Catholic Identity 

Pentecost regarded as birthday of Christianity

Sunday, May 23, is Pentecost and is regarded by many as the birthday of the Christian faith. Jesus’ disciples, although buoyed by his resurrection and appearances, were still incredibly fearful of persecution by the Jews and Roman forces. Pentecost celebrates the coming of the Holy Spirit to Jesus’ followers and the endowing upon them the gifts and fruits that would fortify them for the mission of spreading the Good News.

National Sorry Day is to be held next Wednesday, May 26 with Reconciliation Week commencing on Thursday, May 27. Students from St Anne’s College will be attending the Reconciliation Mass which is taking place at St Killian’s Church in Bendigo.

Remembering Sister Irene

May 21 marks the 30th anniversary of the death of Josephite nun, Sister Irene (Bernadette) McCormack. Most of us have probably never heard of Irene let alone why the date of her death would be a reason for commemoration. The Josephites are a uniquely Australian order founded by Australia’s first Saint, Saint Mary of the Cross MacKillop. Irene had been asked to undertake missionary work overseas, to live amongst and support communities lacking services and entrenched in poverty. She was eventually posted to the South American country of Peru, an impoverished nation which, at the time, was being destabilised by a domestic terrorist group known as Shining Path or Sendero Luminoso. 

Two years into her tenure and living with the subsistence farmers and villagers of the Huasahuasi, Irene encountered Shining Path for her first and only time. Having aggressively entered the township, members of the terrorist group rounded up four local men and then demanded that villagers take them to “the nun”. As she prepared to settle down for the evening at the convent, Irene was abruptly interrupted by a number of the terrorists and marched back to the town square where she joined the other detained men. Given that the district had been previously invaded by Shining Path and villagers detained and executed for nothing more than to generate fear and obedience, Irene and the other four men would have been in little doubt as to their fate. Following a mock trial where the five detainees were subjected to false accusations of everything from stealing from village supplies to being American sympathisers, each was found guilty and summarily executed; their bodies left where they fell as the villagers were too frightened to move them for fear of further violence. 

Because of the remoteness of the village and archaic communication services, news of Irene’s murder took several days to reach Australia. The Josephite community was understandably rocked by what had happened. Sister Irene McCormack had lost her life in the service of God following the footsteps of her beloved founder. 

 - Stephen Kealy, Religious Education Leader