She entered a Sisters of Mercy convent when she was 17. She was permitted to study piano at the Adelaide Conservatorium, which led her to form the Rock Band. The group played religious songs with a rock beat at what became known as Rock Masses.
She was a Catholic nun who worked with homeless people, Aborigines and other disadvantaged people in Australia. She became a star in 1974 with a pop version of the Lord's Prayer; it reached number 4 on the US Billboard Top 100.