Irene McCormack
Encyclopedia
Sister Irene McCormack was a member of the Congregation of the Sisters of St Joseph of the Sacred Heart
. Born in Western Australia
, on 21 August 1938, she grew up on a farm near Trayning
. After becoming a nun
, McCormack was sent to Peru
to work as a missionary to the poor. It was here in 1991 that she was murdered by Sendero Luminoso
("Shining Path"), a Maoist
rebel guerrilla organisation.
, Lima
and Santa de Perola in Distrito de San Martín de Porres. On 26 June 1989, McCormack left to serve in Huasahuasi, in the Andes Mountains about 200 km from Lima. McCormack, with her companion, Sister Dorothy Stevenson, were asked to supervise the distribution of emergency goods by Caritas
Peru.
McCormack continued her ministry of providing library facilities to poor children, who had no chance of obtaining books to aide in their school homework. She also trained extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion, as well as visiting the parishioners in outlying districts.
On 17 December 1989, the priests of Huasahuasi were warned that they were in danger from Sendero Luminoso, so they and the two sisters left the village for Lima. McCormack and, however, felt that the church could not abandon the villagers at this time and returned on 14 January 1990. For 12 months Huasahuasi was without a resident priest. During this time McCormack and Stevenson served the people, led the communion services and provided leadership for the people of the area.
For about an hour the five victims were harangued, interrogated and shouted at. Several local people interceded for the lives of the five, saying they were good people and not wrongdoers. Sendero Luminoso members retorted that they had not come for a “dialogue”, but to “carry out a sentence”.
McCormack was accused of dispensing "American food" (Caritas provisions) and spreading “American ideas” (by providing school books). When local people insisted that McCormack was Australian, not American, the guerrillas dismissed this as irrelevant.
During the night, a group of young people from the village gathered around McCormack in the darkness and managed to move her back into the crowd. But the guerrillas soon noticed her absence and returned her to the bench.
Eventually the five prisoners were ordered to lie face down on the terrazzo-tiled surface of the plaza. Each was shot once in the back of the head. McCormack was the first to be killed – about six metres from the door of the church.
Since the bodies could not be moved from the plaza until authorities gave permission next morning, parishioners kept vigil by the body of McCormack, burning candles and praying. Then a group of women laid her out in the sacristy and did for her what their families did for the men killed with her. On 23 May 1991 a funeral Mass was held and McCormack was buried in the Huasahuasi cemetery, in a niche donated by a parishioner.
. The ‘’Daily Telegraph’’ reported that Church officials in Peru and Australia will prepare a submission to the Vatican
for the cause of McCormack after the official canonisation of Mary MacKillop by the Pope.
It also reported that under Vatican rules, martyred saints do not require the same evidence of miracles performed through their intercession, and that it was hoped that the process for McCormack would be quicker.
Sisters of St Joseph of the Sacred Heart
The Sisters of Saint Joseph of the Sacred Heart, often called the Josephites , were founded in Penola, South Australia in 1866 by Mary MacKillop and Father Julian Tenison Woods....
. Born in Western Australia
Western Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
, on 21 August 1938, she grew up on a farm near Trayning
Trayning, Western Australia
Trayning is a town located in the north-eastern Wheatbelt region of Western Australia, 236 kilometres east of the state capital, Perth, between the towns of Wyalkatchem and Nungarin. At the 2006 census, Trayning had a population of 122....
. After becoming a nun
Nun
A nun is a woman who has taken vows committing her to live a spiritual life. She may be an ascetic who voluntarily chooses to leave mainstream society and live her life in prayer and contemplation in a monastery or convent...
, McCormack was sent to Peru
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
to work as a missionary to the poor. It was here in 1991 that she was murdered by Sendero Luminoso
Shining Path
Shining Path is a Maoist guerrilla terrorist organization in Peru. The group never refers to itself as "Shining Path", and as several other Peruvian groups, prefers to be called the "Communist Party of Peru" or "PCP-SL" in short...
("Shining Path"), a Maoist
Maoism
Maoism, also known as the Mao Zedong Thought , is claimed by Maoists as an anti-Revisionist form of Marxist communist theory, derived from the teachings of the Chinese political leader Mao Zedong . Developed during the 1950s and 1960s, it was widely applied as the political and military guiding...
rebel guerrilla organisation.
