Sr. Moira Lynch FDNSC, who in her 70s left Sydney to serve the poorest of the poor in war-torn southern Sudan, has been recognized in her regional hometown’s walk of fame.

Sr. Moira’s incredible life story will be added to the memorial in Walter Day Park at Lockhart, southwest of Wagga, which recognizes residents who achieved greatness in their chosen field and made a valuable contribution to Australian life. 

Known and loved as the “angel” and even the “Mother Teresa of Mapuordit,” the member of the Daughters of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart had already given a lifetime of service to her family, her order, and indigenous communities in the Northern Territory when she left Australia in 1995. 

Alongside Sr. Jo Kenny, she was a founding member of the order’s mission to Mapuordit in the Diocese of Rumbek in Sudan. 

With just one cardboard box of medical supplies, and no running water or electricity, the trained nurse set up the diocese’s first health clinic in a dirt-floor bamboo hut. 

The following year she was arrested by armed soldiers of the Sudanese People’s Liberation Army with fellow religious Sr. Maureen Carey and Sr. Mary Batchelor. 

The trio were accused of spying, along with three other missionaries, and held captive for 11 days. 

A plaque featuring Sr. Moira’s inspiring life story and her photo were unveiled last month in Lockhart along with those of former deputy prime minister Tim Fischer, transport magnate Raymond Burkinshaw, and rugby league legend Norm “Sticks” Provan.

Members of her religious community, the large Lynch clan and Sudanese representatives travelled from across the country to attend the ceremony led by local mayor Greg Verdon and attended by federal Member for Riverina Michael McCormack, who said the prominently displayed stories will inspire people for generations to come. 

Provincial leader Sr Philippa Murphy FDNSC said Sr. Moira, who died in 2015, and her contemporaries were “amazing, amazing women who lived in very poor conditions to serve the poorest of the poor”.