Brave journey to Australia
Obituaries
Sister Augusta Bresba rsj (born March 11 1933, died August 7 2024).
Sr Augusta was born in Mansue, Italy, the second eldest of six children to Eduardo and Cecelia Bresba.
She shared family life with her siblings – Maria, Augusto, Giorgio, Mariano and Caterino. In 1952, at the age of 19 and just seven years after World War II ended, Augusta and her older sister Maria, aged 20, came to Australia, while Augusto and Mariano migrated to Canada.
Having to leave her home country as a young adult, it was not easy for Augusta to grasp the English language. This often proved to be quite isolating and difficult for her.
Augusta first encountered the Josephites when she was employed at St Joseph’s orphanage at Largs Bay.
Sr Maureen Joseph, who was in charge of the orphanage, saw something special in Augusta and kindled her vocation. Not only was she a good cook, she was also an accomplished seamstress.
Augusta chose to join the Sisters of St Joseph of the Sacred Heart in March 1960 and made her first profession as Sr Mary Augusta of the Passion in Sydney in January 1963 and took her final vows on January 6 1969.
After her first profession Augusta returned to Adelaide and for the first 10 years was involved in internal ministry where she used her fine skills as a seamstress.
She helped many Sisters make their habits and was also involved in house duties. For three years she had the privilege of helping to bake altar breads at Kensington. They were used throughout the Archdiocese for the celebration of Mass.
In 1976 Augusta began pastoral visits within the Payneham parish, which enriched and broadened her ministry focus. However, she had a longing to be involved in teaching and spirituality and took several courses.
The first was in the mid-1970s when she spent three years as a student at the South Australian Torrens Teachers’ College and was appointed as a ‘beginning teacher’ to a school in the State system. Unfortunately, she was unable to continue because the English language became a problem for her.
In 1980 Augusta went to Italy, dedicating time to study in Rome. She attended the Gregorian University that year to study Scripture and Spiritual Direction and in 1981 the Ignatian Centre in Rome to study spirituality. She visited family at this time in Venice.
When Augusta returned to South Australia, she lived at Hectorville where she became a pastoral visitor to families and to nursing homes in the area. In this role she had contact with many Italian people which brought her a sense of fulfilment.
Augusta’s hopes of joining the teaching profession had not diminished and in 1983 and 1984 she lived in Sydney where she became a ‘teacher assistant’ and was also a pastoral visitor at a school in Leichhardt North.
She returned to Adelaide having realised her gifts were really at their best when ministering in a parish context. After enjoying a renewal course in 1989 at Baulkham Hills, NSW, the former site of the novitiate for the Sisters of St Joseph, Augusta once more became involved in parish ministry. She lived at Kensington and ministered in a pastoral role at Ellangowan, St Peter’s.
Augusta’s mother died in 1995 and she travelled to Rome at that time to be with her family. On her way back to Australia she took the opportunity to visit her brothers and their families in Canada. Her second and final visit to Italy and Canada was in 2012 when she again spent time with family members.
For the next 10 years Augusta lived at Kensington until she required more specialised care and then moved to Calvary Flora McDonald Lodge at Cowandilla. She had a lovely ability to make friends and enjoyed speaking with and sharing prayer with the other Italian residents, particularly praying the Rosary in Italian.
Augusta lived the journey of her religious life bravely. She gave whatever she had to her ministry and in her final years she continued her ministry of prayer support for those in need. It is never easy to move into residential care but Augusta negotiated the transition with the same courage she displayed throughout her life.
Augusta died peacefully and rests now in God’s love.
– Sisters of St Joseph with family references from John Santini, nephew of Sr Augusta.
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