This is a special year for the Loreto Sisters and their schools as they celebrate the 400th anniversary of the founding of the order by Mary Ward. ROBIN WILLIAMS reports on one of the ways in which the Loreto school communities of Australia are celebrating
MARY Ward a young English woman born in 1585 produced a legacy of active spiritual service, the values of which are still alive today.
Last month Loreto colleges around Australia celebrated Mary’s 400-year legacy with Mary Ward Connect, a project that involved students from the seven schools visiting fellow institutions to share the values that guide their daily school life.
Catholic history records Mary as the eldest daughter of Marmaduke Ward and Ursula Wright, and that she was connected by blood to most of the great Catholic families of Yorkshire.
She entered a convent of Poor Clares at St-Omer, France, as a lay sister in 1606 and the following year founded a house for Englishwomen at Gravelines.
Deciding she wasn’t called to the contemplative life, Mary resolved to devote herself to active work.
At the age of 24 she found herself surrounded by a band of devoted companions determined to labour under her guidance and, in 1609, they established themselves as a religious community at St-Omer and opened schools for rich and poor.
Church leaders of the day however are recorded as “being unnerved by her vision, which confounded their expectations of women” and used their power to condemn her and her works and disbanded the fledgling order.
Mary didn’t give up and always believed that “women in time to come will do much”, a belief that has been born out during the past 400 years.
Today, to the students in the seven Loreto colleges throughout Australia, Mary represents a leader of originality, faith and daring who continues to inspire today.
The 252 students from within those seven schools celebrated her heritage from March 10-13 with an exchange visit.
Helen Carty, who is deputy principal for pastoral care at Loreto College at Coorparoo in Brisbane, said 36 Year 10 students from the seven schools involved were split into six groups of six students and a staff member and each group visited a sister school.
“One group each of our students went to the other six schools throughout Australia and we are hosting a group from each of their schools,” Ms Carty said.
“So we have 34 students here at Coorparoo at the moment – two couldn’t make it – and six staff members.”
Ms Carty said that, along with celebrating the anniversary of the founder, Mary Ward Connect also aimed to deepen the Loreto school communities’ understanding of what it meant to be part of the national and international Loreto community.
She said Loreto Coorparoo was founded in 1927 and principal Carmel Dunne, who started in 1991, was the school’s first lay principal and sisters continued in various roles for a number of years after her appointment.
Ms Carty said other schools involved in the exchange were located at Kirribilli and Normanhurst in Sydney, Mandeville Hall in Melbourne, Ballarat, Marryatville in Adelaide and the co-educational John XXII College in Perth that has both a Loreto and Jesuit heritage.
Ms Carty said the idea behind the exchange visit was to ensure all students were included at some level in celebrating the values and spirit of Mary Ward and how it is still relevant today.
“Students travelling to another Loreto school as part of Mary Ward Connect 2009 served as ambassadors for their own college and will explain how they live out Mary Ward’s values in their daily school life,” she said.
She said comments from Coorparoo students included, “I incorporate justice by not judging others by their looks or by their actions, but rather treating everyone equally and as I would want to be treated”.
Another student wrote “one of the benefits of travelling is to experience first hand the strong bonds of friendship between the Loreto schools in Australia, and to explore the fact that no matter which Loreto school you attend, all members of the Mary Ward ‘family’ believe in living life according to Mary Ward’s values”.
Brisbane students were also keen to voice how they strived to emulate Mary Ward.
“I try to be just in my decisions and actions. I work to be sincere in accepting myself and in celebrating others’ achievements.
“I try to approach all situations with optimism and felicity. I challenge myself by trying more school activities and setting new goals.
“Freedom allows me to learn from mistakes and to try again without fear. I truly value my education at Loreto and I understand that many women are not as privileged.”
Ms Carty said that during the visit exchange students played a key role in sharing information and would develop relationships between the seven schools on their return.
