News and Events

Last Irish Sister of St Joseph Farewelled

Sister Mary Kieran Cahill, the last of the Irish Sisters of St Joseph in Tasmania was farewelled by a large congregation at her Mass of Christian Burial at Sacred Heart Church, New Town on Wednesday, 27th January.

Archbishop Adrian Doyle was the Principal Celebrant.   Father Graeme Howard, a former pupil of Sister Kieran, was the homilist.

Susan Teresa Cahill was born in County Clare Ireland 10th February, 1916 to Edmund and Susan Cahill.    She had 4 brothers, one of whom was a priest, and 3 sisters.

In 1931, Archbishop Hayden went to Ireland seeking young women for the Tasmanian Religious Congregations.   Susan responded generously to the invitation of the Archbishop to come to Tasmania to join the Sisters of St Joseph.    With another young woman who would also become a Sister of St Joseph as Sister Canice, Susan attended Callan Missionary College from 1931 until February 1933.

She embarked for Australia on 3rd February, 1933 and arrived on 14th March 1933.  She was professed as a Sister of St Joseph on 6th January, 1936 and took her final vows on 4th January, 1942.

She taught in Josephite schools around Tasmania for 41 years at New Town, Colebrook, Ulverstone, Moonah, Zeehan, Cygnet, Geeveston, Smithton, Devonport, Ulverstone, Franklin.

She also lived in communities at Wynyard and St Joseph’s New Town.   Her last three years were spent at Rosary Gardens where in her frailty she continued to touch the lives of those around her.

She had a deep faith and, in particular, a great love for the Mass which she passed on to the children she taught.     She also had a strong devotion to St Joseph.    In fact, her full title in religious life was Sr Mary Kieran of the Foster Father of Jesus. 

All through her life, Kieran had a great respect for priests.   She supported them both by her prayer and regular correspondence with them.

She was an excellent teacher.   Her students left her classes armed with a wealth of poetry and literature which they could recite by heart and which would remain with them for many years.

Her own love of reading stayed with her until very recent times.   At the age of 90, she was still writing synopses of books when she finished reading them.   We know that she believed strongly that writing these synopses and doing the crosswords regularly helped keep her mind alert. 

In her retirement, Sister Kieran was visited by students from Sacred Heart College to whom she would give some religious instruction and much affection.   In return those students have remained faithful to her.   That she had a special place in her heart for them was demonstrated by the photographs in her room.  

Sister Kieran was a great cook.   This enabled her to offer typical Josephite hospitality in large measure.   Her cream sponges were legendary.

At the celebration for her 90th birthday, she described herself as one who had great respect for tradition.   The fact that she clung so tenaciously to the traditional habit of the order is one way in which this was evident.   However, she was not inflexible.   She recognised that she would need to modify her dress when she became a resident at Rosary Gardens Nursing Home.

Sister Kieran will be missed by her Sisters and many friends.