Memories of Mary MacKillop
Sister Margaret Mary (Margaret) Sexton

Mother Mary returned to Arrowtown for some months as a Little Sister, and as the two sisters on the staff were engaged in the school, she willingly and cheerfully undertook the cooking and general housework. It was her delight to have a tasty lunch ready when they come in from school, but in order to have the meals up to standard she sometimes had to ask advice and assistance from the lady next door, especially when the flounder she was cooking fell to pieces! Her distress was so great that the lady came in and gave her a lesson in frying flounder with the result that it was beautifully cooked. Mother was as proud of her success as if she were cooking for a queen instead of for two humble little professed novices. She also took her share of washing the dishes and sweeping and dusting, or gardening; in fact, she lent a helping hand in everything that had to be done. At first the two young sisters felt a little shy about living in such a small community with the Foundress, but her simplicity and loving sympathy very soon dispelled all feelings of restraint and they felt in her presence as free as they would have felt in that of a novitiate companion...

When the time came for Mother Mary to begin her visitation of the other convents, she feared her little “Arrow” community would be very lonely so far away from all the other convents, so before leaving them she impressed upon them the necessity of creating a bright cheerful atmosphere in their little isolated convent, saying that she would rather see sisters who had to live in out-of-the-way convents bright and cheerful than strictly observing the rule of silence. She promised to write to them often, a promise that was faithfully kept until she became too ill to write.

Sister Margaret Mary Sexton 15. 10. 1873 - 09.03.1954

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