Gone but not forgotten
Local
The nature of grief has a tendency to cloud cemeteries in sadness but they also provide a place for peace and reflection, especially on All Souls Day. On 2 November, All Souls Mass took place at Enfield Memorial Park, Payneham Mausoleum and Cemetery, and Centennial Park. <br /> <br /> KATIE SPAIN joined the religious at West Terrace Cemetery’s Smyth Chapel to commemorate those who have passed.
For Sister Ruth Egar RSM, West Terrace Cemetery is more than a resting place. Around 200 Sisters of Mercy are buried at the cemetery, among them foundress Evangelista Fitzpatrick who brought 24 sisters to Australia from Argentina during the persecution of the Catholic Church.
“Sister Evangelista died in 1885,” Sr Ruth says. “It is a very sacred place for us.”
Sr Ruth also has members of her family buried here, including her sister Denise.
Ruth grew up in Parkside, was educated at St Raphael’s School and St Aloysius College, and was the eighth of nine children, including two brothers – the late Fr Rob and Passionist priest Fr Tony.
Inspired by nursing training at Calvary Hospital, Ruth entered the novitiate before turning 19 and professed in 1955.
Her sense of connection to those who came before her deepened during visits to Rome.
At St Peter’s, she found herself carrying her family ancestry, and the Sisters of Mercy, in her thoughts and prayers.
“I’ve been to Rome three times and stayed with Sisters who were really close to the piazza [St Peter’s Square is located directly in front of Vatican City’s St Peter’s Basilica],” she says.
“I was very aware that every time I went through that door, sometimes three times a day, that I would take all of the Sisters of Mercy and all of my family ancestry with me.”
All Souls Day is a chance to reflect on those who came before her, helping to guide the way.
“I’ve always felt close to my ancestors,” she says. “Our ancestry is very, very important.”
That feeling of remembrance sits at the heart of All Souls, a day when the faithful remember the dead. Ruth describes the Mass as a beautiful occasion.
A sense of belonging shapes her understanding of religious life. Looking back on her years as a Sister of Mercy, she feels “very blessed” to have become part of a community with women she did not choose as family, but came to love as one.
“We are to make community wherever we go,” she says. “All of these women, Sisters of Mercy, left us the most precious legacy of community and how to develop lives steeped in faith, hope and love, as we live our lives of service with those whom we serve.”
She smiles.
“It’s God who makes us but our ancestry is very important. Our ancestors brought the faith back. Everyone is made by God, everyone has a vocation and everyone has a mission in life. A sense of real community that comes from the Trinity of love; of God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. I try to remember that.”
Little Company of Mary Sisters
Meanwhile, as Sr Anne Sheridan LCM strolls through the cemetery, her thoughts are with the Little Company of Mary Sisters, of whom she is the only one remaining in South Australia. The LCM order originally established the foundation for Calvary Health Care in South Australia in 1900 and Calvary Hospital was run by the LCMs for many years. Those who died while working there are buried at West Terrace Cemetery. There are 34 grave sites in total and their presence, alongside priests, other religious, and lay people, gives the grounds profound personal meaning.
“When you get into the cemetery, you don’t even know the cars are outside,” Sr Anne says. “It makes you think and be grateful for the people that you’ve known. They’re safe now.”
While All Saints’ Day brings a sense of joyful celebration, All Souls invites a more personal, contemplative pause. It is also a moment of gentle self-examination.
“Have I lived well?”
Sr Anne’s journey has been shaped by a lifelong commitment to service and learning. She entered religious life in Sydney at 21, eventually training in nursing, midwifery, and business management, and later took on leadership roles such as director of mission. Looking back, she feels deeply grateful for those opportunities and for the chance to put her education into practice. For her, a life of faith is defined by everyday connection rather than grand gestures.
“I want to live a life where I can make a difference,” she says, “Where I can be someone to someone.”
That calling exists side-by-side with a need for quiet solitude and time to consider where she has come from, how the past week has unfolded, and how she has treated the people around her. Returning to West Terrace places her among the sisters whose lives were deeply spent here in Adelaide. “It’s the centre of the place,” she says.
Watching Over Loved Ones
When Vicar for Religious, Sister Elizabeth Morris RSJ visits the West Terrace site, she makes a point of visiting the grave of her grandparents.
“When you go to a graveside of someone you know, memories flood back,” she says.
Her understanding of community and remembrance extends far beyond her immediate family. The Josephite tradition is woven into the landscape of places like their Mitcham cemetery, where the lives and service of her fellow Sisters are honoured. A significant stone tablet also commemorates sisters who are buried elsewhere, including the small number of Sisters whose graves are in the West Terrace Cemetery. The spirit of walking alongside others defines Sr Liz’s life and ministry, as she has lived in both city and rural parishes, building enduring relationships. From the beginning of the Congregation Saint Mary MacKillop’s vision was for the Sisters to live among the people they served.
North Adelaide Dominican Sisters and approximately six Good Samaritan Sisters are also buried at the West Terrace Cemetery.
The Smyth Chapel (formally the Smyth Memorial Chapel) is located within the Catholic section of the historic West Terrace Cemetery. Built in 1871 in memory of the Very Reverend Dr John Smyth, the heritage-listed mortuary chapel underwent a major restoration to preserve its spiritual and historical significance. It is a beautiful place for reflection.
