A Brentwood nun is gaining a name for herself as a bit of a daredevil.

As head of a 350-pupil junior school, Sister Rosario is not one for a cloistered existence.

While her dangerous exploits might seem enough to raise the eyebrows of even the most radical Mother Superior, the thrill-seeking nun from St Helen's RC Junior School in Sawyer's Hall Lane has the full blessing of her church after completing her second parachute jump.

Sister Rosario leapt from a plane at 12,000 feet as a fund-raising stunt to boost Brentwood Cathedral's £350,000 appeal to redevelop and refurbish the parish hall.

The Sister, who admits to being 40 plus VAT, said: "I didn't do the parachute jump in my nun's uniform, only some of our older sisters wear those now I had a special suit to wear.

"It was a tandem jump but I was able to take the controls. It was a glorious day, so calm that I came down quite slowly and had a perfect landing."

The brave nun first took to the skies two years ago to raise funds for the school hall and was instantly hooked on the intrepid sport.

She said: "On the first occasion as I prepared to jump from the plane, I thought it did look a long way down. But I told myself everything would be fine and once I had jumped it was an absolutely fantastic feeling to be up there gliding down. Everything looks so beautiful.

"When the Cathedral decided to launch the parish hall appeal I was absolutely delightedI was looking for an excuse to do another jump.

Sister Rosario's latest exploits above Headcorn in Kent were caught on video and pupils at the school she has led for 18 years were delighted to discover just what the much-loved nun gets up to out of the classroom.

She said: "The children were really interested. When I came back I told them that as soon as they are old enough to do a parachute jump at 16 they should go for it."

Her jump raised £3,700 and Sister Rosario is already planning her next fund-raising extreme sport, possibly a wing walk on a plane owned by a former pupil or behind the wheel of a racing car at Brands Hatch.

The parish hall dates back to 1837 and was the original church for the Brentwood Parish of St Mary and St Helen.

The appeal plans to adapt and refurbish the parish hall to make it a living centre of life in the parish once more.

Father Bill Nix from Brentwood Cathedral said: "The refurbishment of the hall will enable the parish community and all that happens in it to develop, so that we can look to the future with confidence."

For further information on the appeal call Clergy House 01277 210107.

Published Thursday, April 17, 2003

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