Sister Berchmans Conway (second from right) A Clare-born nun is to be awarded a prestigious medal next week for dedicating her life to teaching in Pakistan.
St Mary’s University, London, has announced to award Sister Berchmans Conway the Benedict Medal next week in recognition of almost 70 years of teaching, most of which was spent in Pakistan, where she taught at the Convents of Jesus and Mary in Lahore, Murree and Karachi.
The medal, which is the university’s highest honour, will be presented to Sr Berchmans by the Archbishop of Westminster and Chancellor of St Mary’s Cardinal Vincent Nichols during a St Mary’s Summer Graduation Ceremony.
Sayeeda Warsi, former Senior British Foreign Minister and a visiting professor at St Mary’s University, said the government of Pakistan should acknowledge the impact Sr Berchmans has made on the country.
Baroness Warsi said: “Sr Berchmans dedicated 70 years of her life to teaching and spent most of her time in service of Pakistan. She taught Muslim, Christian, Parsi, and Hindu children at the Convents of Jesus and Mary in Lahore, Murree, and Karachi to promote education, empowerment, and interfaith harmony. She deserves recognition at all levels.”
She added: “I had the privilege of visiting Sr Berchmans in Karachi and I saw at first-hand how her work and presence has created a lifetime of inter faith understanding.
Sr Berchmans was born in Ireland, Co. Clare, in 1930 and joined the Convent of Jesus and Mary in 1951 in Willesden, London.