Remembering Sr Regina Seigel
S
ister Regina was born Kathleen Elizabeth Seigel on the 23rd November 1913 at Lithgow, NSW to George Edward Seigel and Rose Margaret Brain and was baptized at St Patrick’s Church, Lithgow. One of four children, she attended the Convent school and was taught by the “Brown Josephites”. When Kathleen was 12 years old she travelled to Baradine with her father who worked as a timber worker, cutting sleepers to lay the railway through Baradine and Gwabegar. She boarded at the newly opened Baradine Convent with the Perthville Sisters of St Joseph for two years. At 13 years of age, Regina’s talent for music, speech and drama was evident as she completed the Certificate of Merit in religion, arithmetic and history, gaining honours in English. Kathleen also achieved honours in elocution and a pass in Pianoforte from the Trinity College, London. Later, she became proficient in typing and bookkeeping. At age 18, Kathleen caught the train from Lithgow to Perthville to enter the Sisters of St Joseph on 15th August 1932. She was professed as Sister Regina on 28th May 1935 and her first mission was to Blayney where she prepared music students for exams. Regina, with an A Mus A in piano, in theory and in singing and a LTCL in speech and drama, Grade 1 (7th Grade) violin and ATCL (Speech and Drama), was a talented teacher of music, speech and drama. She also taught physical culture. Her music and elocution pupils loved Sister Regina and responded to her tuition. Regina taught in many places in the Diocese of Bathurst including Cargo, Dunedoo, Cumnock, Oberon, Blayney, Perthville, Coolah, Borenore, Yeoval, Portland, Molong, Canowindra and Baradine. She was frequently the Sister in Charge at these schools and was responsible for the main midday meal for the Sisters. She became the caterer and assistant bursar at Perthville where she cooked for in excess of 100 boarders and Sisters for five years. During this time, she completed a catering and management Course from East Sydney Technical College, undertook TAFE dressmaking course and a microwave cooking course. All the while she continued part time music and elocution teaching. Regina appreciated attending the Kairos Spirituality course for renewal. She had a deep trust in God and devotion to St Joseph and Our Lady. As she moved towards retirement, she engaged in parish ministry in Molong, Canowindra and Gilgandra. Regina was a proficient dressmaker, loved to embroider and did beautiful tapestry. In her senior years she learned to paint with oils and do pen painting. She also relished reading a good novel. As a member of the NSW Woman’s Bowling Association, she enjoyed this sport and the friendships and travel it engendered. In 1995, Regina moved to St Anne’s Home at Perthville for retirement yet continued to teach piano and speech to a few local children. She lived with patience, acceptance of God’s will and a sense of humour. Declining health lead her to accept a place in Macquarie Care in Bathurst in April 2010. In 2016, Regina moved across the road
to St Vincent’s Aged Care facility to join the Josephite Sisters resident there. On 23 November 2013, Regina celebrated her 100 birthday. She remembered and enjoyed reciting for her guests many of the poems she had taught her pupils. She really enjoyed being a centenarian. Regina was present at the fusion celebration on 2nd May 2014 and the sesquicentenary celebration in July 2016. Sister Regina died peacefully on the evening of 21st November 2016, two days before her 103rd Birthday and in her 81st year as a professed Sister of St Joseph. Her funeral was celebrated at St Joseph’s Chapel, Perthville on Saturday 26th November 2016 by Bishop Michael McKenna. Sr Therese McGarry rsj
The Catholic Observer is published by the Catholic Diocese of Bathurst (Diocesan Publications) PO Box 246, Bathurst, NSW, 2795 ph: (02) 6334 6400 fax: (02) 6331 9453 email: observer@bathurst.catholic.org.au Editor ~ Fiona Lewis Communications Co-ordinator ~ Kimbalee Clews Designer ~ Jacqui Keady Printed by: Rural Press Printing, Richmond NSW All material in this magazine is copyright and may be reproduced only with the written permission of the Editor. The Catholic Observer is a member of the Australasian Catholic Press Association.
Page 46 • December 2016 • C a t h o l i c O B S E RV E R , T h e D i o c e s e o f B a t h u r s t