On 8 July, Missionary Sisters of Service in Melbourne gathered with staff and Sr Veronica Hoey SGS, our canonical delegate, to celebrate a very special milestone—82 years since the foundation of the congregation.
It was a day to give thanks for the remarkable story that began in 1944, when a young priest, Fr John Wallis, together with a small group of women who generously said ‘Yes’, established what was then known as the Home Missionary Sisters of Our Lady.
Their first community home, like all those that followed, was known as Rosary House. When the founding women arrived at their new home in Launceston on 8 July 1944, they were met by Fr John and other priests, along with around 30 members of the Launceston and Invermay branches of the Catholic Women’s League.
The story passed down through the Sisters is that the local Catholic women arrived bearing scones—so many that the new community was nourished by them for days! In wartime, when food coupons were still in use, such generosity was particularly significant and gratefully received.
And so, 82 years later, the tradition continues. Wherever the Sisters may be on Foundation Day, there are scones to be shared!
Preserving the MSS story
Following morning tea, MSS Archivist Julia Walsh gave a special presentation about the MSS Archives and the important role they play in preserving the story of the congregation for future generations.
Julia explained that archives are created through the everyday lives and activities of people and organisations, and provide a direct connection with the past.
The MSS collection encompasses an extraordinary variety of material, including Fr John Wallis’s archival collection, photographs, documents from MSS Chapter gatherings, a complete collection of Highways and Byways newsletters, and treasured objects including chalices and a paten.
For Julia, however, working with the archives has become about much more than preserving documents and photographs: ‘I consider it a privilege to do your archives because you’re putting your trust in me to preserve your history for future generations and shining a light on the past,’ she told the Sisters.
‘I’m making sure that an extraordinary group of people are never forgotten.’
Julia spoke particularly of her love of working with photographs and the discoveries that can emerge from them. She recalled travelling with Bernadette Wallis MSS in Tasmania last year, where together they discovered three old photo albums at the Correspondence School. The albums were among a selection of archival treasures displayed for the Sisters to explore during the morning.
Perhaps most movingly, Julia reflected on the impact that working with the MSS Archives has had on her own life and faith. Raised Catholic, she said the experience had expanded her understanding of her faith while also helping her grow in confidence and recognise her own abilities. ‘Not only am I helping and doing something for you, but you’ve also done so much for me as well,’ she said. Julia concluded her presentation with words from Anne Rennie’s The Daily Mystic that had particularly struck her and Bernadette Wallis MSS:
‘Our hearts are archives of love.’
For Julia, the words beautifully reflected the many different expressions of love held within a heart—and, in a similar way, the many stories and memories held within an archive.
There was one final surprise. Julia invited everyone to become quiet and ‘listen with your hearts’ as they heard a recording of Fr John Wallis himself, speaking on Foundation Day in 1987 and telling the familiar story of the congregation’s beginnings. While not every word of the old recording was clear, Fr John’s warmth and characteristic humour certainly were.
The morning concluded with lunch together, a fitting end to a Foundation Day centred on gratitude, friendship and remembering the story that continues to connect the MSS 82 years after those first women gathered in Launceston, Tasmania.
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Julia Walsh providing a presentation on the MSS archives.
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Emilia Ruben tries on the old MSS 'travelling hat'.
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Bernadette Wallis MSS fits the old veil onto Emilia's head.
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Bernadette Wallis MSS wearing the old veil.
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An old album with correspondence school students, including Corrie van den Bosch (now an MSS)
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Veronica Hoey SGS and Pat Brain MSS looking through old photographs.
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Bernadette Madden MSS looking through old photographs.
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Marcia McMahon looking through old photographs.
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Fr John Wallis' old briefcase.
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Veronica Hoey SGS looking at old photographs.
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Corrie van den Bosch MSS and Julia Walsh.
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Glenn D'Souza and Stancea Vichie look over old photographs.
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Kath Clune MSS and Veronica Hoey look through old letters.
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MSS Archivist, Julia Walsh.
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Bernadette Wallis MSS, Emilia Ruben and Berndette Madden MSS discuss the archives.
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Julia Walsh, Glenn D'Souza and Catherine Carr.
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Old photo albums showing Correspondence School students.
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Catherine Carr, Veronica Hoey SGS and Stancea Vichie MSS look through old photographs.
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Glenn D'Souza and Bernadette Wallis discussing the archives material.
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Lunch gathering for some of the MSS sisters, staff and Veronica Hoey SGS (MSS Canonical delegate).
