Circumstances call Mary MacKillop to Sydney… 140 years ago
Mary MacKillop was a prolific letter writer to her Sisters as they spread across Australia and New Zealand. She provided encouragement, practical and spiritual advice. Her letter dated 13 November 1883 was a very personal one to the Sisters in South Australia. What were the circumstances which led to her leaving Adelaide at short notice? […]
Papal Approbation for Whanganui Foundation
In 1928, Congregational Leader of the Whanganui Sisters of Saint Joseph, Sr Lucy Donovan with Sr Xavier Malone, attended the Eucharistic Congress in Sydney. The Apostolic Delegate urged them to consider unity with the Australian Diocesan Congregations. Sr Aquin of Lochinvar in 1934, proposed union between the five Congregations of the Sisters of Saint Joseph, […]
Josephite Convents in New South Wales
As part of the continuing celebration of the Sesquicentenary of the arrival of the first Sisters of Saint Joseph in New South Wales, we are highlighting some historic photos from our collection. These are presented under the banner of our beautiful Sesquicentenary logo which symbolises the coast, the mountains and the plains of our large […]
Fusion: A Moment of Grace
On 19 March 2012, the Sisters of Saint Joseph, Tasmania, received authorisation from the Vatican for fusion with the Sisters of Saint Joseph of the Sacred Heart. “Fusion” is a scientific term to describe the coming together of two atoms to create something new and, in the process, releasing a huge burst of energy. The […]
Tokaanu and Waihi, Aotearoa New Zealand
In 1902 when the Society of Saint Joseph priests (Mill Hill missionaries) [1] were working among the Māori people on the southern shores of Lake Taupo, they realised that a Catholic School was a necessity. They approached Mother Mary MacKillop for Sisters of Saint Joseph to staff the school. At the beginning of September 1903 […]
Sisters of Saint Joseph Arrive in The Rocks
Sisters of Saint Joseph arrive in The Rocks area of Sydney, New South Wales On the evening of 6 March 1880, two Sisters of Saint Joseph arrived in Gloucester St, Sydney to take up residence in a small rented cottage to which they invited the needy of the Rocks area – women and children who […]
Wonthaggi Parish farewells the Sisters of Saint Joseph
In 1912, Sisters Irene, Julian, Gerard, Everilda and Carmen arrived in Wonthaggi to staff the new parish school built by Fr O’Sullivan and volunteers. As the convent had not yet been built, Fr O’Sullivan slept in the sacristy of the Church while the sisters were accommodated in his presbytery. Thus began a 108 year relationship […]
Josephites Helping Young in Need, SA 1868
The Josephites’ work with orphans in South Australia began in January 1868. This occurred when they took charge of the girls from St Vincent de Paul’s Orphanage at Walkerville, Adelaide SA. This institution had initially been established in August 1866 as a home for orphaned and destitute Catholic children and was being supervised by a […]
The Arrival of the Sisters of Saint Joseph in Queensland
Molly Molloy stood among the customers in Toppin’s Bakery in South Brisbane waiting to purchase two loaves of bread. She listened to the conversation of those who were also waiting to be served. Someone asked when the new teachers for St Mary’s School would arrive. Mrs Cunningham shared that Father Cani said on Sunday last […]
A Day in the Life: Irish in Australia / Ireland
The invitation to write an article on “Irish in Australia/Ireland” evoked many memories around the generic involvement of the Irish in the Congregation as well as my own personal memories. On reading the stories of Saint Mary of the Cross MacKillop I learnt that there were Irish women among her first companions. One of the […]
Ireland: The History of Newmarket
Teachings from a 295-Year-Old House on how to Survive a Pandemic. As the coronavirus pandemic was invading our world, in came a request to write about the grand old Irish house, Newmarket Court in County Cork. Initially this felt rather strange but in researching the life of the 295-year-old house with a chequered history, some […]
History in the Making: Mary MacKillop Place
An 1880’s map of St Leonards by Higginbotham and Robinson identifies the future site for the first novitiate in Sydney (the original was in Adelaide, South Australia) for the Sisters of Saint Joseph in Alma Lane, North Sydney. St Leonards, later known as North Sydney, has a complex and rich history in the founding of […]