Anne Kenny was born of Irish parents in Argentina on 28 January 1847 and took the Religious Name of Claver.
According to Carmel Bourke, boarder and later Principal of St Aloysius College (1945-1953) tells her story:
Like all the other Sisters she was bi-lingual, speaking fluent Spanish and English. She was one of the earliest of the Buenos Aires young women to join the new Irish Sisters of Mercy in 1862 in Buenos Aires. Sister Claver was highly esteemed by her Community, elected as Assistant to Mother Evangelista several years before the Sisters left Buenos Aires. She was chosen to accompany Mother Evangelista on her visit to Ireland in 1879, to seek guidance for the future of the troubled Congregation from the Superior of Baggot Street and the Archbishop of Dublin.
After the Sisters came to Adelaide, Mother Evangelista, their Foundress and Superior since 1856, died suddenly in 1885. Her Irish companion and co-foundress, Mother Liguori Griffin, was then elected Superior in her place but when she also died unexpectedly the small congregation was left without the experienced guidance of these great Dublin women. Another election was held and four of the Argentinian-born and younger Sisters were now called on to take over the administration of the new Adelaide foundation.
Mother Claver was one of the four, being elected to the position of Assistant, and for the next 30 years she continued to hold a place in the government of the Congregation, as either Assistant or Mistress of Novices. This gives some indication of the high esteem in which she was held by the Sisters.
She taught in the Adelaide Mercy Schools throughout these years, but when Carmel Bourke met her in 1920, she was an elderly nun and had retired from active duties. She was a kind and gentle person, a familiar sight, as she liked to wander down to the school and chat to the boarders.
Mother Claver Kenny returned to Argentina in 1901, accompanied by Mother Clare Murphy, to procure her legacy. She brought back a postulant, Rose Kenny. Rose was the niece of Mother Claver, who became Sister Margaret Mary. Margaret Mary was the last of the Argentinians to die in Adelaide in 1966.
The Sisters received a hearty reception in Argentina in 1901. They discovered a thriving Mercy order, with the number of convents increasing with new, beautiful and substantial structures. The trip provided another opportunity to study education in Argentina, and in England and Ireland, all three countries having introduced new systems.
One of the highlights of this twelve-month visit was a private audience in Rome, with Pope, Leo XIII. They conversed quite freely in Spanish, the pope making enquiries about the Mercy works in Australia, and showing great interest in all, especially education. The two women were much impressed with his lively personality and fatherly manner. They were given a rare privilege of a visit to the Vatican gardens, library, and many magnificent rooms. All of this was related to the Sisters, and much of it to the school children, on their return.
Mother Mary Claver Kenny died on 23 September 1931, at the age of 84 years, a much-venerated person. She is buried in West Terrace Cemetery in Adelaide.
By Sr Mary-Anne Duigan and edited by Jacqui Jury, 2024
References
(ed.) 1996, Women on the move: Mercy’s Triple Spiral, Sisters of Mercy, Adelaide.