Sister M. Maurus Tierney
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Hanging on the wall of the St Vincent’s College Potts Point administration block is a large framed photo of a Sister of Charity standing at a white cloth covered table pouring tea into china cups
Seated along the wall are gentlemen waiting to be served with the meal spread out before them. All are wearing shoes provided mainly by Sister. The year could be any time during the Great Depression 1929-1939 or the early war years 1940-1945.
Such was Sister’s respect for “her gentlemen” that they were referred to as Mr…. with or without any surname.
The sister is Sr M. Maurus Tierney who assisted Sr M. Charles Brady in her care of the poor until her death and then took over from her.
Providing meals for 80 to 100 men twice daily was no mean task especially as much of the food had to be personally collected from generous donors at local shops. Sr Maurus was often happily assisted by young sisters and novices.
In the 1988 book produced for our SesquiCentenary is a photo of two Sisters of Charity standing with officials at the gates of Long Bay Penitentiary which Sr Maurus visited twice weekly. The sister with Sr Maurus could be Sr Honorata Scanlon or Sr Lutgarde Necham as these sisters in turn were her regular companions.
While Sr Maurus possessed many gifts, music was not one of them, so on special occasions when music was part of the program Sr Rose Souter willingly accompanied her.
In late 1940, the Government invited the Sisters of Charity to visit the internees in the internment centre at Long Bay.
Sr Maurus was chosen for this task or privilege. She took with her Sr Solanus St Julien, who because of her great compassion for these prisoners of war became a frequent visitor.
Sr Maurus was born on 29 August 1878 and died on 22 October 1960 after a long life spent in loving service of the poor and imprisoned.