Sr Catherine Maddock CHF, the much-loved founding principal of Christ the King Primary School at North Rocks, who led the school for 23 years and was very active in the local parish for even longer, has died in Ireland. She was 87.
A member of the Holy Faith Sisters, Sr Catherine had returned to Ireland in 2016 to spend more time with her family and the fellow nuns from her congregation. However, in the past year she had become increasingly unwell and died in Marian House, the nursing home in the grounds of the Holy Faith convent in Gasnevin, Dublin, on 4 July. Her funeral was held in Gasnevin on 8 July and she is buried in the grounds of the convent.
She is remembered as a “wonderful woman of faith” and a gifted teacher who was especially drawn to helping those in need.
She made many lifelong friends during her time in Australia and New Zealand, one of whom described her as “a beacon of love and joy”.
Sr Enda McMullen CHF, Congregational leader of the Holy Faith Sisters, in her eulogy at the funeral, said Sr Catherine was “a gift from God to all of us”.
“Catherine created that space for the electricity to jump between people, the electricity which is God”, she said.
But she also had a “wicked” sense of humour and was a formidable presence when she needed to be.
Anne Gately, a longtime parishioner of Christ the King, who knew Sr Catherine right from the time she arrived at North Rocks, and whose four children were taught by her, remembers her regularly marching down to the local bus company to enquire why the school buses were always late.
She was also not afraid of parents.
Sr Catherine was known for her ‘wicked’ sense of humour. Image: Supplied
“She would tell you straight out if there was a problem with your child,” Anne said.
“She was never nasty… She was very straight and was always happy when the child fulfilled their potential.
Anne’s four children were all at the school during Sr Catherine’s time as principal, and they all have “great, fond memories of [Sr] Catherine”, she said.
Sr Catherine left Ireland as a 20-year-old in 1956 and spent almost 60 years in Australia and New Zealand as a teacher and principal. The majority of that time – about 40 years – was spent in Christ the King Parish.
As well as 23 years as Principal of the local primary school, she later served in the parish as a pastoral associate, preparing children for their sacraments of First Holy Communion and Confirmation, and working with adults who wanted to become Catholic through the Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults (RCIA).
But it was working with disadvantaged children, particularly Aboriginal children, where she devoted a lot of her time and for which she had a special interest.
“After retiring she then did work in Emerton, at Mount Druitt, doing literacy education in the school there,” said Parish Priest at Christ the King, Fr Ian McGinnity.
“She also spent three years helping and assisting in the school in Bourke [in outback NSW]. She had a great heart, particularly for the disadvantaged Aboriginal children.”
Fr Ian said Sr Catherine also had great affection for St Mary of the Cross MacKillop, and in her later years would spend a lot of time volunteering at the Mary MacKillop museum in North Sydney showing visitors around.
“She really appreciated Mary of the Cross’ story,” he said.
Not long before Sr Catherine died, two of Anne Gately’s daughters visited her in Dublin, where they had lunch and went to Mass with their former Principal.
“She took one look at [my eldest daughter Liz] and said ‘I remember you’. So it was lovely,” Anne said.
And on 29 June, Sr Catherine recorded a message of congratulations for the golden jubilee celebrations at her old school on the other side of the world – Christ the King Primary – and it played to all her old students and friends.
Before she returned to Ireland in 2016, Sr Catherine told the Hills Shire Times that she would cherish the time she had spent in Australia.
“I’m very impressed by the people, both their generosity and the strength of their faith,” she told the local newspaper.
Fr Ian said there is a memorial Mass for the life of Sr Catherine Maddock planned when school goes back after the holidays. Contact the parish office for details, at northrocks@parracatholic.org.
