Middle School

Stepping into History - Mary Glowrey Museum

This term, our Year 9 students have been exploring the impact of modern prophetic women, visionaries who saw systemic need, challenged the status quo, and acted with extraordinary courage.  To bring these studies to life, the year level recently visited the Dr Sr Mary Glowrey Museum in Fitzroy.

The excursion provided students with a rare look into the life of one of Victoria’s most remarkable historic figures.  Born in Victoria, Mary Glowrey was one of the earliest female medical graduates from the University of Melbourne, building a successful career as a doctor and advocate for women's and children's health in the early 1900s.   Driven by a deep sense of purpose, she left Australia in 1920 for Guntur, India, joining the Society of Jesus Mary Joseph to become the world's first doctor/religious sister.  Over more than three decades in India, Sr Mary treated hundreds of thousands of patients, trained local healthcare workers, and founded the Catholic Health Association of India (CHAI), which remains one of the largest non-governmental healthcare networks in the world today.

Through interactive exhibits, original artifacts, and guided discussions at the museum, students analysed how Sr Mary Glowrey’s life embodies the concept of a modern prophetic witness by using professional skills, faith and conviction to stand alongside vulnerable communities. Back in the classroom, Year 9 students are now synthesising their insights from the museum to complete their term research projects on contemporary figures who continue to speak truth to power and drive social change.

Ms Hannah Hale

Religious Education Learning Leader