KARACHI: Sister John Berchmans, a Roman Catholic, Irish nun who spent most of her life teaching in Pakistan and who was a principal of the Convent of Jesus and Mary, died here on Wednesday.

She will be remembered for services rendered in the field of education in Pakistan for more than 60 years.

Born as Bernadette Conway in 1929 in County Clare, Ireland, she was better known as Sister Berchmans.

In 1951, Sister Berchmans joined the congregation of the Religious of Jesus and Mary, founded by Claudine Thevenet in France in 1818. The congregation also took on the task of education in different countries. The first Convent of Jesus and Mary in Pakistan was opened by four sisters in Lahore in 1876.

Sister Berchmans was sent to Pakistan in 1953 at the age of 24. She spent some 60 years teaching here. She taught girls in Jesus and Mary Convents in Lahore, Murree and Karachi. Her passion was teaching English although she also taught mathematics.

In 2012, the government conferred the Sitara-i-Quaid-i-Azam on her for her services in education and promoting interfaith harmony.

Published in Dawn, December 22nd, 2022