Sister Beverley Grounds
Sister Beverley Grounds, was a practical, dedicated, capable, and efficient woman who faithfully lived her commitment as a Sister of Our Lady of the Missions for nearly 70 years.
Beverley Rita was born in Christchurch in 1928, the only daughter of James and Mary. Beverley had three brothers, James, Stanley and William all of whom have predeceased her. The Grounds family was a well known and respected family in Catholic circles in the Christchurch area. William became a priest in the diocese and was well known and loved.
Beverley began her education at Addington Convent and then attended Sacred Heart College in Ferry Road, Christchurch, for 4 years.
She entered the novitiate in January 1947 and received the name of Sister Mary Annetta. She was professed on 6 January 1949 and spent the next two years studying for her Trained Teachers’ Certificate.
Mary Annetta had a great love of teaching and learning. She began her teaching career in primary schools, firstly at St Joseph’s School in Barbadoes Street, a term at New Brighton Catholic School and then in Nelson at Sacred Heart College.
After returning to Christchurch in 1955 she began teaching at secondary level at the Juniorate in Cashmere (teaching every subject) and then at Sacred Heart College where she had previously been a pupil. In 1964 Mary Annetta’s connection with the Maori people began when she moved to Greenmeadows in Hawkes Bay to be the principal of St Joseph’s Maori Girls’ College and the local superior. It was during these years that Beverly started learning the Maori language. After 6 years of teaching at St Joseph’s she moved back to Christchurch to do full-time study at Canterbury University and completed her BA degree majoring in French and German. Mary Annetta took up the position of HOD of Languages at Sacred Heart College, Christchurch, in 1972 then spent the summer holidays of 73/74 in France and Germany immersing herself in the language and culture of both countries. After a year as HOD of Languages at Sacred Heart College in Lower Hutt in 1977, Mary Annetta returned to Greenmeadows. Over the following years teaching at the college she carried out the roles of deputy principal and then acting principal as well as being the local superior of the community. During these years she was instrumental in employing Dame Georgina Kingi (a former pupil) as a language teacher at the school and later on as the first lay principal of the college. Mary Annetta moved north in 1985 to take up the position of HOD of Languages at Sacred Heart Girl’s College in Hamilton and returned to using her baptismal name of Beverley. While teaching here, she did courses in Te Reo and achieved a Certificate in Maori Studies and completed a Course in Oral Maori.
A missiology Course in Australia in 1988 prepared Beverley for a change in ministry and life in Turangi for 3 and a half years where she was a Pastoral Worker, Prison Chaplain and Industrial Chaplain. During this time she also served on the province leadership team. From a life of educating young people Beverley moved easily into relating to people from many different walks of life in the prison and in the industries around Turangi.
In 1993 Beverley was asked to take up Archivist duties in our General house in Rome. In preparation for this work she began research in several archives in New Zealand before moving to Rome. This laid a solid foundation for her 10 years of work as the Congregation Archivist.
With her considerable linguistics skills she quickly adapted to life in Rome. She was the local superior and house bursar and for a time the General Bursar. She had an excellent mastery of the Italian language and of Rome and its attractions and was “on call” for newcomers to the community and to visitors as a guide. Beverley was a gentle companion who gladly shared her time, knowledge, understanding, and expertise and she added stability to a community where people came and went often. She was also one of the main drivers in the community, and in Roman traffic that was no mean feat!
During these 10 years in Rome Beverley did much of the groundwork that is now being used in the Cause of the Beatification of our Foundress, Euphrasie Barbier. She also set about translating Marie Bénédicte’s biography of the Foundress. This work was completed after she moved to Charenton in Paris and was away from the many other distractions and calls on her time at the Generalate. She had a real feel for the language and translated with the “feeling” of the French, not just giving a literal translation of the language.
On her return to New Zealand in 2007 Beverley moved to the Addington Community and continued the translation work – this time the letters of Euphrasie. After her stroke in 2011 she handed this work on but her great interest in the Congregation continued. In August 2017 she moved to the Nazareth Community of Care which was her home until her death.
Beverley was always a linguist. In Rome every morning, she would read the Italian newspaper as a tool for her mastery of the language. She loved her cryptic crosswords and while she was in Rome her brother Bill would photocopy the crosswords and send them to her.
A group of over 60 sisters, family, friends and religious of the area, gathered in the convent chapel on Wednesday afternoon, 24 October, for prayer and sharing for Beverley. It was fitting to hold the rosary in the chapel that had been Beverley’s place of prayer for so many years. She cared for the chapel all the years she had lived in the Addington Community.
The following morning we gathered in Sacred Heart Church for her requiem mass. Fr Peter Head celebrated the Eucharist and Bishop Basil Meeking led the Prayers of Commendation. Beverley had prepared the readings and hymns that were used in the service and Fr Peter spoke about how these readings so well reflected Beverley’s life lived in God’s love for her and her love for God.
A kind, gentle, elegant and gracious woman, Beverley had a great sense of humour, was a woman of prayer and an RNDM missionary. The congregation owes her a great debt for the work she did in translating from French many of our important documents, especially the letters of Euphrasie. As we remember the life and mission of Beverley, we are reminded of Euphrasie’s own words – translated by Beverley: “Don’t cry, my children. I am not leaving you. It is not even a separation, since we remain united in God and will soon meet one another again in a happy eternity.”
May she rest in Peace.