From the earliest days of Jesuit Mission’s 75 year history, the families of missionaries played a vital role in supporting the mission and inspiring others to join them. Among them are sisters Mary Brabenec, Liz Fitzgerald and Kate Maclurcan, nieces of Fr Lou Lachal SJ, one of the first Jesuit missionaries sent to Hazaribag, India, in 1951.
“I was about five or six when a huge crowd gathered at Port Melbourne to farewell Lou, who was a big part of Richmond Parish and a great supporter of the Tigers Football Club,” Liz recalls.
As children, every evening, their family prayers ended with the words: “God bless the Jesuits in India.”
“He was an incredibly charismatic man.”
Mary Brabenec’s memory of Fr Lou Lachal SJ
Their mother Jeanette helped organise the first Maytime Fair fundraiser at their house, while Mary and Liz later ran the Fair’s bric a brac stall for more than 30 years. Kate volunteered at the Jesuit Mission Bazaar in Sydney for decades and later helped process donations at the Jesuit Mission office until about seven years ago.
“We’ve been involved all our lives because mum was involved and so proud of her brother Lou,” Mary says.
When Fr Lou returned to Australia, his Richmond Football Club connections, including appearances on World of Sport on TV and ties to Saint Ignatius’ College Riverview, where he had taught, helped bring attention to his work in India.
“He was an incredibly charismatic man,” Mary says.
The sisters remember watching footage of Fr Lou’s funeral procession in India in 1991, where “hundreds and hundreds” of people gathered to farewell him, with some walking for two or three days to attend.
Visiting India throughout their lives, including recently in 2022, the sisters have seen firsthand the impact of all the Jesuits’ work made possible by the generosity of Australian supporters.
Their annual afternoon tea fundraiser, now in its twelfth year, raised $4,000 this year.
“It’s been an absolute privilege to work with Jesuit Mission all these years,” Kate says. “There’s a wonderful camaraderie amongst co-missionaries.”
Find out more about our 75 years of faith in action
This story comes from Reflections Winter 2026.
Contents include:
- A legacy continued, India
- Dreaming beyond borders, Myanmar
- A future once thought impossible, Cambodia
- Where seeds of hope take root, Timor-Leste
- Helping children find their voice, Myanmar
- Plus more from our 75th anniversary celebrations, including stories from long-time supporter sand volunteers
