Josephite Sisters across Australia rejoiced when two of their own were named in this year’s King’s Birthday Honours List. Sr Carmel Moore and Sr Mary Ryan were awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia for their many years of service to the Catholic Church and broader community in a variety of fields.
Sr Mary is a member of the Sisters of St Joseph of the Sacred Heart, while Sr Carmel is a member of the Sisters of St Joseph of Lochinvar.
During her many years in the Congregation, Sr Carmel has been involved in education from 1956 as a high school teacher and principal in schools across the diocese of Maitland-Newcastle before taking on the role of hospital chaplain in Newcastle’s John Hunter Hospital in 1990.
Sr Carmel was honoured also for founding in 1997, the Living Waters Meditation Centre in Newcastle, an endeavour dear to her heart and one which she regards as her most significant work. Though no longer its coordinator, she retains close ties with the Centre.
In an interview with the Newcastle Herald, Sr Carmel noted that some 800 people have been through the doors at the Centre since its inception and still forty to fifty people attend the bi-monthly retreat mornings.
She believes that the unrelenting distractions and pressures of modern life were driving a corresponding need for spiritual solace and meaning.
Sr Mary Ryan has been involved in a number of ministries during her life as a Josephite Sister. You can read about Sr Mary’s achievements especially her role in the development of the historic site in Adelaide now known Mary MacKillop Spirituality Centre, Kensington.
Though humbled by the awards, both Sr Mary and Sr Carmel accepted the honours on behalf of all Josephite Sisters and those who have supported their service over the years.
Sr Maureen Salmon
