By Jamie O’Brien
Family meant a lot to Veronica Willaway.
Growing up in Australia’s only monastic town of rural New Norcia, 130km north of Perth, her family life was ingrained in the work of the Benedictine Sisters, so it was no surprise when at the age of 14, she entered the convent, Benedictine Missionary Sisters of New Norcia in 1958.
Originally from the Yuat Noongar tribe, Sr Veronica is the only indigenous Australian religious sister.
Currently serving at the Norfolk Priory in Nebraska, USA, Sr Veronica returned to Western Australia in 2015 to spend a year volunteering at the Aboriginal Catholic Ministry of WA, and in the meantime, took some time out to speak to The Record Magazine about her vocation.
From the young age of 6, Sr Veronica went to live at St Joseph’s Orphanage, together with her five siblings, with her parents blessing.
Sr Veronica explained that it was the ‘fashion’ of the children living in New Norcia at the time.
“This became a sort of boarding place for us and we had the best of both worlds – going home each weekend.”
Influenced by the life of the Spanish speaking Sisters at New Norcia, at the age of 14 Sr Veronica recalls it was then that she first felt called to the religious life and entered the convent run by the Benedictine sisters. She professed her final vows on 12 March 1966, at the age of 21.
While this transition into the formal role as a religious sister began a wonderful period in her life, it also presented numerous challenges – being seen as “different” to her friends first and foremost among them.
“Years later, all my friends and peers were very proud of me because I was only the second Aboriginal sister in the Congregation, Sr Cecilia Farrell being the first.”
In September 1974, she moved to Girrawheen, to run a Child Care Centre for working parents, and was told she would be stationed there for the next 15 years.
However, barely a year into her service in Perth, things changed quite drastically for the young Sister as she was told that the Benedictine Sisters of New Norcia had decided to return to Spain and they had invited her to join them.
“It was a moment of confusion for me, yet somehow, in the midst of this period of uncertainty, I felt a call to follow my vocation and go to Spain.”
On 24 March 1975, she boarded the ship “Galileo” in Fremantle for a six week journey across the ocean to reach Barcelona, Spain.
Her feelings of awe at the splendour of the sights she saw on her trip were only overshadowed by a growing sense of homesickness and realisation at how far her family would now be.
“My new ministry was looking after children aged between two and five. It is interesting to note that I learned most of my Spanish from them, ‘out of the mouths of babes.’
Three years later, during what she thought was going to be brief time on leave back in Australia, Sr Veronica was transferred to the Kalumburu Mission in the North of WA.
She worked in Kalumburu until 1982, when she returned to New Norcia to help the Filipino Missionary Benedictine Sisters of Tutzing.
From this point on, a number of shifts took place that saw Sr Veronica transition not only to other geographical locations, but into another branch of her order.
In the midst of so many shifts and movements, including a return to Kalumburu in 1987, Sr Veronica’s biggest transition was yet to come.
“On 27th April 1989, I was asked by the Generalate in Rome to go to the United States of America to help out in the Norfolk Priory. After three days in the country I was sent to the Winnebago Indian Reservation to help the community in the school and convent.
“I enjoyed my time at Winnebago and felt right at home with the Native Americans. Their culture is very similar to my Aboriginal culture. The people used to tell me that they had quite a few Aboriginal people stay with them and they soon all became very dear friends.
In mid-1991, Sr Veronica was transferred back to Norfolk, USA, where she remains stationed until this day.
Reflecting on her pastoral experience with the Aboriginal Catholic Ministry of Perth, Sr Veronica spoke about her repeated encounters with Aboriginal people whom she had previously known at New Norcia and Kalumburu.
She commented on how pleased she was to see many of them still in possession of the faith they received throughout those years.
“It is incredible to see how they have kept their faith.”
From pages 22 and 23 from Issue 2: ‘Family: What does it mean in 2016?’ of The Record Magazine