Adieu, Sr Carmel!

Sr Carmel MacMahon passed away peacefully and was buried in the Sisters’ cemetery in Drishane on a bright, sunny December day.  May she rest in peace.

Drishane , our foundation house in the south of Ireland, was home for Carmel for several years as a boarder, a novice and young religious. When she was a pupil in our school, she lived by the motto “Simple in virtue, steadfast in duty”. Her geography teacher named her “my rock of Gibraltar” because of her reliability and steady work ethic. These were virtues that characterised her in her adult life and especially during her years as Team Leader in the Institute. Those who knew her will remember her as prayerful, calm, quietly creative, free and courageous. She encouraged us to “think outside the box”, “to go beyond”, to interpret rules and law with freedom, to take risks. She respected each one’s uniqueness and wanted them to develop and use their gifts to the full. She trusted in God’s Providence and would wait, as she put it, “for the nudge of the Spirit” before making any important decision. She was close to the younger foundations allowing them to develop according to their culture and the missionary needs they perceived. Trusting in the slow work of God, she would advise sisters to be patient and let the next step "emerge” which was not always easy. Rooted in the Infant Jesus spirituality, she has left her mark on the Institute.  

May she now be welcomed into the Joy of her Lord.