History
The Sisters of St Joseph of the Sacred Heart
WA Province
Beginnings:
The Sisters of St Joseph first came to WA in 1887 - to Northampton
at the invitation of Bishop Gibney. These first sisters were welcomed
by the people and opened a school there. In 1888, the little group
was divided, some going to Geraldton. Bishop Gibney was unhappy
with the fact that as the Sisters were governed from Sydney, he
was unable to treat them as a Diocesan Congregation where he was
the superior. In 1889, all but Ursula Tynan and the two novices,
Augustine (Martha) Postans and Magdalen Tuohy, were withdrawn to
Adelaide. These were the beginnings of a Diocesan Congregation who
changed their habits to black but followed the practises and customs
of Mary MacKillop. In 1897 the little group was transferred to Boulder
where they were joined by a number of Irish girls. In 1912, the
'black' Josephite Community at Boulder was reunited
with the 'brown' Josephites.
In 1906, the brown sisters of St Joseph returned to the West and
reopened the school, which had been run by the Presentation Sisters
in Southern Cross.
In 1908, the Sisters opened St Gertrude's College in New
Norcia.
In January 1915, sisters led by Sr Padua Callinan, came to South
Perth. The property belonged to RJ Dennehy, an architect and was
purchased for the sum of £3000. The sisters taught in St Columba's
School, which had been opened by the Sisters of Mercy in 1908.
Provincial House
South Perth was destined to become the Provincial House when Western
Australia was made a separate Province in 1918. Sr Julia Donnelly
who had opened both Southern Cross and New Norcia was the first
Provincial of WA. In addition to teaching in the school, the sisters
taught music, visited the parents and other parishioners and cared
for the Church.
The indigenous inhabitants of the South Perth area were the Nyoongah
people.
Dennehy House (Provincial House), South Perth Circa 1908
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