Sister Moya McKendry
,
RSCJ
In the Society of the Sacred Heart at the time of final profession each group is given a name and a motto. The name given to Moya’s group was in French des Hosties consacrées and the motto following the theme of the Eucharist was “He took, blessed, broke and gave.”
I believe that that sums up Moya’s life. As a young religious she was in no doubt about the
meaning of the choice she had made. God Alone, printed on a poster in her workplace was before her as a challenge and a comfort. By the time of her final profession in 1948 she was prepared for the motto of ‘He took, blessed, broke and gave’ which she lived by through the many stages of her life’s journey.
Moya was born in Ashburton, New Zealand in 1921, the only girl with two brothers one of whom, Ron, became a priest, and Max. The family moved to Christchurch where Moya had her primary schooling before becoming a student of Island Bay, Wellington. She impressed a younger member of the school with her enthusiasm and in her last year became Head of the school following another who had become a great friend. Moya entered the Society soon after leaving school but her friend, Thelma Thomson, did not. Moya was convinced that Thelma also had a vocation to the Society and never stopped praying and ensuring others in the noviceship prayed for T.T. Her prayers were eventually heard and I think these two wonderful religious of the Sacred Heart will be enjoying each other’s company once again. Moy in her early years loved to be part of community celebrations for birthdays or other occasions. I am sure she has recovered her enthusiasm and love of life.
Her teaching was in the primary school and was spent mainly between Island Bay and Stuartholme. One who was in the Senior School at Stuartholme at the time when Moya was in charge of the Junior School remembers her as a friendly and smiling presence in the corridors of the Senior School. She was an energetic person. A younger religious was struck by the “fire”that seemed to go out from her when she returned from her time in Rome after her final profession. The Sacred Heart had indeed taken and blessed her. He trusted her that he could also take and break so that she could give in a way perhaps not foreseen.
In 1954 Moya contracted T.B.. and was in hospital for eight months. This was eight months of isolation and in some sense was a turning point in her life. Though she took up again her work in the schools, this time in hospital had changed her into what most have described as a ‘very private person.’ She had lost confidence in herself though was very appreciative when someone reached out to her as was the case when the then provincial invited her and a few others who had not participated in some provincial meeting to the Provincial House, showing she was aware they may have felt left out.
But I feel that time of isolation gave her insights into another way of living her mission as a religious of the Sacred Heart. She attended the University of Auckland to do a certificate in Social Studies and a few years later attained a diploma in Missiology at the Columban College at Turramurra, a course that really enthused her.
She was an early member of a new community at Esk in Queensland where she was teaching catechetics in something like thirteen State School. It was what was known as a Motor Mission. From her own experience she had a feel, an empathy for those on the margins of society. At Esk they knew her as a compassionate woman. She once accompanied a woman and two small children caught in a domestic violence situation. At short notice she drove with them from Esk to Victoria. The comment was made that her loyalty and friendship coloured her ministry.
She taught English to migrants both in Wollongong and in Sydney and became involved in Aid Agency Austcare and Community Aid Abroad. As an RSCJ friend said of her. ‘Even though she did not go to Third World countries she had an understanding that the church was missionary. She was very alert to social justice issues and interchurch activities. For a time she was an assistant at a specialist 3rd World Library, only one of the number of activities she undertook and known often to herself alone. When teaching English to migrants she did more than teach the actual speech. The same friend tells us that she once taught English to a Vietnamese couple and showed them how to walk along the street together, instead of the woman following the man. She was rewarded for this by being invited with her friends to a Chinese restaurant where the couple were working. It turned out to be a banquet with innumerable waiters and innumerable courses. So the couple obviously appreciated Moy’s desire to help them to be part of the culture.
Her mind was always open to the new horizons of Vatican11 and she attended regularly an ecumenical Christian Meditation Group in the city. She followed this by going to several Laurence Freeman Retreats and Talks. She was interested in trying to keep up to date with what was happening in the Church and in the world.
We are given another insight into Moya by the same friend who shared so many of her interests. As her friend tells us, ‘she loved art- painting, sculpture and antiques- and would often take herself to the Sydney Art Gallery to see an Exhibition. She had a great sense of colour and enjoyed Sister Wendy Beckett’s T.V. programmes and her books. The cards she gave for special occasions were carefully chosen. She had a very sensitive nature, as is characteristic of artistic people.
It would seem that Moya had a premonition of her death. The morning of her heart attack she met Sr Margaret McKay. Some years back when both were in the community at Rose Bay, Margaret took Moya for a holiday to Warren, a time she loved. Moya rediscovered her photos taken at that time and was anxious to show them to Margaret. They met accidently on the ground floor at Karlaminda but Moya happily had her album with her. She went through the photos saying she wanted people to know about her experience in case something happened to her. The next morning she was seeing everything from a different perspective.
Since her time in hospital Moya hid many of her very real qualities but the RSCJ who counted her as a very dear friend leaves us with a picture of a woman who was loyal to her friends, had an open and enquiring mind and loved art. These are the qualities that stood out for her and it is in this way that we can honour an RSCJ who was true to her profession motto, ‘He took, blessed, broke and gave.’
Mary Shanahan, RSCJ