Sister Janet Mead, a South Australian nun who found global fame with a rock version of the Lord’s Prayer, has died aged 83.
She rose to fame in Australia after her Rock Masses, recorded at Adelaide’s St Francis Xavier cathedral, came to the attention of Festival Records.
Her 1973 recording, The Lord’s Prayer, shot up the charts and went on to sell 2m copies and be distributed in 31 countries.
Vale. Sister Janet Mead - The Lord's Prayer [HQ Stereo] [1973] https://t.co/fN7aTZXnW2 via @YouTube
— Frank Bongiorno (@fbongiornoanu) January 27, 2022
The song peaked at No 3 on the Australian singles chart and No 4 on the Billboard Hot 100. Sister Janet donated all the earnings from the hit to charity.
She entered the convent in 1955 after attending St Aloysius College – a Catholic school in Adelaide. She also attended the Adelaide Conservatorium, where she studied piano.
She produced multiple plays, liturgies and more than 20 musicals, and also ran the SAC orchestra for many years.
Sister Janet was named South Australian of the Year in 2004. She was also recognised for her services to Australian Christian music and given the Golden Gospel award.
The Catholic Archdiocese of Adelaide confirmed that Sister Janet died on Wednesday. It was reported she had been ill with cancer.