meg cared for. Meg cared for the families of her students, for the staff who worked with her and for their families. She had an incredible capacity to love. All of us can hear people when they speak. Few of us actually listen. Meg listened, really listened, to people. As a result, she understood their cares, their worries, their hopes, their frustrations. And she offered help, reassurance and encouragement even before it was asked for. She did all this gently, without intrusion, without fuss. And thus, she became a trusted and valued friend to them all, so many of whom are here today.
Our family
Meg was such an important part of our family too. She took great pride and interest in the achievements of my parents and all our family. And she loved, cared - and prayed -for us all. She embraced our own families and friends. She loved us for who we are - with all our differences. Although I think on occasions she found the frankness of discussions between my siblings a little too robust for her liking!
We all cherished Meg. We were fortunate to have the opportunity to tell her how much we loved her when she turned 80. It was a wonderful time for us all.
And she was so good to my mother, particularly when she became unwell. He condition deteriorated from 1996 until hear death in May 1998. Meg was an extraordinary support and comfort to my mother in the last years of her life. Sixty years after being in boarding school together, Meg was still looking after her little sister.
Fitzroy
In 1985, Meg was appointed to her last “post” as the principal of the Sacred Heart School in Fitzroy. At the same time she moved to the Mercy Convent at Nicholson Street where she remained, save for a short time in East Melbourne. There is a close connection between Sacred Heart school and the Nicholson Street convent . Both were founded by Mother Ursula Frayne who brought the Sisters of Mercy to Victoria in 1857.
Her contribution to the Sacred Heart School was enormous. Even after she “retired” in 1992, she continued to work at Sacred Heart, at the Academy, in the Fitzroy parish and in her community. In fact she seemed to do more than ever in her retirement. She continued to share her great capacity to love.
Farewell
The prayer of St Francis of Assisi sums up all that a Christian, with God’s grace, can be. All her life, to its very end, Meg lived up to each challenging phrase of that great prayer. And so it is with much gratitude that I have the confidence to say:Lord you made Meg an instrument of your peace
Where there was hatred, you let her sow love;’
Where there was injury, pardon;
where there was doubt, faith;
Where there was despair, hope;
and where there was sadness, joy.
O divine Master you granted
that Meg did not so much seek
to be consoled as to console;
to be understood as to understand;
to be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that she received,
it is in pardoning that she is pardoned,
And it is in dying that she is born to eternal life.
May flights of angels sing her to her rest.
Vale Sr Margaret McKenna RSM: a living gospel in Fitzroy
Thursday 24 May 2012SR MARGARET McKenna RSM, who spent 27 years at All Saints' Parish, Fitzroy, recently passed away.
A Rosary for her was held on Tuesday night 15 May at All Saints Church in Fitzroy at 7pm. Her funeral was at Our Lady Help of Christians, Brunswick East on Wednesday 16 May at 1pm.
Sr Margaret's nephew, Kevin Lyons, paid trubute to his aunt in the eulogy at the funeral Mass.
"In a very practical way, [Sr Margaret's] life magnified God, and his love, for us all," he said. "All of us, perhaps in different ways, saw God in what she did. And during her life, she truly rejoiced in God and the opportunities he gave her to care for others: that joy was evident to all she met."
Kevin said it was impossible to calculate the number of lives Sr Margaret touched in a positive, loving way.
"She brought learning and beautiful music to literally thousands of students. More importantly, she taught them about Faith and Hope and Love, St Paul’s trinity of virtues. And she showed the students these virtues in action - by the way which she treated
them. In the words of the hymn based on Psalm 103, Meg was “slow to chide and swift to bless”.Read the eulogy for Sr Margaret in full
Parish Priest of All Saints' Fr Thinh Nguyen said Sr Margaret demonstrated a great witness of faith, faithfulness to the charism of St Catherine McAuley, the foundress of Sisters of Mercy, and ministery of the gospel in Fitzroy. He paid her the following tribute:
Sr Margaret was a prayerful, kind, compassionate and generous in sharing her many gifts with others. She was a special person who showed great love to all those with whom she came in contact. Born on 4 August 1928, she was a Sister of Mercy for 46 years, 27 of them in All Saints' Parish, Fitzroy. Her motto was 'Behold the Lamb of God'.
Sr Margaret was a school principal at Sacred Heart School, Fitzroy from 1986 until her retirement in 1991. She remained actively involved in the school community. She taught children how to read in public, marking where to stop, pause and breathe; giving good tips on how to project their voice and be heard, speak with confidence and practise readings at Mass, and how to behave at church.
Sr Margaret loved to collect rugs, clothing and toys for disadvantage children at school. Her boot was a treasure chest of rewards —chocolates, lollies, scarves and presents— which she distributed to the eager children hovering around her.
She also helped the girls with transition from Sacred Heart School to the Academy, with purchases of books and uniform that were donated through the many networks she had established. She was tireless in her efforts to make sure these girls had the best chance possible. We all loved her and we will miss her presence at All Saints and Sacred Heart at Fitzroy.
To quote Catherine McAuley: "... will we meet in heaven? Oh what joy to even think about it!"
THE EULOGY FOR MARGARET PATRICIA McKENNA BY HER NEPHEW KEVIN LYONS
Introduction
The Magnificat is one of the most important, and most beautiful prayers, in the New Testament. It is the hymn of praise of Our Lady after she learns that she is to bear the son of God. It commences:
“My soul magnifies the Lord.
