The sudden and unexpected death of Sr Carmel Hanson rsj stunned not only the members of her family and her Congregation but many hundreds of people across the city of Newcastle. For decades, Sr Carmel had been a respected voice for the many people who came to her seeking assistance in the harsh realities of their lives.
They were among the assembly that filled the Sacred Heart Cathedral in Hamilton on 10 February 2025 to acknowledge her life of service, honour her memory and to participate in the Mass of Christian Burial for her eternal rest.
In attendance was Most Rev Michael Kennedy, Bishop of Maitland-Newcastle who graciously acceded to Bishop Brian Mascord’s presiding at the Mass, as he had been one of Sr Carmel’s life-long friends. A number of priests who had worked with her over the years concelebrated with them.
The scripture texts consciously chosen, revealed the inspiration for Sr Carmel’s long quest for justice. The first reading was from Ecclesiastes (3:1-11): There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens. The second reading from the letter of James clearly stated that Pure, unspoilt religion … is this: coming to the help of orphans and widows in their hardships. The Gospel was from Matthew 25: 31-40: Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me.
Carmel entered the novitiate of the Sisters of St Joseph, Lochinvar, on 2 February, 1965, was professed 1 August 1967, and after teacher training in Canberra, spent some years as a classroom teacher and Principal in Josephite Primary schools.
In 1983 her ministry changed direction when after further study, Sr Carmel began working with the then Department of Community Services in the area of child protection and juvenile justice. That experience put her on the path of advocacy – to speak for those with no voice: the homeless, asylum seekers, refugees, women victims of domestic violence and others.
This took the form of working with the St Vincent de Paul Society as a counsellor and solicitor, being a member of the Josephite Justice Network, a Disaster Chaplain, a volunteer migration lawyer and especially as the founder and coordinator of the House of Hospitality in Newcastle.
In 1991, Sr Carmel established the House with the support and involvement of a group of men and women who were motivated by the same Gospel values. It was much more than a place to live. It provided a safe and supportive environment that assisted people to take control of their lives. During its thirty-four years of operating, it has assisted more than 1300 people.
Sr Carmel was publicly recognised for her services to the most needy in the community with an OAM in 1999; an Overseas Humanitarian Services Medal for her work in East Timor and in 2024, she was honoured as Newcastle’s Local Woman of the Year.
Throughout her life, Sr Carmel took to heart the words from our Josephite Constitutions: Inspired by our charism for the poor and in keeping with our Josephite tradition, our mission is expressed in ministries to the deprived, degraded and disadvantaged in whatever circumstances of life they may be. (Constitution of the Australian – New Zealand Federation of the Sisters of St Joseph) She lived those words with energy, compassion and the vision for a better world.
Following the Mass, her siblings and extended family members, Sisters of St Joseph, friends and colleagues took the journey to Lochinvar. There Sr Carmel Hanson was laid to rest in the Sisters’ section of the parish cemetery.