Sister M Camillus Bermingham

Marcella Camillus Bermingham was born at Toowoomba on 6 October 1918 the sixth of nine children born to Patrick and Ellen (Gilbride) Bermingham.

Marcella was only ten yeas of age when she experienced the sadness of her mother’s death. At this time Marcella had already been in contact with the Sisters of the Good Samaritan for some four years. She recalled the “gentle, prayerful kindness” of Sister M Scholastica Cullinane and, in her teenage years, of Sister M Vincent Joseph Mannes in guiding her through these years of loneliness and loss. All this time Marcella’s devotion to her father grew to the point that when she sought to join the Good Samaritan Sisters “the enjoyment of this loving relationship with her father was the greatest sacrifice she had to offer as she left him and her loving family.”

After beginning her primary school education at Greenmount State School, Marcella went on to board at the Clifton Convent until her primary school education was completed. She then boarded at Lourdes Hill College for her secondary studies. Marcella subsequently spent nine months with the Sisters at Oakey teaching in the school and studying music – a study which prepared her for her long years of ministry as a teacher of music. These activities, however, still allowed her time to enjoy her favourite pastimes of tennis and horse riding.

At the age of eighteen, Marcella responded to the call to enter religious life as a Good Samaritan sister and joined the Novitiate at Pennant hill on 4th January 1937. From this time she would be known as Sister Mary Camillus, and made her first profession on 4th January 1940. Camillus was one of a group widely known as the “20 set”. A talented musician herself, for the next forty years she carried out her ministry of nurturing this gift in others in NSW, Victoria and Queensland. In this she was a woman before her time ensuring that the manual talents of others were used in parish liturgy. Another great love was prayer and she nurtured prayer groups especially in Innisfail and Gayndah. Her remarkable gift of being with people, her insight, her compassion and her contact through visitation and correspondence brought great joy to family, friends and sisters. Birthdays unfailingly brought a loving remembrance. Her creativity in the garden was a source of personal delight and inspiration to praise God for the wonder of Creation.

Increasing ill-health resulted in her move from Gayndah to Lourdes Hill and final to Mount Olivet Hospice.