Sr. Teresa Carmel did not want a eulogy but wrote a few sentences to be read out at her Requiem Mass. In honour of her life of dedication to Our Lord, however, and so that future readers may have another insight into the life of a Sister of St. Joseph of Annecy, this necrology contains some more details.
Ethna Mahony was born on 18th October 1940 in Collinstown, Dublin, to Winifred and James Mahony. She was the eldest child and never forgot her siblings, six sisters and three brothers. She wrote: “I had wonderful parents who loved us and cared for us”.
Sr. Teresa Carmel was a kind person who listened to others and made every individual feel important. She was sought after by those in need and was happy to share her spiritual life with others if she felt it would help them. She once said, “I did not have to look for God in my story. I live in His presence every day. Wherever she was in community, and whatever her ministry, she freely shared her love , encouragement and her prayer.
Sr. Teresa entered as a postulant in Killorglin in 1954. In 1955, she crossed the water from Ireland to England where she attended our senior school in Taunton. She entered the Abbey in 1957, was clothed there the following year and made First Vows in 1959. Three years later, on September 12th, she was finally professed. The communities where she spent most time were Ross-on-Wye in the 1960s ( and she is still fondly remembered there), Blairs Junior Seminary in Scotland from 1973 to 1983, the Abbey, North Lodge and, most recently New Inn. She would recall with affection the time spent over the years working in parishes, preparing children for their First Holy Communion and Confirmation, working as a counsellor at a Youth Offenders’ Prison and, more recently, supporting the frailer Sisters at the Abbey and at our hospital in Malpas. As time went by, she too shared in Our Lord’s suffering and became dependent on the help of others while never losing her ability to communicate with Sisters, staff, family and friends.
On Sunday 2nd March 2025, she died quietly as she would have chosen. In accordance with her wishes, after her Requiem Mass at St. David’s Church near New Inn and cremation – the first time a Sister of the English Province had been cremated - her ashes were returned to Ireland to be placed at her parents’ grave.
Sr. Teresa Carmel had lived life to the full, keeping close contact with her family and friends and enjoying opportunities to travel. May she rest in peace.