ONE OF England’s most prominent nuns has died peacefully in the same care home she founded for Macclesfield’s community.

Sister Marie Keegan, Provincial Superior of the Pallottine Missionary Sisters, died of cancer aged 80 at Park Mount Residential Care Home on Sunday, October 25.

Sister Ann, who lives in the home’s convent, said: "She was the bravest woman I have ever known, she was amazing. She was very well known here in England and in Rome and she would go over to Tanzania every year to help with the missionary."

Sister Marie was invited to Rome more than once for an audience with the Pope.

Sister Ann said: "Sister Marie went over several times when the provincial seniors from all the countries would meet and they would have an audience with the Pope. They would go to mass and have a blessing. She would talk about the work she was involved in here, I think she enjoyed it."

Sister Marie, originally from Rochdale, founded the Park Mount care home in 1986 when Pallotti Hall orphanage, at Thornycroft hall in Siddington, was no longer required and a need for elderly care was realised.

Sister Mary, Vice Provincial Superior, who lives in Tanzania, added: "She was very wise, she didn’t say an awful lot but when she did she was spot on. She wasn’t very well at all when we were in Tanzania in June and when she came back she went straight to hospital. She chose not to stay in the hospital and we all cared for her here."

In her final months Sister Marie attended her sister Joan’s 90th birthday party and organised for all the Pallottine sisters to come together for a final celebration at the Macclesfield care home.

Sister Mary added: "She had planned it and she wanted to say thank you to the community. It was a happy celebration and her way of saying goodbye. She’s going to leave a great big hole here."

Sister Marie Keegan had three brothers and a sister. She was born in Rochdale on June 22, 1929. She was a qualified teacher when she joined the Pallottine Order in 1950, was professed in 1953 and elected Sister Superior in 1964.

She trained to be a nurse at Manchester Royal Infirmary, and moved to Macclesfield in 1986 to live and work in the care home.

A Requiem Mass took place in the chapel at the care home on Tuesday, November 3.

The Pallotti Order was founded by St Vincent Pallotti in 1835 and the Pallottine Missionary Sisters were established in Germany in 1888. The order came over to England in 1908 where they opened the Convent School in Drake Street, Rochdale.