St Michael’s say farewells to beloved Sister Joan

Sister Joan Marsh, the last surviving nun associated with St Michael’s School for Girls in Bloemfontein, has passed away. She was 97 years old. When Bloemfontein Courant visited Sister Joan in November 2014 on her 96th birthday, she was surrounded by friends from the school, Anglican Church and other supporters who wished her well on this incredible milestone.
She was in her twenties when she joined St Michael’s and spent 67 years with the school. She died peacefully in Serenitas in Bloemfontein on Saturday afternoon.
The school said their farewells yesterday at Marsh’s funeral. Father David Tanton from Johannesburg led the service. Marsh and Tanton worked closely together while he was the Chaplin at the school.
Braam van Wyk, principal of St Michaels School, says this is a very sad time for the school, especially because it is an end of an era. “The challenge for us as a school will be to sustain the value system that was enforced and guarded by the sisters for so many years. One thing that we will definitely miss, is Sister Joan’s daily prayers for the school. Prayer like that forms a very special bond.”
Van Wyk says all the sisters who dedicated their lives to the establishment and upliftment at St Michaels are remembered daily with the Garden of Surrender at the school.
A long life is something quite a few St Michael sisters were blessed with and have also been known for. Sister Thirza died at the great age of 103 years in June 2005, while Professor Mother Mary Ruth in 2006, died at the age of 101 years. Professor Mother Mary Ruth celebrated her 100th birthday with a festive helicopter ride over Bloemfontein.
The sisters were part of the faith community of St Michael & All Angels, an Anglican religious order of sisters in South Africa. The community was founded by Bishop Alan Becher Webb, second Bishop of Bloemfontein, in 1874, although the idea was initiated by Webb’s predecessor, Bishop Edward Twells. In a letter Twells wrote in 1868, he emphasised the need for a sisterhood to establish a school for girls in Bloemfontein.
Although this faith community no longer exists, Marsh was the last surviving nun who had been involved in the founding of the school. The community leaves a legacy of education for girls – nursing and social assistance among the poor and needy – that extends over a period of 140 years. Their work has stretched as far as Kimberley, Harrismith, and Lesotho. – Maricelle Botha & Karien Jordaan
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