The Dominican Sisters have marked a century of presence and ministry in Melbourne, commemorating the arrival of the first four pioneer sisters in August 1926. Source: Melbourne Catholic.
More than 200 parishioners, local religious, past and current staff, alumni, family members and friends gathered at St Dominic’s Church in Camberwell on August 9 for a Mass of Thanksgiving followed by a celebratory gathering at Siena College.
Prioress Sr Mary-Clare Holland OP and Sr Judith Lawson OP from the Sydney leadership team were present for the occasion.
Prior Provincial Fr Dominic Murphy OP was the main celebrant of the Mass and was joined by fellow Dominicans Fr Paul Rankin and Fr Kevin Toomey. Staff and students from Siena College led the music for the liturgical celebration.
It was a joy-filled occasion for the five senior sisters who continue to live and minister in Camberwell, “standing on the shoulders” of the many sisters who have served in Victoria over the past 100 years.
The Dominican Friars established St Dominic’s Priory in Camberwell in 1923, when the parish was still newly formed. They then approached the Dominican Sisters in New South Wales to join them and take responsibility for the parish primary school, which had been established in 1925.
On August 12, 1926, four pioneer sisters arrived from Sydney, accompanied by the congregation leader, Mother Mary Philippa.
Two days after their arrival, the sisters took up residence in a small two-bedroom cottage. At the request of the then-Provincial, Fr Powell, it was named Siena Convent, reflecting his strong ties with Siena Convent in Ireland and the significance of Siena in Italy as the birthplace of St Catherine of Siena.
The cottage was later demolished when a new convent was erected in 1939.
On August 30, 1926, the sisters took over St Dominic’s parish school, located at the rear of the Priory, looking after its 28 pupils. The new primary school opened in November 1939, the same year Siena Convent was blessed and opened.
Siena College welcomed its first students on February 2, 1940, with an enrolment of 15. Today the school is home to more than 600 students.
The sisters established St Mary’s Delgany in Portsea, a school for hearing impaired children, in 1948. St Mary’s Delgany relocated to Melbourne in 1983.
Over the past 100 years, many Dominican Sisters have served in these schools, exercising leadership and contributing more broadly to Catholic education across the Archdiocese of Melbourne.
While the sisters are no longer directly involved in the governance of their educational institutions, their educational mission continues. In 2016, the Vatican established Dominican Education Australia as a Ministerial Public Juridic Person, which now serves as the governing body for the schools.
FULL STORY
(Melbourne Catholic)
