Sister Christina Williams was looking forward to celebrating her Golden Jubilee this September but it wasn’t meant to be. After a short illness she died in early June.

After her Religious Profession, Sister Christina qualified as a community nurse and shared her nursing skills and compassion with the residents and children of Island Bay, Whanganui, Broken Hill, Silverstream, Auckland, Suva and Hiruhārama. Sister also shared her skills and compassion with the guests at the Soup Kitchen in Wellington. During her time at Silverstream and Suva, Christina was the Community Leader .. , Christina also had a calling to work with young people. She worked with young women discerning religious life and with Wwoofers, (Willing Workers on Organic Farms). To enhance her skills with young people, sister studied at the Institute of Religious Formation at St Louis, Missouri, USA.  Sister also contributed to the Formation Team and was a member of the inter-religious formation group. She was a valued member of the parish council at Island Bay and a spiritual guide to the Catholic Samoan Community.

Sister Christina was excited to go to Hiruhārama after many years of nursing in other places. She had received a paddle from Aunty Wehi at the time of the Sister’s Hikoi along the River Road, in 1992. She knew then that one day she would return to be a member of the community and this finally eventuated in 2014, over twenty years later. Sister loved the people and the visitors there.

The sisters all knew that Sister Christina loved the garden. At the soup kitchen, she supported the MokaiKainga Māori Centre by working with the guests, staff and volunteers at the Owhiro Bay Community Garden where she encouraged many to grow their own vegetables.

Sister was committed to God and certainly followed the teaching and example of Suzanne Aubert. It was while she was living at Jerusalem/Hiruhārama, that she became ill and died four months later in Wellington. Sister Christina’s last wish was to visit Jerusalem before she died. She was able to go to the place she loved, say her goodbyes and she died about a week later.

Born                     Entered                Professed               Died                         Place of Death                        Place of Burial

31.03.1943        15.03.1966            15.09.1968         08.06.2018             Lower Hutt Hospital                Karori Cemetery