John Berchmans Conway, R.J.M. (born Bernadette Conway 1929 – 21 December 2022), usually known as Sister Berchmans, was an Irish Roman Catholic
religious sister
A religious sister (abbreviated ''Sr.'' or Sist.) in the Catholic Church is a woman who has taken public vows in a religious institute dedicated to apostolic works, as distinguished from a nun who lives a cloistered monastic life dedicated to pr ...
and teacher who worked in Pakistan for 60 years. In 2012 she was decorated by the
Government of Pakistan
The Government of Pakistan ( ur, , translit=hakúmat-e pákistán) abbreviated as GoP, is a federal government established by the Constitution of Pakistan as a constituted governing authority of the Administrative units of Pakistan, four provin ...
for her services in education and promoting interfaith harmony.
Early life
Conway was born in
County Clare
County Clare ( ga, Contae an Chláir) is a county in Ireland, in the Southern Region and the province of Munster, bordered on the west by the Atlantic Ocean. Clare County Council is the local authority. The county had a population of 118,817 ...
, Ireland. In 1951 she joined the Congregation of the
Religious of Jesus and Mary
The Religious of Jesus and Mary (french: Religieuses de Jésus-Marie), abbreviated as R.J.M., form a Roman Catholic religious congregation of women dedicated to the education and service of the poor. It was founded at Lyon, France, in October 1818 ...
, founded by Claudine Thevenet in France in 1818, dedicated to caring for and educating the young and homeless. Very early, the congregation took on the task of education in other countries. The first Convent of Jesus and Mary in Pakistan was opened by four sisters in
Lahore
Lahore ( ; pnb, ; ur, ) is the second most populous city in Pakistan after Karachi and 26th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 13 million. It is the capital of the province of Punjab where it is the largest city. ...
in 1876. She was sent to Pakistan in 1953 at the age of 24.
Work in Pakistan
Conway spent some 60 years teaching English and mathematics. She taught girls in Jesus and Mary Convents in
Lahore
Lahore ( ; pnb, ; ur, ) is the second most populous city in Pakistan after Karachi and 26th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 13 million. It is the capital of the province of Punjab where it is the largest city. ...
,
Murree
Murree ( Punjabi, Urdu: مری) is a mountain resort city, located in the Galyat region of the Pir Panjal Range, within the Muree District of Punjab, Pakistan. It forms the outskirts of the Islamabad-Rawalpindi metropolitan area, and is about ...
and
Karachi
Karachi (; ur, ; ; ) is the most populous city in Pakistan and 12th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 20 million. It is situated at the southern tip of the country along the Arabian Sea coast. It is the former cap ...
. She completed her
Diamond Jubilee
A diamond jubilee celebrates the 60th anniversary of a significant event related to a person (e.g. accession to the throne or wedding, among others) or the 60th anniversary of an institution's founding. The term is also used for 75th annivers ...
, or 60th year, of
religious profession
In the Catholic Church, a religious profession is the solemn admission of men or women into consecrated life by means of the pronouncement of religious vows, typically the evangelical counsels.
Usage
The 1983 Code of Canon Law defines the te ...
in the Religious of Jesus and Mary in December 2011.Dawn, 16 January 2012
Notable students were
Benazir Bhutto
Benazir Bhutto ( ur, بینظیر بُھٹو; sd, بينظير ڀُٽو; Urdu ; 21 June 1953 – 27 December 2007) was a Pakistani politician who served as the 11th and 13th prime minister of Pakistan from 1988 to 1990 and again from 1993 t ...
, the late Prime Minister of Pakistan, who was assassinated in 2007, and
Asma Jahangir
Asma Jilani Jahangir ( ur, , ''ʿĀṣimah Jahāṉgīr''; 27 January 1952 – 11 February 2018) was a Pakistani human rights lawyer and social activist who co-founded and chaired the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan. Jahangir was known ...
, a noted human rights activist.
Personal life and death
Conway died on 21 December 2022, at the age of 93.
Awards and recognition
On 15 February 2012, the President of Pakistan approved conferment of the ''Sitara'' (
Nishan-e-Quaid-i-Azam award on Conway for her services in education and promoting interfaith harmony in Pakistan.
On 25 March 2012, more than 600 people gathered at St. Anthony’s Church for a special
Mass
Mass is an intrinsic property of a body. It was traditionally believed to be related to the quantity of matter in a physical body, until the discovery of the atom and particle physics. It was found that different atoms and different elementar ...
to celebrate the conferral of the country’s highest civilian award on Conway and
the Rev.
The Reverend is an honorific style most often placed before the names of Christian clergy and ministers. There are sometimes differences in the way the style is used in different countries and church traditions. ''The Reverend'' is correctly ...
St Mary's University, Twickenham
, mottoeng = Show Thyself to be a Mother
, established = 1850 (as St Mary's College)2014 (gained university status)
, type = Public university
, religious_affiliation = Roman Catholic
, endowment ...
awarded Sister Berchmans Conway the Benedict Medal in recognition of almost 70 years of teaching.
In 2020 the Karachi Administration named a road in
Clifton
Clifton may refer to:
People
*Clifton (surname)
*Clifton (given name)
Places
Australia
* Clifton, Queensland, a town
**Shire of Clifton
*Clifton, New South Wales, a suburb of Wollongong
*Clifton, Western Australia
Canada
*Clifton, Nova Scotia ...
in her honour. The Berchmans Road was dedicated to her in recognition for her services to education.