Missionary Sisters of Service

A mission of love and service into the highways and byways.

A Mission of Love and Service

We, the Missionary Sisters of Service, are a community of women called in the Spirit to share life with one another and with people wherever we are. We are sent to bring the Good News into the Highways and Byways. We commit ourselves to pastoral service, enabling others as well as ourselves, to be transformed by the power of the Gospel.

Our Sisters

Our women have come from all walks of life and from across Australia, New Zealand and Singapore. We share the common desire to be a living presence of God’s love and friendship in the world, particularly for those who are marginalised.

First Peoples

We stand with all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in their call for a First Nations Voice to Parliament enshrined in the Australian Constitution. We accept the invitation in the Uluru Statement from the Heart to walk together with First Nations people in a spirit which encompasses voice, treaty and truth-telling to ensure a better future for all.

News & Events

2023 Fr John Wallis Scholarship recipient announced

The MSS are delighted to announce that Geraldine Vytilingam is the recipient of the 2022-2023 Fr John Wallis Scholarship. Geraldine, 23, will use the inaugural scholarship to pursue a Masters of Theological Studies through Catholic Theological...

Emerging Futures Collaborative Limited update

The MSS continues  to move along with the transition for our services to Emerging Futures Collaborative Limited (EFCL). As mentioned in our April 2022 newsletter, one of the tasks conducted by EFCL is to employ people on our behalf, to support our...

2023: A year of hope for our Indigenous brothers and sisters

Friends, 2023 is a significant year, as in October, Australians will be called upon to vote in a referendum where we will be asked if we support an Indigenous Voice to Parliament being enshrined in our Constitution.   A Voice to Parliament will...

Marcia McMahon MSS reflects on life ‘with the people’

My early memories of growing up are good memories, surprisingly profound in hindsight. My parents and the three of us were impacted greatly by the then ‘signs of the times’. Now, several years later, I realise that this experience was a strong...

Lorraine Groves MSS shares some of her Principles of Life

Over the past 12 months, we MSS have been documenting our stories and reflections on video, as a way of keeping our thoughts and memories, and spirit alive. We've reflected on the following questions: (1) What drew you to the MSS? (2) What has been...

MSS on video sharing their reflections

For almost 80 years, the MSS has been a presence of God’s love and friendship in the lives of countless people whom we’ve met on the highways and byways of Australia and beyond. At its peak, we had more than 55 women in our community. Today, there...

Our History

We, the Missionary Sisters of Service, were founded in 1944 in Tasmania, by a young visionary priest, Fr John Corcoran Wallis. Six courageous pioneering women, Alice Carroll, Joyce O’Brien, Gwen Morse, Kath Moore, Valerie Casey and Agnes Ryan, were the first to say ‘yes’ to this new Spirit-filled adventure.

Books For Sale

We have a range of books for sale that delve into the story of our founder, Fr John Wallis, and the history and story of our congregation. Proceeds from the book sales go toward the missionary and outreach work of our congregation.

Dear Mother Dear Father Letters Home from John Corcoran Wallis 1927-1949

Author: Bernadette T. Wallis 

This latest book contains a series of letters written between 1927-1949 by Fr John Wallis to his parents and family, which give us a rare and precious insight into his life as a seminarian and young priest.

Food for the Highways and Byways: Celebrating 75 Years of the Missionary Sisters of Services

This commemorative cookbook celebrates 75 years of the Missionary Sisters of Service in 2019 and brings together an array of recipes, stories, historical information and photos.

The Silent Book – A Deaf Family and the Disappearing Australian-Irish Sign Language

Author: Bernadette T. Wallis 

In this book, Bernadette Wallis MSS tells the life story of her Deaf parents from different parts of Victoria, including their Deaf education in the Catholic system and how the Australian-Irish Sign language was brought into Australia through the Dominican sisters.

Around the Kitchen Table with the Missionary Sisters of Service

Author: Penelope Edman

In this book, Penny Edman provides a detailed portrait of the spirit and heart of the Missionary Sisters of Service, a Tasmanian-bred, Australian-grown congregation of religious women.

Address

Missionary Sisters of Service
90 Albion Road
Box Hill ,Vic, 3128
Australia

Visit our Safeguarding information, relevant policies and find out how to register a complaint by clicking here.