Mary Agnes Finn was a Catholic author and teacher of the colonial period, with a relatively influential position in her local area and state. Born around 1860 in Portland, Victoria to John Edward Finn and Mary McEdward Finn, nee McKenzie, Mary Agnes Finn was the first of ten children. Finn was of Irish-Scottish heritage, with her father having immigrated directly from Ireland and her mother’s parents having immigrated from Scotland. For most of her childhood and adult life she lived and worked in Randwick, NSW. She is a distinguishable woman of the colonial period as the first editor of The Annals of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart and a writer of Catholic and women’s stories. Her role as editor was never made public because of the prevalent sexist ideologies of the period; however, she played a considerable role in the editing of many works. Finn is also recognised as a historian and a writer, as well as an editor. Her work circulated mainly through the Catholic spheres and the local Randwick community.
Finn is an important figure in the colonial Catholic history of Australian literature because she held a position of significant important in Randwick specifically and Victoria more widely. Her work as an editor for The Annals was proof of her value and knowledge, and the histories she wrote, for Randwick and the Brigidine nuns, showed the faith placed in her authorship locally. Mary Agnes Finn wrote mainly Catholic works for Catholic publishing papers. While Finn wrote works within Randwick, her work did occasionally circulate beyond her local area. While four of her six most popular novels circulated only as far as Sydney in the publishing industry, her work, Nora’s Mission, was published in London, Sydney and New York, while another, A Broken Rosary and Other Stories, was published in London and Sydney. The reach of these two works shows their significance: Nora’s Mission is a Catholic text set between Ireland and Australia, while A Broken Rosary and Other Stories is a collection of children’s stories that was considered to be high-value Catholic literature. Finn also wrote poetry, short stories, and a congress paper titled 'Two Valiant Women' that was published in both Brisbane and Melbourne. Finn’s works also carry a recurring theme of Irishness, which links to her Irish heritage.
Mary Agnes Finn wrote between 1900 and 1944. There are no records of her ever marrying or having children which explains her continued devotion to the church and her writings. Most of Finn’s work in the public sphere was dedicated to Catholic life and helping others. Alongside her writing, Finn and her sister, Emily, ran the Randwick primary school from 1886 until 1892, when nuns were able to be brought in to run it. Similarly, Finn and her sister, Kathleen worked at Our Lady Nurses in Coogee from 1913. Finn was also the first president of the Children of Mary Sodality for 30 years and wrote histories of religious groups at their requests. Finn was considered to be a guest of honour at events like the St Brigid’s College reunion and was similarly praised for her good Catholic influence over young girls. Mary Agnes Finn published over the course of 44 years, with one post-humous publication, showing a dedication to her writing. Finn died on January 6th, 1949, in Randwick, NSW.
This biography was researched and written by Jessica Devenish.
Sources:
“Australian Christmas Magazine,” The Catholic Press (Sydney, NSW: 1895 – 1942), 25 December 1924. https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/121866391.
“College Magazines: Brigidine Convent, Randwick,” The Catholic Press (Sydney, NSW: 1895 – 1942), 31 March 1938. https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/104386098.
“Did you know that the first editor of Annals was a Randwick laywoman, Mary Agnes Finn?” Missionaries of the Sacred Heart. 10 May 2022. https://misacor.org.au/item/28464-did-you-know-that-the-first-editor-of-annals-was-a-randwick-laywoman-mary-agnes-finn.
Finn, Mary Agnes. Nora’s Mission. London: R. and T. Washbourne, 1910-1915.
Finn, Mary Agnes. A Broken Rosary and Other Stories. London: R. and T. Washbourne, 1914.
“Kincumber Orphanage,” Freeman’s Journal (Sydney, NSW: 1850 -1932), 1 November 1928. https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/118053170.
“Literature,” Freeman’s Journal (Sydney, NSW: 1850 -1932), 15 December 1900. https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/111312180.
“Mary Agnes Finn, Famous Catholic Authoress, Dies,” Catholic Weekly (Sydney, NSW: 1942 – 1954), 13 January 1949. https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/146663499.
Mary Agnes Finn. “Feast of the Sacred Heart,” Catholic Weekly (Sydney, NSW: 1942 – 1954), 6 July 1950. https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/146741193.
“The Social Whirl: Guest of Honour,” The Catholic Press (Sydney, NSW: 1895 – 1942), 1 May 1924. https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/106405450.
Trowbridge, Geoffrey David. “John Edward Finn.” Geni. 25 July 2016. https://www.geni.com/people/John-Finn/6000000009916702485.
Trowbridge, Geoffrey David. “Mary McEdward McKenzie.” Geni. 21 September 2023. https://www.geni.com/people/Mary-McKenzie/6000000009916637864.
Trowbridge, Geoffrey David. “Kenneth McKenzie.” Geni. 25 July 2016. https://www.geni.com/people/Kenneth-McKenzie/6000000009916780253.
Trowbridge, Geoffrey David. “Margaret McKenzie.” Geni. 25 July 2016. https://www.geni.com/people/Margaret-McKenzie/6000000009916687365.
