Sr Catherine Seward RSM, 7 March 2024
For Sr Catherine Seward RSM, parish leadership in the diverse community of Mansfield Park SA was “the happiest time of my life”. It wasn’t something she had ever imagined doing. Catherine started as a teacher, as her mother was very “anti me being a nun”. Yet after moving from England and teaching in the school run by the Sisters of Mercy in Adelaide, she was able to enter the order at the age of 21. In 1961 it was just expected that she would continue on teaching in secondary schools.
However, for 12 years in education, Catherine felt “very constrained”, and she really wanted to do adult faith formation. When she turned 40, her leader suggested that she study a year of theology, and she was able to focus on helping adults to grow in their faith. Back in England for the time, Catherine’s practical assignments were with programs like the RCIA and she was welcomed to serve by the diocese.
Upon her return, to her pleasant surprise, Archbishop Leonard Faulkner and archdiocesan theologian Fr Denis Edwards affirmed and encouraged her desire to do this work. She was appointed to lead the Mansfield Park parish in 1987, and so began an exciting chapter of her life. The role suited her extrovert character and her understanding of the baptismal dignity of all Catholics. While good priests regularly visited to celebrate Mass and the rites of passage, she firmly believed that “the sacraments belong to the people.”
Mansfield Park was a mixed community of older people as well as new migrants from Vietnam, India and various African countries. Catherine quickly started bringing people together, fostering a sense of belonging and providing for their pastoral needs. She found a room to be used for meeting and social purposes, and some parishioners were shocked that the priest joined them for the manual work of painting and fitting it out. Catherine invited people to be involved and drew out their particular skills and gifts – for reading, welcoming and fundraising. She laughs about her “bossy personality”, but it was obviously effective. Catherine set up adult faith sharing groups that complemented the direction of the archdiocesan renewal plan.
Another key part of the parish was the St Vincent de Paul Society, helping people at their times of need. Catherine set up a ‘pot of hope’ at the entrance to the parish, where people placed food or money to go with the Vinnies visitations. Now, 35 years later, Catherine is still very much involved with the Society, although she has had to retire from parish responsibilities due to her age.
Catherine was in this role until 2000, and still looks back with much gratitude, pride and joy. It was very much a case of good leadership – the ordained sacramental leaders, herself and the leaders she fostered among the community. When at times they held a communion service rather than Mass, she formed parishioners to preside. She found that they “contributed from their life experience” and that their celebration of faith was “confirmed and shared.”
When anyone came to the priest to ask about baptisms, weddings or funerals, they were sent straight to Catherine for all the preparation. She was privileged to participate in both marriage and funeral celebrations. One unique experience was an elderly couple, of which only the wife was a regular parish participant. When the husband committed suicide, she came to Catherine for his funeral. She wanted his cremated ashes to come into the church; “she thought the bringing them to church for a ritual ceremony was a way of bringing him to God even in his ashes.”
When asked about the diaconate, Catherine responds, “I do not think that we’re ready for more ordination of priests or women in priesthood or diaconate.” Rather, she sees a lot of hope in the Church enabling people in their baptismal call to be priest, prophet and royal person. She knows there are good signs happening in her archdiocese, with many forms of lay leadership being developed. However, she does acknowledge that her blessed experience of parish leadership was made much easier by being a consecrated Sister. At the time, there were “hundreds of nuns leading parishes in the US, not needing ordination, thus keeping vibrant Christian/Catholic communities from amalgamations.” Catherine has hope in the current Synod process, in which there will be dying of old forms, but a “prophetic imagination” in the emergence of a more communal, equal and less clerical church.
Liturgy on the Margins 