And my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour.”
I thought of my aunt Meg when I first heard the Magnificat. In a very practical way, her life magnified God, and his love, for us all. All of us, perhaps in different ways, saw God in what she did. And during her life, she truly rejoiced in God and the opportunities he gave her to care for others: that joy was evident to all she met.
Early Family Life
Margaret Patricia McKenna (Meg to so many) was born in Ulverston Tasmania in 1928 to Gwendoline and Bernard (Snowy) McKenna. Snowy McKenna was a dairy farmer who was very much of Irish extraction: it is reflected in Meg’s choice of music during the offertory today.
Her sister, Pauline, my mother, was born in 1931. Just 5 years later, when Meg was 7 years old, their mother died suddenly. It was an unbearable sadness for the young family. Her father found it difficult to cope with his grief - and with the care of two young girls.
As a consequence, the next year, Meg and Pauline went to the boarding school at Deloraine Convent which was conducted by the Sisters of Mercy. It was a difficult time for both of them. But it brought Meg and Pauline closer together even though they were different in many ways: Meg was a quiet and patient girl - who obeyed the rules. Pauline was a confident, strong-willed girl - who challenged the rules. As a result, Meg was always looking out for – and looking after - her little sister. She continued to do so until my mother died.
Joining the Order
When Meg finished secondary school, in 1946, she entered the novitiate of the Mercy Order. She left her family in Tasmania and moved to Victoria. After religious and teacher training, in 1954, she took her final vows as a Sister Of Mercy. She became known as Sister Francesca.
Whenever my friends tell me what is bad about the Catholic Church – and there are a few things – I always tell them about my “Aunt the Nun” as an example of all that is good about the Catholic Church. Because she has dedicated her life to the service of others as a result of her love of God. And because she undertook all she did with love, care, grace and respect - and without fuss.
Teaching Life
For over 50 years, Meg was a teacher and principal of a number of schools in Victoria and Tasmania. I laugh when people speak of the working woman as a some sort of modern invention.
When Meg took her final vows in 1954, at the age of 25, she was put in charge of a establishing a new Catholic primary school, St Mary’s in Greensborough. At the time it opened, she had 55 students and only two novice sisters to help her. At first, there was no school at all. Classes were held under the gum trees. Soon, the Church hall was converted into a school room during the week. Within 10 years, Meg had overseen the building of a new school. The number of students had increased to 800 and there were 16 staff.
This was typical of what Meg achieved in the next forty years in schools around Victoria and Tasmania. It is impossible to calculate the number of lives she has touched in a positive, loving way. She brought learning and beautiful music to literally thousands of students. More importantly, she taught them about Faith and Hope and Love, St Paul’s trinity of virtues. And she showed the students these virtues in action - by the way which she treated them. In the words of the hymn based on Psalm 103, Meg was “slow to chide and swift to bless”.
But it was not just the students whom Meg cared for. Meg cared for the families of her students, for the staff who worked with her and for their families. She had an incredible capacity to love. All of us can hear people when they speak. Few of us actually listen. Meg listened, really listened, to people. As a result, she understood their cares, their worries, their hopes, their frustrations. And she offered help, reassurance and encouragement even before it was asked for. She did all this gently, without intrusion, without fuss. And thus, she became a trusted and valued friend to them all, so many of whom are here today.
Our family
Meg was such an important part of our family too. She took great pride and interest in the achievements of my parents and all our family. And she loved, cared - and prayed -for us all. She embraced our own families and friends. She loved us for who we are - with all our differences. Although I think on occasions she found the frankness of discussions between my siblings a little too robust for her liking!
We all cherished Meg. We were fortunate to have the opportunity to tell her how much we loved her when she turned 80. It was a wonderful time for us all.
And she was so good to my mother, particularly when she became unwell. He condition deteriorated from 1996 until hear death in May 1998. Meg was an extraordinary support and comfort to my mother in the last years of her life. Sixty years after being in boarding school together, Meg was still looking after her little sister.
Fitzroy
In 1985, Meg was appointed to her last “post” as the principal of the Sacred Heart School in Fitzroy. At the same time she moved to the Mercy Convent at Nicholson Street where she remained, save for a short time in East Melbourne. There is a close connection between Sacred Heart school and the Nicholson Street convent . Both were founded by Mother Ursula Frayne who brought the Sisters of Mercy to Victoria in 1857.
Her contribution to the Sacred Heart School was enormous. Even after she “retired” in 1992, she continued to work at Sacred Heart, at the Academy, in the Fitzroy parish and in her community. In fact she seemed to do more than ever in her retirement. She continued to share her great capacity to love.
Farewell
The prayer of St Francis of Assisi sums up all that a Christian, with God’s grace, can be. All her life, to its very end, Meg lived up to each challenging phrase of that great prayer. And so it is with much gratitude that I have the confidence to say:Lord you made Meg an instrument of your peace
Where there was hatred, you let her sow love;’
Where there was injury, pardon;
where there was doubt, faith;
Where there was despair, hope;
and where there was sadness, joy.
O divine Master you granted
that Meg did not so much seek
to be consoled as to console;
to be understood as to understand;
to be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that she received,
it is in pardoning that she is pardoned,
And it is in dying that she is born to eternal life.
May flights of angels sing her to her rest.
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