Sister Wendy Beckett, a nun who spent much of her life in solitude in a caravan in Norfolk, unexpectedly became a BBC television sensation in the 1990s. She gained worldwide fame through BBC art documentaries watched by millions, and upon her death in 2018, she generously donated all her earnings to charity.

Born on 25 February 1930 in Johannesburg, South Africa, Wendy Mary Beckett was the daughter of a doctor. She earned a teaching diploma from Notre Dame College of Education in Liverpool in 1954 before returning to South Africa.

Once back home, she taught English and Latin at convent schools in Cape Town and Johannesburg, later lecturing at the University of the Witwatersrand. Regrettably, Sister Wendy had to retire from teaching by 1970 due to health problems.

With the Pope's bless

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