Recognising the Sisters of the Little Company of Mary on International Women’s Day
Six women of vision, courage and determination
138 years ago, six courageous and pioneering Little Company of Mary (LCM) Sisters sailed to Australia on the S.S. Liguria, to establish what is known today as Calvary. Boarding the ship in England on 16 September 1885 were Mother Raphael Byrne Farrar, Sister Pius Kelly, Sister Josephine Wroughton, Sister Pierre Dillon and Sister Brigid Rosser, who were joined en route by Mother Rose Mowles from Rome, when the S.S. Liguria berthed in Naples. Arriving in Sydney almost eight weeks later, they immediately set to work nursing the sick in their own homes, as well as running a soup kitchen, a night refuge, a school for the blind, a parish school; and providing social services to those in need.
Establishing the finest standards of health and care
The Sisters of the Little Company of Mary quickly established a reputation for their nursing skills and their commitment to quality, compassionate care. Such was their popularity that applications to join the Sisters came from Queensland, Tasmania and Victoria as well as New South Wales and plans for a convent became urgent as their numbers increased to 25. Their work was so greatly appreciated that in October 1887 the Sisters moved into their new convent in Lewisham – debt free, due to generous donations by benefactors and frenetic fundraising by supporters.
Their first hospital, the Hospital of the Holy Child, at Lewisham was built and operational within five years of their arrival in Australia. Later, when the Sisters were asked to establish a Hospital in Ryde for women with mental health conditions, they didn’t hesitate, sending Sisters to study Psychiatric nursing in order to meet this need. Interestingly, the LCM Sisters were one of the few religious orders that also provided maternity services. And so as their skills expanded and it wasn’t long before they established Nursing Schools in Adelaide at Calvary North Adelaide Hospital and Mount St Margaret Hospital at Ryde.
According to Monica Ward, Calvary Hobart Nurse (1973-1993), “The thing I remember best is sharing with the nuns a sense of spiritual growth and the building of friendships with them based on our interest in and caring for the patients. We would come on [duty] half an hour early to get our work done because we cared about our patients and the hospital.”
The founding Sisters’ work continues today at Calvary
Today’s Calvary may look different, yet our mission to provide quality and compassionate health care to the most vulnerable, including those reaching the end of their life, has remained unchanged. We continue to be inspired by the professionalism, determination and courage of the Sisters, and today, on International Women’s Day, keep the Sisters of the Little Company of Mary very much in our thoughts.
We encourage you to learn more about our heritage here.
