Julia Bergin
Julia Bergin was the daughter of Michael Bergin and Mary Ann Phelan, and was therefore a sister of Catherine Bergin. Julia Bergin was born in Waterford city, Ireland, probably within two or three days of being christened. She was christened in St Patrick's church, Waterford on 19 September 1880. Her mother died following childbirth in 1886 when Julia was not quite six years old. It is not known who raised Julia but later records of the Sisters of Mercy in Australia show that Julia was from Waterford, suggesting Julia was raised as well as born there.
On 4 January 1901, the ship Oruba, a ship of 5857 tons, sailed from London with 197 passengers bound for Fremantle, Adelaide, Melbourne and Sydney in Australia, and prior to departure the journey was estimated to take 75 days. "Miss J Bergin", age 21, was among the passengers and she travelled to ship's final destination of Sydney and then onwards, probably by train. She travelled from the cool green climate of Ireland to the far western New South Wales town of Bourke. Bourke is reported to hold the record for the highest temperature ever recorded in New South Wales: 51oC or 125oF recorded in 1864. In summer, the average temperatures range from 20oC to 35oC with 45oC being common, while in winter they range from 5oC to 20oC with frosts being common on winter mornings.
Julia arrived in Australia and entered Bourke Convent in 1901. She was professed (made her profession of the vows of chastity, poverty and obedience) on lst June 1903. She was given the religious name of Sister Mary Brigid. According to Sister Pauline Hartshorne , Julia was one of five girls from Waterford, four of whom (including Julia) were born during 1880-81, and one whose birth date was uncertain but who was possibly older as she was the first to die, in 1901.
the sign (above) above the front door of the Convent, built in 1896.
These photographs were taken in October 2000, when the building was still
used as part of the parish school and Marist Brothers who were teaching
at the school, were residing on the first floor.
The photograph at the right was taken in the attic of the convent building in the year 2000. It is understood that this area, above the upper floor and beneath the roof, served as the residence for novices (sisters in their initial period, approximately first two years, in the convent). The area was divided by curtains. Each young woman had a small curtained area in which to sleep, read, pray, study and meditate. They went downstairs for meals and chapel but spent much of their time in this small space.
Some idea of the conditions endured by the sisters can be gauged from the writings of another sister some thirty years later. In the 1940's Sr Teresita wrote "I went out there in '41 and thought it was the last place God made. Oh, it was terrible. We were eaten with mosquitos. The heat was dreadful." Asked if the sisters got used to the heat and mosquitos, she wrote "Yes, the heat, but I wasn't used to mosquitos ... and the sandflies ... and all the clothes we had on us." "The only water we had ... because the other water was so dirty .. we had a big well .. in the yard .. but you had to take it up, we had a chain, with a jam tin on it. Put that down, and drag it up and carry that inside." Another sister, Sr Loreto wrote "I love it. Honestly loved it. I can truthfully say they were the happiest days of my life. .. we had no creature comforts whatever in those days. Look, when I think of it we had nothing. We had no refrigeration, we had no electric light, we had candles for our rooms. ... ". These quotes are excerpts from Mercy on the Darling : Centenary of the Sisters of Mercy in Bourke 1891-1991).
The photograph above was taken from the rear of the roof of the convent building in 2000. The convent originally owned land right to the Darling River, but in recent years land was resumed for a levee bank and service vehicle track. Apart from the levee bank and vehicle track, this view would be very similar to that viewed by Sr Brigid and her fellow novices a century earlier.
window of original convent chapel, now used as school office.
Sister Pauline Hartshorne advised that there were a number of deaths in Bourke from 1901-1914, seven of whom were young women. Four others lived long lives, not dying until mid 1940's to late 1959.
Among the commemorative plaques located at Bourke Cemetery are the following :
Sister M. Columba Kenny, died 10 November 1901
Sister M. Ignatius Garrick, died 27 June 1905
Sister M. Xavier Doohan, died 1 January 1907
Sister M. Brigid Bergin, died 22 February 1912
Sister M. Stanislaus Foley, died 8 April 1912
Sister M. Joseph Lannan, died 22 August 1912
Sister M. Berchmans Kirwin, died 2 Februay 1913
Sister M. Bernard Noonan, died 15 November 1913
Sister M. Peter Collison, died 11 July 1914
With benefit of hindsight it can be seen that the life of the novices was not conducive to good health. It is not known how many were infected with tuberculosis when they travelled from Ireland, but the young women living in close contact in the confined space of that attic in those awful temperatures, meant that the tuberculosis bacterium spread readily.
The picture above portrays a statue (located in the Bourke convent) of Catherine McAuley, the Irish founder of the Sisters of Mercy. The heavy black garb was standard for the professed sisters even in the sparse dry hot climate of Bourke. The habit of novices would probably have been similar but with different head-dress and veil.
Sr Brigid's death certificate states that she died in the Convent at Bourke and the cause of death is given as pulmonary phthisis (tuberculosis).
item in the Western Herald newspaper, published
in Bourke on 23 February 1912, with the Anglicised
"Bridget" used instead of the Irish "Brigid".
item published on page 2 of the Western Herald newspaper,
in Bourke NSW, on Wednesday 28 February 1912
A Sister from Bathurst Congregation, researching the Sisters' early history, found a slightly abbreviated version of this obituary in The Catholic Press newspaper of March 7, 1912.
St. Ignatius Church, photograph taken in 2000. This is the
same building from which Sr Brigid's funeral was conducted.
St Ignatius' Church was built in 1874 and is reported to be
the oldest surviving building in Bourke.
at the Bourke Historic Cemetery, the row of graves of the Sisters of Mercy stands out.
Not only did so many of the young sisters die but the Mistress of Novices (who would have spent a lot of time with the novices, including in the crowded attic area) also died. It was thought at the time that the heat and conditions in Bourke had contributed to the illness of the Sisters who had died so young. Consequently, after the tragic deaths during the early 1900's the novitiate was moved back to Bathurst with the Sisters returning to Bourke for their ministry following their profession of vows. In 1923, the head house and novitiate was located in Parkes (with Bourke being one of the houses amalgamated).
As noted in the obituary, Sr Brigid taught school in Bourke, Brewarrina and Cobar in her short teaching career. The Sisters of Mercy left Cobar in 1998 after 114 years presence. In that time 96 sisters worked in the town (www.wil-frbs.catholic.org.au/nov983.htm - link now removed). Sr Brigid was one of them.
Thanks
Sister Pauline Hartshorne, of the Wilcannia-Forbes Congregation of the Sisters of Mercy in Australia, provided some information about Julia.
Br. Mark, of the Marist Brothers, Bourke, generously provided a guided tour of the old convent at Bourke and permitted photographs to be taken.
