Anna
Costello was born in Govanhill, Glasgow on 19 April 1916, the youngest of a family
of five children. When she was only two years old her father died, aged thirty-four
years. She was educated at Holy Cross and Saint Conval's Primary Schools and Our
Lady and Saint Francis Secondary School, Glasgow.She trained as a primary school teacher at Notre Dame College, Bearsden, Glasgow and started her teaching career at Saint Mungo's School, Glasgow. Her mother died in 1942. In April 1945, Anna entered the convent of the Franciscan Sisters of the Immaculate Conception in Merrylee, Glasgow and took her final vows in 1947 as Sister Mary Annunciata. After a brief spell in Saint Bride's School, Bothwell she returned to Saint Mungo's to become its head teacher.
In 1978, she was appointed Superior of the founding community in Saint Teresa's Parish, Possilpark, Glasgow. One of her sisters was her niece, Sister Imelda. Sister Annunciata, with typical wit and humour, quickly became involved in parish life and pastoral work and it was not uncommon to see her dancing Scottish reels with the Jolly Club or leading an evening of music and entertainment. She later moved to Dennistoun, Glasgow for a short time.
In March 1982, Sister Annunciata opened a House of Prayer and convent at 46 Stanley Road, Ardrossan where she lived with other sisters. In May 1986, they moved to 23-25 McKellar Avenue, Ardrossan. Again, Sister Annunciata was very actively involved in the community, helping to prepare parents for their children's baptism, preparing children for first communion and confirmation, visiting sick and bereaved people and preparing adults to enter the Church. Sister was elected President of the Thursday Club in 1983 and was a member of the Country Dancing Club.
In 1990, Sister Annunciata went to Fallcarragh, Letterkenny, County Donegal, Northern Ireland. There, she cared for the boarders in the local secondary school which was run by the Franciscan Sisters.
In 1994, she returned to Scotland to the Franciscan Convent in Dixon Avenue, Glasgow where she again served the parish community. She retired the following year, aged seventy-nine, to the convent in Bothwell, Lanarkshire. In 2000, the sisters transferred to Saint Teresa's Parish, Possilpark, Glasgow where Sister spent the rest of her life.
Annunciata was very much a family-oriented person. She loved music and regularly played the organ in Merrylee. She loved reading and art. She had a natural ability to relate to people and her family retains the strongest memories of a very professional and strict headmistress who could so easily become the greatest source of fun and entertainment. 'Aunt Nancy' was a powerful influence in all their lives and remained so right to the end of her life.
Her latter years were
dogged by ill-health and she moved to the Four Hills Nursing Home, Glasgow to
be cared for in her final months. She died there on 21 July 2008. Following
Requiem Mass in Saint Teresa's Church, Sister Mary Annunciata was buried in
Saint Peter's Cemetery, Dalbeth, Glasgow on 28 July 2008. May she rest in peace.
The photograph
above was taken in the mid-1990s. This profile was adapted from the Order of
Service for Sister Annunciata's Requiem Mass. Her obituary can be seen on the
website of the Franciscan
Sisters of the Immaculate Conception.