Sr Patricia Ziebarth ibvm - Loreto Sisters

IN LOVING MEMORY OF

  Sr Patricia
Ziebarth ibvm

Last Sunday morning, just as day was breaking, Sr Patricia Ziebarth ibvm
made her final journey home to God. Given COVID restrictions few were
able to sit with Patricia over her final days, Anne Szysz, Anne Byrne,
Jane Kelly, Angela Slattery among them, offering whatever small
comforts of presence and care they could to a dear “sister and friend of
the years” and praying for the coming of the angels to lead her gently to
paradise.

For those of us who knew her less, let me introduce another Loreto
woman - this time a creative free spirit, an artist with a green thumb, an
inspiring teacher who cooked a mean neenish tart and loved to fish!

Patricia was welcomed into the world by her parents Beatrice and Carl in
Albury, New South Wales. She was baptised as Tryphena Patricia
Ziebarth, with Tryphena being the name of her grandmother. She grew
up on the family farm in Howlong, a town near Albury, with her much
loved brother John, who was 2 years younger. Howlong always held a
special place in Patricia’s heart and she never lost the spirit and love of
the outback. No doubt growing up on a farm and roaming the paddocks
with John across many years also developed her independent spirit
which was another trait she carried throughout her life.

In 1942, Patricia attended boarding school at Loreto Mandeville Hall
Toorak and stayed there from Years 9 to 12. During these years, she was
known as a keen student who had a considerable talent for art and
music and was an excellent sportswoman.

In the years after her schooling, she went to Melbourne Technical
College (RMIT) where she studied art and other related disciplines such
as cookery and dressmaking. During this time, she lived at St Mary’s Hall
(now St Mary’s College) which was run by the Loreto Sisters. In the few
years that followed, she moved back to the country spending time
working with rural women and then teaching art at Mt Erin College in
Wagga.

The call to follow God had obviously been percolating for a number of
years and in March 1950, she entered the Novitiate in Mary’s Mount,
Ballarat. While this was a big move for a free-spirited country girl, it is
noted that whatever Patricia set her heart on, was always carried out
with courage and conviction.

In 1952, she made her first vows taking the name of Sr Mark with the
motto, “Miserior super turban” – I have compassion on the multitude
(Mark 8:2).

Patricia taught at Dawson St and Mary’s Mount and made her final vows
in 1957 when her title changed to Mother Mark (a name that many of her
past pupils remember well).

In 1958, she was missioned to her old school at Loreto Mandeville Hall
and stayed there for 10 years developing her skills as an art teacher in
both Junior and Senior schools where she was widely recognized by her
colleagues as an inspired teacher. She was also the Sports Mistress in the
Junior School and coached the boys footy team. She was definitely a
go-er!

In the community, she was known for her culinary skills which is where
the neenish tarts come in! They were her specialty which graced many a
celebratory table. She was also one of the Sisters who helped design
more simple habits after Vatican II.

In 1969 she was sent to Loreto Coorparoo as Sister in Charge of the art
department. She was renowned there and in every place she taught, as a
teacher who encouraged her students and drew out the very best in
them. During her time at Coorparoo, she was one of three Loreto Sisters
who were chosen to go on a 6-week tour of Europe for art teachers.
Needless to say, she entered into the experience with gusto and enjoyed
it immensely.

From 1976 –81, she lived in Adelaide engaging in various ministries and
study and then, after a sabbatical course in Sydney, in 1982, she moved
to Parafield Gardens in Adelaide where she was a member of a new
community whose call was to live in a poorer area in a less structured
way. Its aim was “to build a Christian community in a neighbourhood
very raw and underdeveloped without community networks and
services”.

Patricia loved this experience as it enabled her to exercise her free spirit
in a new way during the time when the winds of change were blowing
through the Church. Many migrants were settling in Adelaide at that
time and Patricia became involved in helping families, holding women’s
groups, teaching art and cookery and organizing activities for children.
As mentioned, she had a green thumb and loved gardening. The nuns’
house had the best garden in the street and vegetables, fruit and flowers
were shared with all in abundance. She also played the organ at Sunday
Mass and this wonderful story is told about her by Sr Chris Burke who
was her Community Leader:

“One Sunday at Mass, the young priest was talking about conversion of
heart and saying it had to be deeper than superficial things like having
your hair done at the hairdresser. At the end of Mass when she was
asking the congregation to join in the final hymn, she said, ‘Excuse me
Father, but I would like to say: just ask any of the women here – having
your hair done is not just superficial - it can change the way you feel
about yourself and how others see you. It is not unimportant!’! The
people all clapped her!”

Women’s lib hit the parish church in the form of Patricia!

Another change of scene and ministry occurred when from 1988-93,
Patricia moved to Loreto Portland where she worked as an industrial
chaplain in the Alcoa steelworks. Here, her lifelong love of fishing came
to the fore and thus began her fishing apostolate. Evenings would find
her sitting on the jetty with her fishing rod in her hands, conversing with
the regulars and checking what was biting – another example of her free
spirit and engagement with people.

Following another stint in Parafield Gardens, Patricia retired to
Melbourne in the early 2000s where she was attached to the Toorak
Community but lived in Caufield in an independent unit. Once again, she
thrived in this situation and grew wonderful flowers and vegetables and
also took some art classes on sketching at Stonnington Tech.

When her health declined, she moved into Assisted Living at Mary
MacKillop Aged Care and even there, she took charge of the little garden
on the ground floor where plants soon began to flourish. Her final year
was spent St Vincent’s Care in Eltham where she was able to receive the
additional care needed for her as she slipped more fully into herself.

It was fitting that dawn was breaking as she departed this world, no
doubt with the song of the Howlong bush singing in her heart and the
spirit of freedom returning with full force to carry her home to God and
her loved ones. May she be at rest with them in peace.

With thanks to Sr Anne Byrne ibvm and Robin Scott, Loreto archivist, for
their biographies.

 Top: Sketch of Nicodemus, Patricia’s cat who must not have been partial
 to classical music!

 Bottom: Sketch by Patricia for HUMAN FIRST, a collection of religious
 rituals created out of significant times for a person or a group in a
 women’s prison.