Sister Mary John Bosco
Mary John Bosco was a dark eyed little Italian lady, with a warm and welcoming smile. She had a warm and loving heart of gold, was resolute and forthright in her opinions and had her own particular sense of time! She was a person of strong character and strong convictions. She was a shrewd judge of character with a wry sense of humour. She had a simple faith, and this faith seemed to be iron clad and unshakeable. Her “yes” meant “yes” and her “no” meant “no!” She was a ‘salt of the earth’ person.
She was born 11th April 1921 as Speranza Monopoli the eldest daughter of Matteo and Lucea Monopoli in a place called Marino di Puolo near the beautiful Italian city of Sorrento. Matteo emigrated with two of his brothers to Nelson, New Zealand and when Mary John was eight, she and her mother and younger sister, Maria were able to join Matteo.
The Italian community of Nelson was a close knit community; strongly Catholic, with its own ethos and identity. This early life of Mary John Bosco gave her a sure sense of her own identity as Italian, as Catholic, as immigrant. She knew who she was and she was proud of, and comfortable with it. She was at home in her own culture, and in the broader kiwi culture of New Zealand.
She was courageous and convinced that God had called her to be a religious sister. It would have been no mean feat to leave her close knit Italian community in Nelson to travel to Christchurch in war time, at the age of 20 (accompanied by her family) to the Novitiate of the Sisters of Our Lady of the Missions, where they had to register with the police upon their arrival in the city of Christchurch!
Mary John Bosco had a long life – ninety-six years, seventy-six of these as a religious Sister of Our Lady of the Missions. This was the other dimension to her identity. She knew who she was as a Sister of Our Lady of the Missions and she lived her vocation deeply and zealously all her life.
After her Final Profession Mary John worked in a variety of communities around New Zealand, among them Napier and Greenmeadows. In Sunnybank just out of Nelson she cooked for the boys of the orphanage and had a motherly care for them. Her ministries were always related to food preparation, nurturing and nourishing the sisters and the boarders in the boarding schools. She worked hard; sometimes she seemed only a little bigger than the pots she cooked with. Her food always nourished and she worked with love and contentment, always at her own pace!
From 1974 to 1977 she worked in Rome and this was an opportunity to live within her own culture, to experience life in her country of birth and to express herself fully and freely in her own language. It must have been a blessing for her.
On her return to New Zealand, she was missioned for eight years to the Novitiate Community at Mt St Anne’s Cashmere, Christchurch. Here she was responsible for the food, but also for working with the novices on a day to day basis and she did so much more. She could turn her hand to many things around the house and in the garden. She was never idle! She had an intuitive appreciation of growing things. She was also quite intuitive with regard to human nature. Her motherliness, kindness and concern, and indeed a certain frankness, for each novice was a great contribution, as was her care of the sick, especially her care of Sr Mary David over these years.
After Motueka 1985-90, her next mission was Western Samoa. Mary John lived her whole life beyond the comfort zone of her own language and culture, so for her, Samoa was not a challenge but a blessing … to fulfil her life commitment by being missioned to a place very dear to the heart of our own foundress Euphrasie Barbier. From the day she arrived until she left, she baked, cleaned, painted, advised and above all just served with all the love and energy she had. She coped with gas ovens and a kerosene fridge, a challenging climate and some insects and animals that were almost larger than her!
She cooked and cleaned for the workers and the staff of Logoipulotu College with great devotion. She loved the students and they loved and respected her. She cared for the gardens, sewed and made gifts, she loved the animals and looked after everyone and everything before she gave a thought to herself. Cyclones nor storms, nor torrential rain nor scorching sun, nor unsealed roads, nor stormy seas deterred her. Those years in Samoa and her ability to resonate with fa’a Samoa and its people, her deep love of them and in particular of our Samoan sisters were always a great source of joy and contentment for Mary John. Perhaps there was something in her Italian culture that connected deeply with that of the Pacific; a connection that continued after her return to New Zealand.
Almost the last twenty years of her life were among the people of Pukekohe. Her life of hospitality and welcome never waivered. Her love of all people; children, the old and the sick, the hearty and strong, those in need of a little or a lot of help, all came and received the same welcome from Mary John Bosco. In 2007 and 2008 aged 86 she joined a group from the parish to go to Ambae Island off the coast of Santo Island, Vanuatu to assist development there.
Her devotion to the Parish church, to the priest, to the sacristy was exceptional – she was the Sacristan to beat all Sacristans!
In early 2017 Mary John had a fall and after some time in Pukekohe hospital she moved to Mary Mackillop Care in Auckland. Just two months later following a stroke she died peacefully. Her rosary was attended by approximately 100 people and many stories were shared. Ladder stories were in abundance; even into her 90s it was not unusual to find her up a ladder either painting or dusting the heights of the Pukekohe Convent.
Her funeral on Thursday August 31 was in the church of St Patrick’s Parish, Pukekohe where she had spent many hours as sacristan. She was farewelled in fine style with a large number of priests, a full church and over 20 sisters. The school children formed a guard of honour and performed a Haka as she was carried across the road to the cemetery.
May she rest in peace.