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Sister Janet Mead, the South Australian nun who turned “The Lord’s Prayer'' into a hit in 1973, has died.  The Catholic nun was 84. And her rock version of the traditional prayer became a gold record in the 1970s.

Her death was reported by the Catholic Archdiocese of Adelaide, Australia on January 28th.

The “singing nun” became famous in Australia for her “Rock Masses,” recordings at Adelaide’s St Francis Xavier cathedral. And Festival Records turned them into records. 

With “The Lord’s Prayer” Sister Mead became the first Australian to have a US gold record. It sold over 2 million copies and had distribution in 31 countries. 

Her song rose to No. 3 on the Australian singles chart. And it made it to No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100. Mead donated all of the royalties on the recording to charity.

Sister Janet Mead: Hitmaking nun

She attended St Aloysius College in Adelaide. And she also studied music, specifically the piano at the Adelaide Conservatorium. 

Sister Mead entered the Sisters of Mercy convent in 1955.

During her career, she played, sang and composed a large body of work. Mead wrote and produced multiple plays and liturgies. She is credited with more than 20 musicals. And she also led the St. Aloysius College orchestra for many years. 

She was honored as South Australian of the Year in 2004. And has received many awards, including the Golden Gospel Award for her services to Australian Christian music.

Her music was sometimes called controversial. And online commenters on her death pointed out that the sister was a pioneer. 

According to Peter from Australia, “Her music and those of Ray Repp, and others, during that time brought people to church and feel the spirituality. The music was not stifling, and the young people were willingly involved. We still talk about how that was a great time for Mass, and we wanted to go. The church music of the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s is still remembered. Nobody remembers the church music of today. God bless SJM. “

But Keith added, “Nice nun, but is a prime example of why people ARE NOT going to mass. Mass is not a rock concert, but an expression and experience of the sacred.”