Sr. Mary Charles Conway RIP

Sr. Mary Charles, an Ursuline and teacher, taught in Ilford Ursuline Prep, Ursuline Westgate, St Ursula’s Greenwich and, in retirement, some children at St Antony’s school, Forest Gate. She died in March 2022.

Mary Charles, known to her family as Irene, was the youngest of four girls. She remained firmly Scottish all her life: a Glaswegian, a city in no way to be confused with Edinburgh, a Celtic supporter and a member of St Aloysius Parish, which like her Scottish accent always remained alive for her. 

She appears to have grown up in a close-knit loving family. They decamped each year for a month to a different seaside cottage. St Aloysius was a natural centre for their worship, cultural and social life and there were regular visits to her grandfather who lived nearby.

At 95, and the youngest of her family, unsurprisingly she is the last of her line, but throughout her life she retained close contact with sisters, nieces, and nephews, and their descendants, the majority of whom are here today or following her Requiem Mass on-line. And they all turned out in great force for her Golden and Diamond Jubilees. 

She attended the Mercy convent in Glasgow practically next door from the age of 5 to 17. This was briefly interrupted, when the school, where her father taught, was evacuated and the rest of the family joined him; but it was a brief exile indeed. The lady of the house was away at the time and they found they had been allocated the servant’s quarters. They returned home the next day to be followed shortly by most of the children from her father's school, who quickly discovered the site was within walking distance of home!

When she completed her schooling, she went to Teacher Training in Glasgow and studied Maths her favourite subject! After training, she taught for 5 years in Glasgow and then entered the Ursulines at Westgate. That may seem a surprising choice, but she felt to join the Mercy Sisters and remain in Glasgow would be too confining and she had an aunt whom she knew in the Ursulines. 

She appears to have settled quickly and her great gift of service, which became a hallmark, was soon in evidence. Her first post was to llford Preparatory School, but as a highly gifted Maths teacher with a good singing voice and someone who was always willing to be the dogsbody, she found herself on the Ursuline circuit, so her CV reads, llford, Westgate, Greenwich, Lourdes, Wimbledon, Westgate, Forest Gate. She served as teacher, Prioress, bursar, as well as carer for the frail and sick sisters at Greenwich. It is easy to write that in one line, but it masks the reality of the uprooting and resettling she must have experienced. Jayne remembers getting their assignments after Tertianship, Jayne hoped for Greenwich, Mary Charles for Westgate, and they commiserated together over their reversed choices. 

I think Mary Charles found religious life fulfilling and enriching. She loved teaching Maths and was highly successful in it. She didn't seek out mathematical stars, but became excellent at reducing complex issues to ordinary language. And there are countless struggling students, who can still look up at the ceiling and configure Pythagoras as she taught them. Any past pupils meetings, where she taught abound in stories and face book is awash with them. Here, are a few. 

“She was firm, a great teacher and made a lasting memory for each of us." 

“Sharp, sassy and smart, she was always armed with a withering look or comment! I have very fond memories of SMC, may she rest in peace.”

“She was always very kind to me even though I hated maths.”

Mary Charles joined our community in Forest Gate in 1998. She was by that time retired. She held many strong views and flexibility was never her greatest virtue, so there was some learning to do on both sides. When she arrived, we were 6 in community with a non-resident prioress. Only one sister had a school apostolate, the rest being active, but beyond retirement age. We lived in a newly built convent on the roadside and, attended daily Mass in the Parish. Church. The general idea was we took responsibility for day to day living 

She was in Forest Gate for 20 years and in that time became very much part of the place. Initially she joined St Antony's school staff and quickly made her mark as a skilled maths teacher for the unmathematical and a willing assistant where needed. Again, despite her very quiet ways she was soon valued 

“I have lots of fond memories of her with her maths groups. There are so many children who benefited from her patience but not someone to be messed around.” 

“Oh I remember her well. Such a lovely person. So good with the children. May she rest in peace.”

And it wasn't just maths:

“I have fond memories of Sr. Mary Charles running the library and invigilating year six SATs.”

There were lots of us doing different things and she quickly joined in. She became expert in DIY when we turned some spare rooms into teacher flats. She learned to cook and her sausage casserole has gone down in history. She also shared many new Justice and Peace ventures and took part in "the Glasgow drop the debt" and the London "No to the Iraq War" marches, She was also was very much part of our Olympic involvement. Throughout her life Mary Charles was known for her welcome which included seeing all guests to their cars no matter how slow their departure or biting the wind! 

Like everyone else, she had her faults. More inclined to see her shortcomings than her abilities she was paralysingly convinced she had nothing to talk about and nothing worth saying.  She always enjoyed company, and was very happy to sit in silence but this could be daunting to the guests trying to include her. She also had strong likes and dislikes which could be trying for those not on her wavelength, but she was extremely generous and faithful and, in her own open minded. I know that in her years here she met a new and ongoing sense of awakening, that the orthodox approach to life, which had generally characterised her, was not the only way. 

She will be long remembered for the positive and kindly contribution she made to the communities and schools where she served and I leave you on the final word of a former pupil, which beautifully sums up the person we knew. 

"I remember the first time I met Sister Mary Charles was when we had a look at the school after being given a place there. She said' I am Sister Mary Charles, I am your form tutor, maths teacher, RE teacher and I love maths'. My reply was I am Denise Pittman and I hate maths. 'She said we will get on great and I will make sure you love maths. With her help, I tried my best! She had a great sense of humour, was very strict and was very fair. Alan and I went to Westgate for some reason, as we left Sister Mary Charles gently touched my arm, said 'he is a fantastic young man and make sure you keep him! That was Last time I actually saw her. "Sister Mary Charles heaven has gained another Angel."