Sr Maroun Baxter continued

Time came when Nan wanted to return to Ireland, and, of course I went with her for a holiday because she told me that a priest, Father Carrol, was in Dublin and nearly ready to take a group of girls over to the Josephite Sisters where her cousins were as Nuns. But Nan would not take me to him, or to the Sisters who were returning to Australia with Father. Father Carrol wrote a letter while I waited on a chair. This he gave to me and sent me to the house where the two Sisters were staying. Father read the letter, then looked at me before handing the letter to the Sister and said. “Just read that.” It appeared that the older Sister read it then passed it over to the other Sister saying, “Read that, if that is not the hand of God I don’t know what it is.” This was said because only that morning they had received a letter from the girl whom they called their first convert telling the Sisters that she could not go with them. So God sent me.

I then had a list of what to do and what I needed. A black dress (by a pattern from them) black hat and cloak. Just imagine having to make these things after going to buy the material and still Nan would not help me until the very last thing, so I had some finishing off to do on the ship, as a few other girls did. I wrote a letter to my little Mother telling her all about it and posted the letter from Dublin so that she would get it too late to stop me going. But my darling Mother with my two young sisters were on the London platform at half past six in the morning. We had travelled by train down to London, and then later on were taken to Tilbury to go on to the boat. There were a great many people on this train and the platform was crowded with friends and relatives, while we girls all stood on board.

When all were on we the train we heard the bell to say we were to go. All the relatives on the platform suddenly set up the cry, “Here he comes.” This was because one little girl had been waiting to see her brother who was a newly-made priest and she had not had his blessing. When he tore along all the people on the boat and platform all fell to their knees. This was a new kind of thing to me.

After the journey on the boat we were all taken to Adelaide Convent and stayed I think it was for three days when we then travelled to Mount Street, and you can readily guess the welcome we received. I think it was in the middle of their dinner but everyone gathered to welcome us and we were taken into the Chapel to begin our chosen life. Not one of these new Postulants ever wished to go home. This was in 1921.

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