Sr Mary Virgilius O'Brien died in Maitland 28 March 2008

Sr Mary Virgilius (Clare) was born on 9 May 1913 at Quirindi NSW. Her parents were Ellen and James; Clare was the second of four children; sisters Barbara and Kathleen and brother James. Clare was educated at St Catherine’s Singleton and then completed her Leaving Certificate at St Dominic’s Tamworth, where her mother Ellen Fogarty had also been at school. 

At the age of seventeen in 1931, Clare entered the Dominican Order at Maitland, as in her words “she was attracted to the Dominican spirit” and admired some of her teachers, Mother Mary Vincent Ryan and Sister Mary Assumpta O’Hanlon. Clare was professed as Sr Mary Virgilius in 1933.

In 1934 Sr Mary Virgilius began her sixty years of educational ministry first at Santa Sabina Strathfield in the primary school. Her other appointments included St Mary’s Maitland, San Clemente Mayfield, Star of the Sea Newcastle, where she was Principal of the secondary school, St Dominic’s Tamworth, Prouille Wahroonga, Principal of St Martha’s Strathfield and St Michael’s Belfield, San Sisto Brisbane in the secondary school, and then finally Moss Vale in 1975 to the secondary library at Elm Court, and at Chevalier College until 1996. Virgilius was ready to meet whatever call of ministry was asked of her. We give thanks for the hundreds of students and staff Sr Mary Virgilius has influenced in her faithful educational ministry in so many schools. 

During her time in Moss Vale, other ministries also called. Sr Mary Virgilius became very involved in GROW, an organisation to help those with mental health needs and she was also a member of the Berrima District Historical Society. 

From 1997 Sr Mary Virgilius was “in retirement” at St Mary’s Maitland and became the Religious Assistant to the Dominican Laity Group. Sr Mary Virgilius was passionately interested and involved in life, in reading, in her community and family and in her prayer, and was a faithful supporter of our ministry in the Solomon Islands. Sr Mary Virgilius died after a short illness in her 95th year. 

The Dominican Sisters give thanks for her life knowing that both families, the Dominicans and the O’Brien’s, will miss her. May she rest in peace.

Motto – “Greater love than this hath no one”

Return to Latest News main page