Sister Teresa Stuczynska

List of Deceased Sisters

Date of Death 23/04/2022

   Birth: 10 February 1929

   Profession: 08 December 1960

  Death: 23 April 2022

After a life marked with light and shadow, joy and suffering, on Saturday 23^rd April 2022, Sr Teresa Ludmilla Stuczynska passed from this life to eternal life in the God she had served so faithfully.  Born in Wilno, Poland on 10^th February 1929 to Paul Stuczynski, a Polish Army sergeant and his wife Nonna Stuczynska, Teresa was their first-born child and two years later welcomed her brother Roman. As a child, Teresa was a chatterbox with a lively interest in the world around her.  She started school at 6 years old and developed a love for reading which continued throughout her life.

 On 1st September 1939, Poland was at war and soon Wilno was invaded by the Russians who gave Wilno to Lithuania and it was made the capital, Vilnius. Her father was interned in a camp on 18^th September. Teresa and family entered into a time of privation, trauma and high anxiety, (at times terror).  The Polish school was closed, and Teresa had to study at the Russian high school even though she knew little Russian.  The Germans invaded Poland in June 1941, at first a relief from the Russians, but in June 1944 Teresa was forced to go with her aunt Luda to work in a German munitions factory. After the war, Teresa and Luda went to England as refugees, as had her mother and her brother.  In 1947, Teresa went to the Polish school at Stowell Park and always treasured the friends she made there. Her father was not in England and after much effort, she found him in Italy. They migrated to Australia in 1952 where Teresa worked as a senior clerk for five years.

On 7^th May 1958, Teresa followed her call to religious life and entered the SMSM postulancy at Watsonia.  She made her first profession on 8^th December 1960. For the next three years, she worked in the Altar Breads at Wahroonga until in 1964 she began her BA studies at Sydney University; after graduating in 1966, she went to Teachers College.  From January 1968 until December 1979, Teresa taught at St. Mary’s High School, Asitavi, Bougainville. 

During this time, she was the Deputy Principal for seven years as well as being the Leader of the Community. As Deputy, she was responsible for discipline, and worked with the student representatives and the offending student before deciding on the consequence of a particular misdemeanour, usually an hour or two of work.  Teresa was in charge of the library, passing her own love of reading to a new generation. The students loved and respected Teresa and would go to her office in the Library on Saturday nights to ask her help and advice.

From 1980, Teresa was primarily based in Australia first of all at Wahroonga where once again she was in the Altar Bread department. In 1983 and 1984, Teresa had been involved in work with the Polish migrants in Goodna, Queensland. Then for two years, 1986 and 1987, she gave service at the Generalate in Rome. Sr Avelina who was with her there remembers her asa gentle soul and someone you can relate with.In 1986, she had the joy of visiting Poland again for the first time since she left in 1944.  At the end of her time in Rome, Teresa again visited Poland before going to England en route to Australia. In March 1988 she joined the Flemington community for work with migrants and refugees.   

From 1989, Teresa moved again to Wahroonga where she was appointed Sister in charge. Teresa’s wisdom and her concern and love for the Sisters saw her frequently appointed as leader of the community at Wahroonga.  These same gifts were valued when she was Provincial Councillor from 1981 to 1983, then again from 1989 assistant to the Regional of Australia. The community at Wahroonga was fairly large at that time, so being the leader of the community was demanding.  As one who loved learning, Teresa studied Italian once a week but she was too busy to apply herself to serious study.  Teresa had a great appreciation of beauty and the fine things in life, whether clothes, food, music or art.

As a child, Teresa had experienced serious illness and ill health and the need for various kinds of surgery were prominent in Teresa’s adult life.  Very often, Teresa felt physically and emotionally exhausted, but she was always very faithful to her responsibilities.  Despite being frequently unwell herself, Teresa also cared for her elderly mother and her aunt Luda who suffered from mental illness. She continued with this care until her mother died in 1997 and her aunt in 2003.

In September 2004, Teresa began a renewal course at Hawkstone Hall in England which she completed in March 2005 and returned to Wahroonga.  Later that year she moved to a unit in Plumpton and before too long began visiting people at a Polish nursing home.  Teresa continued to have need for both minor and major surgery and was treated for heart disease.  In 2013, she was deemed as eligible for residential care and moved to Our Lady of Consolation Aged Care Facility in Rooty Hill.  

Even there, she did not remain idle.  She read voraciously, knitted squares to be made into blankets for “Wrapped with Love”, (blanket number 27 is almost complete), and continued her deep prayer life and her service to others, especially by her compassionate listening to the staff who shared their problems with her.  Teresa’s health gradually deteriorated and in past year even with the help of a pacemaker, her heart was ever weaker.  On Friday 23^rd April, Teresa could barely swallow and her breathing became more laboured.  Through that night, she was accompanied by Sr Margaret Tisch as she waited to be gathered into eternal life.

In 2004, Teresa wrote a poem to be shared on her death.  In part, it reads:

Throughout my whole lifeyou have been the God,

my God, who carried me,

“like a man carries his child, all along the road I travelled.” 

you have been there, my refuge, my rock.

Thank you, Teresa, for being such a woman of faith, of service and of love.  We rejoice with you that your longing for God is now fulfilled.

 Sr Jennifer Clarke