RIP Sr. Stella Marie O'Sullivan
Sr. Kathleen McGarvey, Provincial Leader of OLA (Ireland), shares some thoughts at Sr. Stella Marie's funeral. Sr. Stella Marie passed away on April 8th, 2016. May she rest in peace.
Sr. Stella Marie O'Sullivan, RIP.
1924-2016
Good afternoon and welcome. We are gathered here today to thank God for the gift of Sr. Stella Marie, and to bid farewell to her as, with faith, we entrust her into her eternal resting place with God.
Born in Castlehaven, Skibereen, Co Cork, in 1924, in a family of five boys and five girls, Sr. Stella Marie after ninety two years here on earth, has gone to join her parents and her nine siblings: her brothers Connie, Dan, Peter, Denis, John and her four sisters who were all Mercy Sisters in Australia: Eileen, Eithna, Eimear and Cecilia. They have all gone before her and are no doubt rejoicing now as they welcome her in heaven. Here with us today are two of Stella’s sisters-in-law Margaret and Kathleen, as well as many nieces, nephews, relatives, and friends. You are all very welcome. We know that her sister-in-law Peggy, who lives in England, as well as some other nieces and nephews, cannot be here for unavoidable reasons but they are surely with us in thought and prayer.
Failte to the OLA Sisters who have come from other communities in Ireland, to the other Religious here present, and to our ever faithful brothers, the SMA Fathers, who as always are here in communion with us.
Stella Marie joined the OLA Sisters in August 1947 at the age of twenty three. I found the letter the young Kathleen O Sullivan wrote to Ardfoyle in February 1947, asking if she could enter the OLAs. She wrote: “I seemed to hear a voice in my mind saying ‘Sell what thou hast, give to the poor and come and follow me.’ I was wondering then and I asked God to direct me which convent I would join. I have been making a novena of rosaries for direction as to my vocation and the answer came to go to Africa. I have always had the greatest sympathy with the African mission and previous to this I have resolved if ever I had money I would give it to help the African mission. I had not thought I would get the grace of a vocation… I do not look for a life of ease in the convent. I have to work hard and perhaps suffer but with God’s help and my dear sisters praying for me I will get the grace to persevere.” I think these few sentences reflect so much the woman we knew, especially her very deep faith, her prayerfulness, her simplicity, her trust in God and in the power of the rosary, her belief in the redemptive power of suffering, her love of the poor, her love of Africa.
In 1950, Sr. Stella Marie publicly professed, through the vows of poverty, chastity and obedience, to be fully committed to the service of God’s Kingdom particularly in Africa. Of the sixty six years since then, she spent nearly forty in Nigeria: two years in Ubiaja, four years in Warri, six years in Agbor, seven more years back in Ubiaja, three years in Ughelli, back to Agbor for another five years, then eleven in Asaba, before coming home to Ardfoyle in 1995.
She was primarily involved in teaching, in administration, in formation, and in parish work. In the words of some Nigerian sisters who knew her there, she was a pastoral woman and an evangelizer who was very passionate about reaching out to the people especially to the poor. In the letter of thanks and of farewell written to her by the Nigerian province when she left there in 1995 to retire to Ireland, the Province said “Your contribution in the area of education and care for the poor has been enormous.” This aspect of love for the poor really seems to have been a big part of Stella’s life, and from time to time she challenged the superiors that we as OLAs were not giving enough money to help the poor. She lived poverty herself, to an extreme in many ways; we trust that today she is enjoying the reward of God’s extremely abundant mercy and love. We also pray that God will inspire us as religious to know how to generously and justly use the goods entrusted to us to minister to the poor and marginalised.
Here before the altar we have a symbol from Africa and a picture of the Divine Mercy, both of which speak of the woman we say goodbye to today. Few will remember Sr. Stella without also thinking of the Sacred Heart, to which she had great devotion and of course of Vasulla, whose messages Stella believed in. In latter years, and as her physical strength decreased, Stella was a woman who spent many hours praying anxiously in her darkened room in the Infirmary. However, I also remember her sitting by the sewing machine in the community room generously repairing someone’s shirt or making things for the sale of work.
In Nigeria she is remembered as the Sister who went daily on home or hospital visitation always carrying in her pocket her notebook and her biro, to write down the names of those she met so as to remember them in prayer. I have no doubt that if she promised to pray for someone she did so, faithfully. I’m told that Stella loved to work in the garden and even when gardening she would have the rosary beads in one hand! When she was here in the Infirmary, I learnt not to be offended when Stella waved me off because she had to get back to her prayer! It seems Stella was always a woman who preferred to talk to God than to engage in unnecessary conversation. Yet, she had a very great rapport with the youth in Ubiaja and other places where she worked, and she was often accompanied on her visitation by the young legionaries. On hearing of her death, a woman from Asaba sent a message to tell me how Stella’s beautiful life touched the lives of all of them, her children in Nigeria. Today we thank God for Sr. Stella and pray that she is now at peace, enveloped in the merciful and compassionate Love of God.
I take this opportunity to thank Srs. Nuala, Maria, and all the Sisters in the choir for all they do on our behalf to ensure that our liturgical celebrations here are so prayerful and so beautiful. To Srs. Dolores and Bernadette and staff in the Infirmary, and to Srs. Maura, Katherine, Mary and all on the house Council in Ardfoyle, we can never sufficiently express our thanks for all you do to care for all our infirm and elderly Sisters. To the SMA Fathers for their friendship and for always being there with us in our times of need, we will never tire of saying thanks. To Sr. Stella’s family and friends, thank you for having supported Sr. Stella during her missionary life and for being faithful to her until the end. May God grant you the consolation you need at this time. I have no doubt that just as Sr. Stella prayed for you all while here on earth so she will continue to do in heaven.
I now hand you over to Fr. Tim to lead us in prayer as we entrust Sr. Stella on her final journey to God.
Kathleen McGarvey, Provincial Leader of OLA (Ireland).
