Sr Ita McCarthy 27-08-1894 -17-05-1999

In my Grandfather’s sitting room in Ireland there was a photograph of a group of Irish girls with Bishop Quinn of Bathurst. My Aunt, Ellen McCarthy, was among the group. They were to be his first Postulants, the foundation members of a new Order – the Sisters of St Joseph of Nazareth. On the way out to Australia, the Bishop met Mother Mary of the Cross, (Mary MacKillop) and handed over the girls to her care until his return later to Bathurst.

That photo may have had some influence on my vocation that brought me from Ireland to Australia for at the age of 10 years when I made my First Communion, on 8 December, the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, I asked Our Lady to pray that I would be a Nun. Our Teacher had told us if we asked for something on our First Communion Day God wouldn’t refuse.

In a strange but simple way, my request was answered when I was 15 years of age.

I was on my way home from town when I met a friend, Mrs Buckley, who asked me to return to the town with her. Very reluctantly I went back with her, and waited while she shopped. Serving in the shop I hadn’t been in before was a young woman, Miss Reynolds, who had just returned from Dublin. She told us she had just returned from Dublin, where she had attended her friend, Bishop Duhig’s send-off to Australia. At the send-off party she had met an Irish Priest, Father Carrol, who had recently returned on a home visit from Australia. Before leaving Sydney, he had called at the Sisters of St Joseph’s Mother House for a supply of altar Breads and he had been taken to meet Mother Mary of the Cross. When he told his business, Mother replied, “Don’t worry Father, we’ll send a Sister down to the ship before you leave, with a Mass kit having all the requirements for Mass on board.” Mother Mary then made her request “Bring us back some Postulants on your return, Father.”
“That is a difficult request Mother. My choice may not be your choice.” Mother replied, “Father, your choice will be my choice.” Mother then asked Father for his blessing and after giving her the blessing he in turn knelt down and asked her to bless him. Father Carrol said, “She put her saintly hand on my head. I felt she was saintly.” On his return to Australia, Father Carrol brought out eleven Postulants for the Congregation and I was among them.

At their encounter in Dublin, Miss Reynolds said that Father Carrol asked her if she knew of any likely candidates, if so to let him know. Bishop Duhig overheard the conversation, and added, “You will find vocations down your way Miss Reynolds.” The Bishop had already met the four girls in our family, on our way to the Redemptorist Fathers’ Mission in our Parish Church.

Miss Reynolds then asked me if I would consider going to work for God in an Australian mission field. “Yes,” I replied. “Do you know any other young girl who would be willing to go with you?” As my cousin had once told me she would like to be a nun, I replied that she would go to Australia with me. We communicated with Father Carrol and the final arrangements were made. Soon eleven Irish girls were on our way to Australia to begin our mission.

After Profession on St Joseph’s Day, 19 March 1912, I was then sent from Australia to New Zealand, to Meeanee on the east coast of the North Island. This was my very first and very happy mission and many others followed.

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