Sister Margaret Sweeney

1
Sister Margaret Sweeney First Australian
Daughter of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart
2
Margaret Sweeney was born on 26th February, 1866
at Ryde. Her parents were Irish.
Ryde Pier, 1866
3
Her father, Daniel Sweeney had married an Ann
OBrien, and the records of St. Charles Borromeo
Church at Ryde give the baptism dates of their
three children Margaret on the 1st March, 1866,
Daniel in 1868 and Michael in 1869
4
As a small child Margaret frequented Villa Maria,
the house of the French Marist Fathers at nearby
Hunters Hill. She quickly learned to speak
French and she became firm friends with a niece
of father Joly, SM.
5
The two girls often cared for the chapel and
helped the presbytery housekeeper, a young Fijian
woman named Sarah. Sarahs grandfather had been
an accomplice in the martyrdom of St. Peter
Chanel. No doubt the children heard from Sarah
many stories of life in the Pacific Islands.
6
In January, 1885, when Margaret was almost 19,
the first OLSH arrived in Botany Bay on their way
from France to the mission of Oceania. They were
given accommodation by the Marist Fathers.
7
Fr. Navarre MSC, who had come to meet them from
Thursday Island was waiting for them at Villa
Maria. Fr. Navarre had not yet been able to find
a place for the missionaries of the Sacred Heart
in Sydney.
8
On disembarking the Sisters (4 from France and
one from Ireland) were met by Sarah and the two
young girls who were able to converse with them
in French and who led them to their temporary
residence, a summer house in the grounds of Villa
Maria.
Bonjour mes soeurs!!
9
At this first meeting Margaret Mary felt drawn to
join them and she impressed them during the two
months of their stay at Villa Maria. She confided
her hopes to her mother who then came to see the
sisters. They decided that Margaret should be
accepted as soon as there were suitable lodging
and living resources.
10
Archbishop Moran refused to give accommodation to
the MSC or OLSH unless they established a parish
and school. They accepted Botany and moved there
on April 16th.
11
Sr. M. Xavier Ryan
It was probably a short time after that, that
Margaret began her training in religious life.
This was under the direction of Sr. Mary Xavier
Ryan, the one Irish member of the first band of
Sisters.
12
Whilst Margaret was still a novice, she was sent
to Thursday Island, leaving Sydney on 8th January
1887, with Mother Ligouri, newly arrived from
France.
13
It was on Thursday Island, on 31st May the
following year, that Margaret made her first
profession.
14
Margaret began her apostolate by teaching
catechism to the wives of Filipinos who were
employed as divers in the pearling industry that
flourished then in the Torres Straights. She also
taught English to the children and later assisted
at the hospital which was then under the care of
the OLSH.
15
Margaret endeared herself to all by her kindness
and habitual gaiety, and showed a remarkable
aptitude for nursing.
16
In 1893, still on Thursday, Margaret contracted
TB while caring for a dying Sister, Yvonne
Leroux, and she returned to Sydney for medical
treatment.
First unrented house of the Sisters in Botany.
17
She prayed earnestly to Bishop Verius, who had
died the previous November and whom she had known
well. On one of his visits to Thursday, he had
promised her she would go to Papua New Guinea.
18
During a novena to him, she felt better and went
to her doctor who could find no trace of the
disease. Astonished and wishing confirmation, he
called in a specialist. Both agreed the cure was
complete and they signed a certificate to that
effect.
Bishop Verius
nnnnnnnnnnnnnn
19
Margarets next mission was to the village of
Tsiria on Yule Island (Papua New Guinea). The
people loved her for her happy disposition and
for the care she lavished on the sick.
20
During September 1895, two sisters died of
blackwater fever, and soon afterwards Margaret
contracted it. She received the last sacraments
and the priest anointing her remarked What great
faith these people have (referring to her Irish
parentage).
21
However, with the help of some new medication,
Margaret survived that bout of fever.
Unfortunately some months later, it attacked
again, and this time the medicine was no longer
available. Margaret died shortly after six
oclock on the morning of 1st April, 1896. The
medicine arrived a few days later.
22
The people of Tsiria begged for her body. She
has looked after us and loved us they said. We
want her in our cemetery amongst us. The sisters
granted their request. Margaret was 30 years
old.
23
100 years later
Novices and Postulants on Yule Is.
PNG sisters and some of their works