Margarita Bourke

Deceased Sisters

Margarita Bourke - New Zealand
08/05/1923 - 08/04/2018

Sister Margarita was born in Epsom, Auckland, New Zealand, daughter of Morton Bourke who was an accountant and Mary Bourke nee Kennedy.

Margarita was educated at Marist Primary and then at Marist College, Mount Albert. Later as a Marist Sister she gained her Teacher’s certificate at Loreto Hall. In 1941 when Margarita was 18 she entered the Marist sisters’ novitiate in Woolwich, Sydney. That year the novices and postulants had to be moved to the country to a town called Mittagong as there were fears of an attack from the Japanese in Sydney harbour. In 1943 she had to return home because of illness but entered again, this time in Karori, Wellington where she was received as a novice in 1945. The following year she made her first vows.

During her long life as a religious Margarita served in many places. Her first appointment was to Putaruru. She also taught in Herne Bay, Mount Albert, and Karori. By 1981 she had retired from teaching but became involved in other ministries: hospital home care in Mount Albert and Whangarei, on the Motor Mission around Northland where her base was in Moerewa, pastoral work in Rawene, voluntary prison work and pregnancy help in Orakei in Auckland. In 1996 Margarita went to Waitaruke where she continued her outreach to the poor and suffering with the same compassion she had shown throughout her religious life. During her time there she had a very serious car accident narrowly escaping death. As a result of that accident she was in constant pain which was very hard to control until she came to Kauri Lodge Rest Home about three years ago. Here they were able to give her more relief though she was never totally pain-free. As she became less physically independent she was cared for with great kindness and skill. Her mind always remained clear and she was vitally interested in all that was going on in the area and in the congregation.

All through her religious life, Margarita wrote countless letters to people in need: widows, relations, aging people, young people. She continued to do so even when she was no longer able to travel to meet people in their homes. At her funeral many remembered her letters, as well as her phone calls, and the support they had always given.

In recent months Margarita grew gradually weaker and it became clear in March that she did not have very long to live. The Sisters from Kaikohe and Rawene, the staff of Kauri Lodge and her own niece took turns in staying with her until she died very peacefully on the evening of April 8^th.

Her body was taken to the marae at nearby Waitaruke for a few hours then to the chapel in the building that had been the convent. Here she lay until Wednesday morning with a constant stream of people coming to pay their last respects to their friend. On Wednesday morning her body was taken to the little church for a concelebrated Requiem Mass. Afterwards she was buried at the top of the hill in the “Urupa”, the Maori cemetery behind the church, beside Sisters Aloysia and Rita.

May she rest in peace.

Deceased Sisters

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