‘Sister Maureen Clare Hall was larger than life’

A REMARKABLE life.

That was the recurring theme of the tributes paid to former principal of Immaculate Conception High School (ICHS) and devoted Franciscan Sister, Maureen Clare Hall OSF, who died on May 12.

She was 88 years old.

Immaculate’s first Jamaican principal, she served for 28 years, from 1963 to 1991.

It was under her leadership that the school’s population grew, expanding from four streams with some 800 students to six streams with over 1,400 students.

Sts Peter & Paul Catholic Church was filled to capacity as hundreds turned out to pay their final respects at the mass of thanksgiving yesterday.

Sister Helen Rose Yee Sang OSF, who spoke on behalf of the Franciscan Sisters of Allegany, said Sr Maureen Clare was a person of deep prayer who was gifted with a very good mind and an equally good heart.

“She had a beautiful singing voice and loved to sing, so much so that as a young teenager she wanted to become a professional cabaret singer. She thought she would be doing what she loved while earning fame and fortune. However, God had other plans for the gifts he had so generously given her and called her to choose another path,” she said, noting that the Franciscan community is very grateful that she answered the call to join in 1952.

Sr Helen said she used her gifts well in the field of education at her alma mater and worked tirelessly to instil Christian values while raising the academic standards of the school.

It was Sr Maureen Clare who initiated and fostered the development of the ICHS alumni association which began in Jamaica and now has three overseas chapters.

She said the late Donna Haynes recalled that inflation had skyrocketed and the price of the gold graduation rings became exorbitant, so Sr Maureen explained that the rings would be made of silver and charged the students to focus on what the ring symbolises, rather than the material it is made of.

“When Sister Maureen Clare met with them, she said to them, ‘I understand that a fundraising event was held to enable everyone to have a gold ring. Now, perish the thought. You will instead donate the money to help rebuild the Kingston College library which had burnt down,” she said, as the mourners erupted in laughter.

Served the elderly poor

After her retirement, Sr Maureen Clare served the elderly poor by assisting them with food, filling prescriptions and paying for blood tests.

“She could not meet all their needs and would tell them that she’s not minister of housing, she’s minister of food and medication,” Sr Helen recalled.

Catherine Hall, widow of Sr Maureen Clare’s cousin, Stuart Hall, said the cousins knew each other from childhood and remained deeply attached to each other throughout their lives.

She said Sr Maureen Clare was born into a large and loving family in Old Harbour, St Catherine.

“At 11, as is well known, Clare came to Immaculate and this was the beginning of a life rooted in that community which has changed and renewed itself over the years … . Clare became the young principal of Immaculate, having been appointed in the wake of Independence,” she said, adding that she effectively provided the Jamaican leadership the school needed.

Catherine recalled that when her husband first brought her to Jamaica in 1965, months after their marriage, the Sunday visits to Old Harbour were a joyful part of their stay.

She said Sr Maureen Clare was a precious and beloved member of the family.

“Over the years we were able to visit and from the 1980s, began to stay regularly in the convent. We knew the sisters and experienced their kindness and generosity … In the difficult years following Stuart’s mother’s death, Clare was able to give enormous support to the surviving members of the family – father Herman, brother George and sister Pat. We owe Clare an unmeasurable debt for the loving care she offered to Pat until her death,” Catherine said as her voice weakened.

The ICHS school board lauded the late former principal for living a life of service and placing the interests of teachers and students at the forefront.

“Sister Maureen Clare was larger than life. She impacted her students and her influence remained with us when we left ICHS to go into the wider world. She had the gift of making every occasion a teachable moment and never lost sight of her mission as a Franciscan Sister of Allegany and a servant of God,” Christine Rodriguez said on behalf of the board.

Rodriguez added that Sr Maureen Clare was not afraid to delegate when she was inundated with responsibilities or not feeling her best self, but her hands remained firmly on the steering wheel.

“When misunderstood or disrespected, she didn’t answer in anger. ‘This is not the Franciscan way,’ was her cry,” the board member said.

Following the mass of thanksgiving, Sister Maureen Clare Hall was interred at the Alvernia Cemetery along Old Hope Road, in St Andrew.

judana.murphy@gleanerjm.com