A CELEBRATION of the life of a York school’s former head teacher will be held next week.

Sister Mary Carolan, who held the role at St George’s Primary School between 1958 and 1985, died at St Vincent’s Nursing Home in Pinner, near Watford, just before Christmas.

On Tuesday, a thanksgiving Mass will be said at St George’s Church, in Peel Street, for her years of service to education in the city.

Born in Middlesbrough in 1921, Sister Mary joined the order of the Daughters of Charity of St Vincent de Paul in 1939 and trained as a teacher, starting her career in the London area before replacing Sister Teresa Ryder as headmistress at St George’s, which was then based in Margaret Street.

She spent much of her early years in the role trying to persuade the Government to build a new school, with her efforts coming to fruition when St George’s moved to its present site on Fishergate in 1977.

After retiring from teaching in 1985, Sister Mary continued to live in the order’s convent in Lawrence Street and was the visiting Sister in the Haxby-based St Margaret Clitherow’s parish before moving first to Hull, then Grangetown in Middlesbrough, Marske-by-the-sea near Redcar, Dumfries and finally the Merseyside seaside resort of Southport.

Following a stroke in 2006, she received care in two of the order’s nursing homes before passing away peacefully on November 29 last year. Tuesday’s Mass will be held at 9.30am and all former St George’s teachers and pupils, as well as friends of Sister Mary, are invited to attend.