Early life
The young Irene McCormack was said to be a vibrant, determined and fun-loving girl. She received schooling from the Sisters of St Joseph. She was sent to boarding school at saints mantra College, in Attadale Western Australia where she is said to have developed her two great loves: serving God and educating young people. By the age of 15 she had decided that she wanted to be a nun. She joined the Sisters of St Joseph in 1956 and spent the next few years teaching in country areas of Western Australia..Missionary in Peru
After 30 years of teaching in Australian schools she made her decision that she wanted to serve the poor. She arrived in Peru in 1987 for missionary work. McCormack's first assignment was in El Pacifico, a low income suburb in San Juan de MirafloresSan Juan de Miraflores
San Juan de Miraflores is a district of the Lima Province in Peru. It is located in the Cono Sur area of the city of Lima.Officially established as a district on January 12, 1965, the current mayor of San Juan de Miraflores is Edilberto Quispe Rodriguez...
, Lima
Lima
Lima is the capital and the largest city of Peru. It is located in the valleys of the Chillón, Rímac and Lurín rivers, in the central part of the country, on a desert coast overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Together with the seaport of Callao, it forms a contiguous urban area known as the Lima...
and Santa de Perola in Distrito de San Martín de Porres. On 26 June 1989, McCormack left to serve in Huasahuasi, in the Andes Mountains about 200 km from Lima. McCormack, with her companion, Sister Dorothy Stevenson, were asked to supervise the distribution of emergency goods by Caritas
Caritas (charity)
Caritas Internationalis is a confederate of 164 Roman Catholic relief, development and social service organisations operating in over 200 countries and territories worldwide....
Peru.
McCormack continued her ministry of providing library facilities to poor children, who had no chance of obtaining books to aide in their school homework. She also trained extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion, as well as visiting the parishioners in outlying districts.
On 17 December 1989, the priests of Huasahuasi were warned that they were in danger from Sendero Luminoso, so they and the two sisters left the village for Lima. McCormack and, however, felt that the church could not abandon the villagers at this time and returned on 14 January 1990. For 12 months Huasahuasi was without a resident priest. During this time McCormack and Stevenson served the people, led the communion services and provided leadership for the people of the area.
Death
About 6 pm on Tuesday, 21 May 1991 an armed band of members of Sendero Luminoso entered the town of Huasahuasi. They threatened residents and entered a number of homes. Four men were taken from their homes and brought to the central plaza of the town. Members of the guerrilla band also went to the convent, where McCormack was alone (as Stevenson was receiving medical treatment in Lima). The Sendero Luminoso members did not enter the convent, but ordered McCormack to come out, which eventually she did. She was also marched to the plaza and made to sit on the benches there with the four men.For about an hour the five victims were harangued, interrogated and shouted at. Several local people interceded for the lives of the five, saying they were good people and not wrongdoers. Sendero Luminoso members retorted that they had not come for a “dialogue”, but to “carry out a sentence”.
McCormack was accused of dispensing "American food" (Caritas provisions) and spreading “American ideas” (by providing school books). When local people insisted that McCormack was Australian, not American, the guerrillas dismissed this as irrelevant.
During the night, a group of young people from the village gathered around McCormack in the darkness and managed to move her back into the crowd. But the guerrillas soon noticed her absence and returned her to the bench.
Eventually the five prisoners were ordered to lie face down on the terrazzo-tiled surface of the plaza. Each was shot once in the back of the head. McCormack was the first to be killed – about six metres from the door of the church.
Since the bodies could not be moved from the plaza until authorities gave permission next morning, parishioners kept vigil by the body of McCormack, burning candles and praying. Then a group of women laid her out in the sacristy and did for her what their families did for the men killed with her. On 23 May 1991 a funeral Mass was held and McCormack was buried in the Huasahuasi cemetery, in a niche donated by a parishioner.
Possible sainthood
In October 2010, Australian media reported that McCormack could become Australia's second saint, after the canonisation of Mary MacKillopMary MacKillop
Mary Helen MacKillop , also known as Saint Mary of the Cross, was an Australian Roman Catholic nun who, together with Father Julian Tenison Woods, founded the Sisters of St Joseph of the Sacred Heart and a number of schools and welfare institutions throughout Australasia with an emphasis on...
. The ‘’Daily Telegraph’’ reported that Church officials in Peru and Australia will prepare a submission to the Vatican
Holy See
The Holy See is the episcopal jurisdiction of the Catholic Church in Rome, in which its Bishop is commonly known as the Pope. It is the preeminent episcopal see of the Catholic Church, forming the central government of the Church. As such, diplomatically, and in other spheres the Holy See acts and...
for the cause of McCormack after the official canonisation of Mary MacKillop by the Pope.
It also reported that under Vatican rules, martyred saints do not require the same evidence of miracles performed through their intercession, and that it was hoped that the process for McCormack would be quicker.