New Year Honours: Sister of Mercy shares tribute with all nurses

By KATHERINE HOBY

Sister Patricia Mary Hook, of the Sisters of Mercy religious order, has been made one of five distinguished companions of the NZ Order of Merit (DCNZM), for services to nursing and the community.

She agreed to accept the honour - which until knighthoods were scrapped in April would have given her the title of dame - on the proviso that it was for all the nursing Sisters of Mercy.

She is the second Auckland member of her order to be given such a high royal honour, following in the footsteps of the legendary singing teacher the late Dame Sister Mary Leo.

Sister Patricia was born in Christchurch in 1921 and grew up in Oamaru.

She was an Air Force radio officer during the Second World War and later trained as a nurse at the Mater Hospital in Epsom, later renamed the Mercy.

After only a short time in nursing she entered the convent.

Between 1949 and 1979, she did nursing at the Mater, the last 15 years as hospital administrator.

Sister Patricia has served as vice-president of the Nurses Association, three years as chairwoman of the National Nursing Services Committee and two years as national vice-president of the Private Hospitals Association.

In 1983, she established the Mercy Spiritual Life Centre in Epsom and was director there until 1990.

She is now a spiritual director and member of the management team at St Mary's Convent in Ponsonby.

Sister Patricia said her life, dedicated to God and nursing, had been wonderful.

Ironically, she almost did not enter the convent.

"I fought madly not to respond to the call to religion because I loved nursing so much, but once I did I have not had a day of unhappiness."