Sr Frances Oakley RIP
Frances was born in 1935 in West Ham East London. She was christened Shirley, an appropriate name at that point in history! She had a close-knit family who were important to her, one sister Maureen, 2 nieces and 2 great nieces and 2 great nephews all of whom are still alive today and have remained very much part of Frances’ life.
When she was 11 she went to Sarah Bonell grammar school and remained there until she was 16. She was always interested in science and intended to teach it. So she applied to Saint Angela’s for the post of lab technician. It was to be her first brush with Catholicity, though she herself was very much a practising Christian. Lab technician, was a newly created post. At that stage teachers tended to be formal, gowned and elderly. Sister Benedict, headteacher, was not sure how comfortable the staff room would be for a youthful looking 16 year-old starting something new in the school, so arrangements were made for her to join the Upper Sixth and share their cloakroom and break time. I happened to be a sixth former at that time. It was my first acquaintance with Shirley but we struck up a rapport which has lasted since.
Shirley continued for several years more as Lab Tech. She was naturally serviceable, made herself indispensable to the Science staff and enjoyed her work. The students enjoyed hearing her called “Shirley” No other staff had Christian names! After some time she decided to train as a science teacher and went to Avery Hill training college, where she qualified. She then applied for a teaching post at Saint Angela’s, which she had no difficulty in obtaining.
At Saint Angela’s Shirley decided to become a catholic. On the staff, she met a history teacher of about her own age who had been a pupil at the Ursuline convent Westgate. They became friends and both discovered they wanted to become nuns. So, she and Zela joined the Westgate Novitiate together.
After the novitiate, Shirley, now sister Francis de Sales, found herself once again teaching at Forest Gate. Science had always been her great love. At that stage Nuffield Science was making its mark and was particularly strong at Saint Angela’s, as it was the special protégé of the LEA science inspector. On one occasion he was visiting the school and was nearly knocked over in the science corridor by one student pushing another on a trolley at great speed, only to discover this was an experiment arranged by Sister Frances and part of her lesson! I think he was secretly very impressed.
Frances did much to enhance and enliven the science teaching. The school became a member of the Wildlife Rangers Association. Frances and Sister Gemma with several sisters commandeered from other departments, often took groups on Wildlife Ramble weeks during the summer holidays.
She continued her science teaching at Westgate and Wimbledon; but there was always a quiet confidence and assurance about Frances and she was soon appointed Novice mistress. This was well post Vatican II and in the more homely environment of Big Brescia freed her to adjust programmes to contemporary styles and needs. At this point in her life science lost its creative advocate and Frances became prioress on several occasions and in 1991 Provincial. She was always interested in expanding our influence and was responsible for the development of the three cluster communities of Shotton, Wythenshawe, and Lancaster. When her mandate as provincial ended Her “expansionism” took her for some months to the island of Benbecula. It was a wonderful time for her and she would love to have made a foundation there, but the Outer Hebrides proved a step too far for most of us! However, she had a further two years respite in working with American women’s project in Billings Montana before returning to take up the reins as prioress again. She is still remembered vividly in Billings.
Frances was not a flamboyant eye-catching personality but she was quietly resourceful and very enterprising, and many benefited from her influence.
She had a host of skills and interests she put to good use as gardener, handywoman, candle maker, in community. She liked learning new things and we all remember the accordion which gave her such hours of pleasure and enriched so many functions. Her family have a treasured recording of her accompanying one particular evening prayer at Westgate. Her niece also remembers being taken out as a young teenager to learn about capturing nature in photos and how physics helped to find the beauty in the world around us.
There are also sundry memories from the Westgate Ursuline past students Facebook:
“She did an assembly in Chapel once and gave an inspiring speech to the students where she said her school motto had been that they should be pioneers. I remember she talked about how this had influenced her in her life.
Another records “Whilst I was a member of staff, she guided me through the Ignatian Long Retreat which we did over 30 weeks rather than the 30 days more normally done. She was a prayerful, intuitive, supportive and a gentle guide.”
And another “I remember her gentle, calm character, warm smile and soft voice.”
“She was a beacon for us to learn to be true to ourselves and find contentment and happiness in the paths we chose, a lovely person, gentle in spirit!
May she rest in peace!”
