Venerable Mary of the Sacred Heart Glowrey was born in the
Victorian town of Birregurra in 1887. She gained scholarships to secondary
school and to the University of Melbourne. She graduated from her first degree
in Medicine in 1910. She worked in leading Melbourne hospitals.
In 1916 Mary Glowrey became the first General President of
the Catholic Women’s Social Guild (now the Catholic Women’s League of Victoria
and Wagga Wagga). She earned a higher medical degree, an MD, in 1919.
In 1920 Mary gave up her career as a doctor in Australia to
take up a vocational calling to India to care for vulnerable women and
children. She became a religious Sister with the Society of Jesus Mary Joseph
in Guntur. Known as Sr Mary of the Sacred Heart, Mary served as a Sister doctor
in Guntur. She ministered and oversaw the care of hundreds of thousands of
patients who would not otherwise have received medical treatment.
Mary led and trained others in healthcare provision. In
1943, she founded the Catholic Health Association of India (CHAI), whose
members today care for at least 21 million people annually.
She died in Bengaluru (Bangalore) in 1957.
Mary Glowrey's cause for canonisation was initiated in India by the Bishop of Guntur. Located in area today known as Andhra Pradesh, Guntur was where Mary spent most of her life in India. Her cause continues to be supported by the Congregation of Jesus Mary Joseph, the religious society to which she belonged. Her cause for sainthood advanced after Pope Leo XIV recognised her ‘heroic virtues’ on 21 November 2025.
Pope Leo’s decree
marks the second major step in the formal process toward sainthood, signifying
that the Church has officially found evidence of a life marked by extraordinary
virtue.
For more information, see https://maryglowrey.org.au, a site that presents information about Dr Sr Mary Glowrey JMJ's life and legacy and her Cause for Canonisation. It facilitates a greater understanding of Mary's spirituality and holiness. The site is owned by the Catholic Women's League of Victoria and Wagga Wagga.
This website is published by Mary Glowrey Heritage Limited (ABN 39 604 292 346) and all rights are reserved. Except where otherwise specified, images (including in videos) are from the Mary Glowrey Collection, which is owned by the Catholic Women’s League of Victoria and Wagga Wagga Inc (ABN 18 342 098 335) and are published with their kind permission. All requests to use or reproduce text, images, audio, video, and other content published on this website, including materials embedded in videos should be made in the first instance to info@maryglowreymuseum.info as outlined on our Contact Us page.