Faith and Mission
From the Mission and Identity Team
Journeying with Mary Ward – The Bar Convent, York.
In the spirit of adventure and exploration, we recently embarked on a pilgrimage throughout Europe, tracing the footsteps of the remarkable Mary Ward.
At the start of the pilgrimage we visited the Bar Convent. The Bar Convent was established in 1686, at a time when it was illegal to be Catholic. It was a place that holds much of the history and treasures of our history. Though Mary Ward herself didn't venture to the Bar Convent, her vision and ideals have certainly found a home there.
For our story at Marryatville, the connection with the Bar Convent is through Mother Teresa Ball. Mother Teresa Ball brought the institute to Ireland, and called the sisters in the Irish Institute, the ‘Loreto Sisters’. Mother Teresa Ball attended the Bar Convent as a student along with her sisters in 1803. It was usual for wealthy Catholic families to send their daughters to be educated in the UK from Ireland.
It was fascinating to learn how the boarding house worked at the Bar Convent and how similar and different it is to our Boarding House today. Firstly, once the children attended the Bar Convent boarding school, that is where they stayed until their parents decided their education was complete. There was no capacity to head home for the Christmas, Easter or summer holidays. One can only imagine the loneliness that the girls experienced and the anticipation that they felt when waiting for correspondence from home. The History of the Convent written in 1887, describes the life led by the schoolgirls around the time that Teresa Ball attended, “two basins near one of the schoolrooms commodiously sufficed for the cleansing of from fifty to eighty children, who hurried down in the morning eager for the first dip and a dry towel’” (Forrtisal, 1994).
The care that Teresa Ball experienced was evident. On our visit to the archives in the Bar Convent we were shown the ‘Boarders Book’ by Dr Hannah Thompson an archivist at the Bar Convent. In the book there was an increase in sugar and tea that was given to the girls in the 1804. Dr Thompson linked this to the death of Teresa’s father and inferred that this increase in sugar and tea showcased the extra care that was given to Teresa around the time of her father’s death.
Coming up to Boarders’ Week this highlighted the importance of care and friendship that the boarding house provides when our boarding students are so far away from their families.
Our Liturgical Life
Year 11 Chapel Mass
Our term began with the Year 11 students holding their Chapel Mass. The mass was celebrated for us by Fr Chris Jenkins. The Mass reflected on the value of Sincerity as portrayed by Mary Ward, through prayer and readings. Fr Chris highlighted that Sincerity is our communication and relationship with others and guides us to live with honesty, transparency, and genuine compassion. It calls us to build relationships based on trust and mutual respect, where our words and deeds reflect the sincerity of our hearts.
Sacrament of Reconciliation
On Thursday, May 9, our Year 3 students received the Sacrament of Reconciliation. The liturgy was celebrated by Fr Chris Jenkins. It was a beautiful liturgy that was attended by many parents and family members. The girls were encouraged to reflect on their actions and to seek forgiveness for any wrongs, knowing that God is all forgiving. The girls will receive their certificates, marking their completion of the Sacrament of Reconciliation at the end of next week’s Mothers’ Day liturgy. We are proud of the girls for their commitment to their faith.
We would like to extend our gratitude to Fr Chris for their guidance and support in making this day possible. We would also like to thank all of our students, teachers, and parents who participated in these liturgies and helped to make them a success.
Ms Martina O'Connell
Assistant Principal: Mission and Identity