Gather you people, O Lord/One bread, one Body, one spirit of love/Gather your people O Lord.
How fitting it was that the strains of this hymn rang through St Joseph’s Chapel at Lochinvar for the Mass of Christian Burial for Sr Ruth Long. Sr Ruth had the gift of drawing people together in a spirit of love through her affirming and grateful manner.
This was so evident on 3 February 2025, when Sisters of St Joseph, friends, past pupils, colleagues, former novices and Sisters from other congregations gathered to celebrate her long life of generous service and to pray in the words of the Communion hymn, that our friend from this world summoned may know God’s presence evermore.
The chapel was filled to capacity for the Mass with people coming from interstate and many places in New South Wales as well as local parishioners and representatives of the staff and students from St Joseph’s College and St Patrick’s Primary School.
Most Rev Brian Mascord, Bishop of Wollongong, a life-long friend of Sr Ruth presided at the Mass, together Fathers Geoff Mulhearn, Kevin Corrigan and Bill Burston.
The Scripture readings and hymns had been carefully chosen to reflect Sr Ruth’s love of Jesus and her desire to spread his Good News in the way she lived her everyday life as a Josephite Sister.
The first reading was the short but challenging text from Micah, Act justly, love tenderly and walk humbly with your God, while the second reading from Philippians (2:1-5) called us to be united in our love, with a common purpose and a common mind. The gospel of the Beatitudes, blessed are the poor in spirit, the gentle, the merciful, the peacemakers all spoke of Sr Ruth’s approach to life.
The hymns, Strong and Constant and Gentle Woman were obvious choices, while the repeated refrain during Communion, All I ask of you is forever to remember me as loving you had its own message for each person present.
Ruth entered the Novitiate at Lochinvar on 1 January 1950 in her 21st year and was professed as a Sister of St Joseph on 2 July 1952.
Sr Ruth then went out on mission, firstly as a teacher of primary and then secondary classes for nineteen years. Many in the congregation remembered those days, often spent in small country schools and her affirmation of their efforts.
Others remembered her as their kind mentor in religious life when she was the novice mistress for the young women from other Federation Congregations as well as from her own Lochinvar Congregation.
All present remembered her wise leadership as Congregational Leader during the challenging times of renewal after the second Vatican Council. Many recalled her great support of the Josephite Federation and treasured her strong friendships she formed and sustained over the years.
As the assembly prepared to take Sr Ruth to her place of rest, many pondered the words of Karl Rahner printed in the Mass booklet: When we have genuinely loved someone, we donate part of ourselves to that other … that part of us lives now, already in eternity with our loved living dead.
At the conclusion of the Mass, Sr Ruth left the chapel for the last time while the congregation sang strongly the Lochinvar Hymn the words of which had been composed by her aunt, Sr Gerard Long, ninety years earlier.
The cortege moved across the highway to the Sisters’ section of the Lochinvar parish cemetery where Sr Ruth Long was laid to rest in the shade of the gum trees. There with all the Sisters who had gone before her, she awaits the resurrection..