She trained as a midwife in the east end of London then later became a nun, but while the story of Aberdeen’s Sister Columba reads like an episode of Call the Midwife, her real life is arguably even more fascinating.
Following her death age 96, we look back on the life of Margaret Anne Forbes Stewart, who was born in Cairo, took Holy Orders in Aberdeen, and latterly lived in the Granite City’s Persley Castle Care Home.
Pyramids and pilgrimage
Sister Columba, Margaret Anne Forbes Stewart, was born on October 2 1926. One of three children for Kathleen (nee Beardshaw) and artist William Arnold Stewart, her formative years were spent between Cairo and Palestine where her father worked as an inspector of arts and crafts in the Egyptian ministry of education.
Igniting her lifelong passion for art and music, she grew up with her father’s stories of witnessing the opening of Queen Hetapheres’ tomb at Giza.
Tasked with creating a painting of the scene before anything was touched, Sister Columba’s dad also spent years while she was a young child, reconstructing disintegrated furniture and artefacts from the tomb, from a tent in the desert.
Family remained important to Sister Columba.
A shared childhood with siblings John and Jean in the Holy Land forged a close bond with her brother and sister, and was formational in her Christian devotion.
She was baptised in Jerusalem by William Henry Temple Gairdner – a Scottish missionary to Egypt, and her mother made the journey with her children to Bethlehem every Christmas to sing carols in the shepherds’ fields.
In the footsteps of Christ
A memory that remained with Sister Columba was being at the Church of The Nativity when an architect discovered a Roman mosaic below the floor.
“Walking where Jesus walked definitely played a part in her faith. It brought it all to life for her,” said Claire Williams, Sister Columba’s great niece.
“She was particularly fond of her Aunty Maisie, who would read the Bible to her. She also encouraged her to pursue midwifery.”
This pursuit would eventually lead Sister Columba to Ovamboland, in what is now known as Namibia. Serving as a missionary midwife for 12 years, her journey to get there began in London’s east end.
Call the Midwife
Like the trainee midwives in the BBC programme, Sister Columba began her career under the tutelage of nuns in Poplar and Hackney.
Though it would be several years before she became a nun herself, she was known to the sisters of St John the Divine, the convent which inspired Call the Midwife.
When eventually she began working in Africa, her best friend was one of the nuns from the famed convent.
While she found life in Africa fulfilling, in 1964, she felt a call to join Aberdeen religious community, the Society of St Margaret.
Open door
“She had always been drawn to Iona and felt a lot of peace in Scotland. The convent’s name containing Margaret had a connection to her own as well,” said Claire.
On October 18 that same year she began a four-year journey as a novice before being assigned to an old people’s home. She loved her fellow sisters and Mother Verity. During her time there she learned to play flute and indulged her fascination with botany and the natural world.
When her convent closed Sister Columba continued her ministry from her new home in Cattofield Place.
Claire added: “For 20 years Sister never locked her door. She turned her front room into a chapel and extended an open invitation to the community to come and pray.
“She served Aberdeen tirelessly. Whether working as a chaplain at the Royal Infirmary or in her later years writing to prisoners; ministering to the homeless or simply praying with a stranger on the bus.”
Adventurous habit
During the holidays, Sister Columba regularly stayed with her sister Jean in Pitlochry. There she enjoyed botanising, painting watercolours and wild swimming.
“Her sense of adventure was incredible. She even tried her hand at downhill skiing in Scotland, in her habit,” said Claire. “We believe it even made the papers at the time.”
In her latter years she enjoyed watching David Attenborough documentaries, spending time with friends and Claire when she visited. She was also fond of the odd game of Scrabble.
She remained a familiar face both at St Margaret’s Church and St Andrew’s Cathedral in Aberdeen, where she worshipped.
Celebration of her life
Sister Columba passed away age 96 at Persley Castle Nursing Home on Saturday April 8. Her funeral took place at St Margaret’s Church, Gallowgate, on Friday April 21. She was then laid to rest in St Peter’s Cemetery.
She is also survived by her four nieces, Jenny, Judy, Lib and Niki and their families.
“My great-aunt lived her life under the banner of three things: beauty, goodness and truth. She believed that science and faith went hand in hand, and maintained a devotion to her Jesus until she passed away.
“I can’t begin to tell you how much of a loss she is. There are so few people out there like her. She was wonderful.
“I count myself very blessed to have been able to have her in my life. I’m grateful to have been able to spend so much time with her in recent years,” added Claire.
Conversation