11th March 1934 – 9th February 2026
The funeral of Nun who served much of her life in Wolsingham was held in Sunderland last week.
Sister Mary Assumpta of the Sisters of Mercy lived in St Anne’s Convent. She was well-known in the town where she regularly organised and helped in events that took place in St Thomas Church Hall. In 2000 when the convent and school closed, the remaining sisters moved to a house at West End, Wolsingham. They donated the money to build the St Anne’s Centre erected in the Recreation ground. During Covid, Sister Assumpta, the only remaining nun in Wolsingham, returned to the Sisters of Mercy base in Sunderland.
Her life and work are summed up by a tribute written by her niece, Aoife, as follows:
Born in Galway in the West of Ireland and living in Sunderland from the age of 16, Sr Assumpta, or Auntie Bernie as we knew her, was called home on 9th February 2026, just shy of her 92nd birthday. A Sister of Mercy for 74 years, she loved life and had a strength and determination that shaped everything she did. She was full of energy and spirit, with a presence that was impossible to ignore.
She was always present in our lives, right from the time we were children when she came to Ireland each summer to visit. Even then, we could barely keep up with her.
By her own account, her reason for entering religious life was born out of a promise to her sister, who died when they were children. That promise shaped the course of her life. And true to her nature, Auntie Bernie honoured it to the very best of her ability throughout her life.
One of our earliest memories is of our mother, her sister Nancy, buying bags of sweets for weeks before Christmas, filling a big box and sending it to Auntie Bernie for the children she cared for in the convent in Seaham Harbour. That small memory says so much. Family meant everything to her, but so did the children and communities she served.
During her years working in the parish in Jarrow, the people there celebrated her 50th Jubilee. Our mother attended and was so impressed by the huge effort the people of Jarrow made to honour her. She came home saying how loved and how popular Auntie Bernie was there. That never surprised us; she gave herself fully wherever she went.
She was very happy in Wolsingham. She loved helping out in the church, chatting with people, and being involved in everyday parish life. When we visited, we were always struck by how warmly she was treated and how the community looked out for her. It brought us great comfort to see that care returned to her.
During COVID, she moved back to Oakley. Although she missed Wolsingham deeply, she never lost those friendships. People continued to visit her and take her out shopping, and as many of you know – Auntie Bernie loved to shop!
And she never let family drift. She believed in staying connected. In fact, anyone who ever missed a phone call from Auntie Bernie will know that she did not give up easily. If you did not answer the first time, she would ring again. And again. And again, until you picked up. We might laugh about it now, but that persistence said something important about her. She did not give up on the people she loved. Keeping in touch mattered to her. Making sure you were alright mattered to her.
We will miss so many things, but especially being able to ring her and ask for her prayers for whatever was going on in our lives. We will miss the certainty that no matter how big or small the problem, she would carry it in prayer. There was deep comfort in knowing that someone who loved us so deeply was placing our names before God each day.
Prayer was at the heart of Auntie Bernie’s life. When she stayed with us in Ireland, every car journey began and ended with the rosary. Here in Oakley, she loved going out into the garden to pray at the grotto. All her life she rose early, and in her final months her carers would hear the steady rhythm of prayers coming from her room each morning. Faith was not just something she practised. It was something she lived.
Auntie Bernie dedicated her life to God and to Our Lady, to her sisters in the convent, to the communities she served, and to her family in Ireland. She gave her life in service, in faith, and in love. She kept her promise. She lived her vocation. And she did it with strength, humour, and that ferocious spirit we all knew so well.
May God now bless her, grant her eternal rest, and welcome her home in peace after a life of such faithful service.
Sister Assumpta, died peacefully in hospital on 9th February 2026, aged 91 years. A Sister of Mercy for an incredible74 years.
Requiem Mass was held at Oaklea Convent, Sunderland on Tuesday 3rd March and followed by burial at Bishopwearmouth Cemetery.
