A grandfather clock with nearly a century of history has been returned to the Canberra-Goulburn Archdiocese, marking the end of a long association with the Sisters of the Good Samaritan as they prepare to leave Canberra. Source: Catholic Voice.
Sr Clare Condon SGS said the grandfather clock was “given to Fr Haydon in 1928 from the people of Queanbeyan when he was moving to Canberra”.
“And at some stage, he gave it to the sisters who lived across the road in the convent. So, it’s been with the sisters throughout that time.”
The clock, Sr Clare said, has followed them across generations and homes.
“It came to where we live, up in Red Hill, in 1992, so it’s been with us for that length of time. And as we’re leaving Canberra, we thought it appropriate to give it back to the archdiocese.”
For Sr Rita Riley, the memory is immediate and vivid. “I can still remember coming into our house and the first thing you saw was this beautiful clock,” she said. “I still can see it.”
Canberra-Goulburn Archbishop Christopher Prowse noted its remarkable condition.
“It seems to be in very good working order,” he said. “It is very much looked after by the sisters and in two years’ time, it will be 100 years old.”
Behind the clock sits a much larger story – one of vocation, memory, and quiet service now drawing to a close in Canberra.
But the farewell is not only about the past. It carries the weight of a changing Church.
“There are fewer of us now,” Sr Clare reflected. “It’s a different era, but the important thing is being neighbours – being present to people in whatever ministry we’re in.”
Their years in education, parish life and community service have left an imprint that won’t easily fade. Yet the sisters speak of departure not with loss, but with clarity.
“We’ll be moving into a smaller community,” she said, “but still together, still living what we’re called to do.”
The Sisters of the Good Samaritan will be farewelled from the Canberra-Goulburn Archdiocese on Sunday at the 11 am Mass at St Christopher’s Cathedral.
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Century-Old clock returns as Sisters farewell Canberra (Catholic Voice)
