She remembers from her youth how her mother used to teach her to read and write in Lithuanian because in those days it was forbidden to learn the Lithuanian language publicly from Tsarist Russians. In 1914 Pranciška travelled to Riga to visit family friends. When the war broke out, she could no longer return home. The family that took care of her moved to St Petersburg with her to avoid the war. There, she met missionary nuns, became fascinated by their life, and in 1920 joined the Franciscan monastery of the Missionaries of Mary.
Having experienced the horrors of the communist revolution, she found her way to Italy. As a novice, she was sent to the center of the monastery in Italy, Grottaferrata, where the summer residence of the Holy Father is also located. After two months, the journey reached Grottaferrata, where on 19 March 1922 she took her first vows and received nun's clothing. There she prepared for mission work and was sent to Harbin China, where she worked in an elementary school and a hospital. On 19 March 1925 she took her last vows in Vicux-China. Since 1940, she worked in the operating room and helped doctors during admission hours. For a while it was transferred to Macao, a Portuguese colony worked in a hospital and at a doctor's office. In 1953 The Chinese Communist authorities expelled the nuns and Sister Pranciška was appointed to go to Australia.
She arrived in Sydney in 1954. On 19 September 1956 she was transferred to Melbourne where she looked after the convent chapel. Here she meet Lithuanians, read "Tēviškės Aidai", served as sacristan and other duties in the monastery. The chapel was decorated with Lithuanian roses, several bushes of which were planted among the roses in the nursery of one of the slopes. The chapel was decorated with Lithuanian rue, several bushes of which were planted among the roses in the nursery on the hillside
Here she celebrated her 50 years of life and work as a nun for the welfare of humanity and the 75th anniversary of her life. She was later transferred to the Sydney suburb of Rooty Hill to Our Lady of Consolation Home conducted by the Franciscan Missionaries of Mary for Aged Ladies." In 1987, she turned 90 on 15 March and reached 65 years of monastic life.
Sister Pranciška Gaidamavičiūtė left us at the age of almost 99 (only 23 days left). She stayed in the monastery for over 73 years. The funeral was attended by a large number of nuns and priests from all over Sydney. She is buried at Rookwood Cemetery, a suburb of Sydney.
Her cousin is Fr. Pranas Gaidamavičius is the editor of "Tēviškės Žiburių" in Canada.
Sources
Tēviškės Žiburiai 1996, March 26, p. 5
Tėviškės Aidai 5 March 1987 p. 7
Tėviškės Aidai 28 May 1986, p 7
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