parent information handbook - Loreto Mandeville Hall

PARENT INFORMATION HANDBOOK
LORETO IN AUSTRALIA
The Institute of the Blessed Virgin Mary (IBVM), more commonly known as the Loreto Sisters, was
introduced into Australia in 1875. In response to the request for nuns by Dr O‟Connor, first Bishop of
Ballarat, Mother Mary Gonzaga Barry came with a group of seven professed nuns and two postulants to
Ballarat on 20 July 1875. They left Loreto Abbey, Rathfarnham, the main house of the Irish Branch of the
Institute, in May that year.
The Loreto Sisters established schools in Portland and South Melbourne (1880s); Sydney (1892); Perth
(1897); Adelaide (1907); Toorak (1924); and Brisbane (1927). Mother Gonzaga Barry took over the parish
schools of St Joseph‟s (1877) and St Aloysius (1882) Ballarat; and Saints Peter and Paul‟s (1891) South
Melbourne. The order also took charge of St Mary‟s College at the University of Melbourne (1917). Its aim
was always the pursuit of excellence in a spirit of freedom, justice and sincerity.
The Loreto Sisters acquired Mandeville Hall in 1924 and at first used the stables as a convent, the Oak
Parlour (the former dining room) as a chapel with the room beside it as a sacristy, the Drawing Room as a
reception room, several bedrooms upstairs as dormitories and the rest of the house for community
purposes and temporary classrooms.
On 25 September 1927, Archbishop Dr Daniel Mannix laid the foundation stone of the Chapel of Christ the
King. The first Mass was celebrated in May 1928 and the Chapel was formally opened in October of that
year. In 1957, the umbrella tree, which was a feature in the centre of the front lawn since at least 1900, was
removed to provide a large sporting ground, which provoked great controversy. It was transplanted to a
spot nearby but died the following year. During the next two decades the grotto and the gully were
declared unsafe and removed.
In 1966, Bishop Moran blessed the new Senior School, now the Mary Ward Building. In 1978, the
Administration Building and Senior Library were blessed and opened by Archbishop Sir Frank Little. In
1985, the Patricia Schaefer Centre, together with art-craft and audio-visual studios, and a roof top garden
were opened.
To mark the 75 th Anniversary of the School, a Mosaic of Memories – Loreto Mandeville Hall 1924 – 1999
was published. The Mother Gonzaga Barry Sports Centre was officially opened in 2002 and the Ruth
Winship Science Centre was officially opened in 2006.
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