Community

Letter 

The oldest secondary girls’ school in Victoria stands proudly on Nicholson St, Fitzroy.   A magnificent bluestone building, the Academy of Mary Immaculate has, since 1857 been a place of teaching and learning.  It’s an important part of Melbourne’s rich history and an intricate tapestry woven with contributions from the people who walked through its gates.

The article, "A century and a half of history" underlines the quality of Mercy, by Carolyn Webb was published in the Age in 2007.  It highlights the extensive and pivotal work accomplished by Sister Ursula Frayne and the nuns who were invited by Archbishop James Goold, to establish a school for girls.  I often reminisce and know how fortunate I was to be a member of this community.

Was it a chance meeting or the guiding hand of God that led me into a chemist on Collins St, where I was served by a lovely woman?  As we spoke and looked from the products to each other, she remembered that I had been her teacher many years ago.  Was it a coincidence or providence that there was a reunion coming up for the Class of 91, to which I was invited? (delayed due to Covid)

The girls are now women who have gone on to do vastly different things in their careers.  As we spoke, laughed and shared stories of their school days, it was clear that their Mercy Education had shaped them and given them a strong foundation on which to firmly stand when life’s challenges arose.  We talked about the impactful plays and novels they studied in Year 12 English, one being, Educating Rita, a play about a woman who realises the value of education and how it is worth the struggle to gain it.

Like Rita, the women from the Class of 91, worked to achieve their objectives.  Some goals were attained, others were not.  The path was not always what they envisioned, but they were in agreement that their time at school had contributed to their success, not just academically, but as women of conviction and compassion.

They spoke of the fact that a Religious Education had provided an opportunity for spiritual development and the space in which to debate and reflect on some of life’s key questions.  Questions about God, about life and death, about the values of truth and justice.  They felt gently steered towards a life of participation in community which extended far beyond the school gates.

There is a beautiful statue of Ursula Frayne in the school grounds.  The trunk on which she sits represents her journey from Ireland, which was long and difficult.  This is a metaphor for life because we are all on a journey.  Sometimes the road ahead is paved with fragments of gold, and other times we are fatigued by each step that stretches before us.

It was observable that Ursula Frayne’s spirit lives on in the cohort of 1991.  They demonstrated their tenacity as women of faith, in a world balancing between turmoil and justice.  Like colourful threads, they are now securely woven into the tapestry of the Academy of Mary Immaculate.

Gemma Di Bari

Class of 1991 & ex AMI staff member

Reflection

In recent weeks, the first reading at Sunday mass was the story of Moses and the burning bush.

In this story, the man who will become the great leader of the Israelite people, is working as a humble shepherd boy. Wandering with his flock of sheep, he encounters God on the other side of the desert. 

God commands him to ‘remove the sandals from your feet, for the place where you stand is holy ground.’ 

As someone who enjoys bushwalking, the idea that the area of bush on which you stand is ‘holy ground’ caught my attention. I find the bush a very holy place to be.

 Maybe we could extrapolate this idea and recognise that in so many situations of our lives we should respect the ‘holy ground’ that we have entered. Think of moments with our families, our friends, the needy, the joyous, the troubled, the triumphant.

 In this Moses story, Moses asks God to tell him his name. The enigmatic reply is “I am who am”.

For an old Mathematics teacher and a product of Western rational thinking, this is a very disturbing image. Where is the certainty? What are the boundaries of such an idea? How can this be made to fit with dogmatic thinking?

Maybe these, and other questions through which people over the ages have tried to define God, are really attempts to create self-serving images of God. 

“I am who am” calls us to come to know God through actions. We stand on the ‘holy ground’ when we are witness to acts of Mercy, of Love, of Compassion, of Faithfulness, of Transformation. 

The famous story of the Prodigal Son is illustrative of this idea. The child is lured into pursuing pathways in life that are ultimately destructive of fulfilment and happiness. The elder son is doggedly loyal to the father. His anger towards the father for not punishing the wayward son maybe logical in human terms, but is bereft of mercy, love, compassion, faithfulness and the promise of transformation.

The father in the story immediately forgives. For him, the son who was dead is alive again. The son who was lost is found. 

The image of God that Jesus gives us in this story is of a loving parent who if challenged to justify their actions might reply ‘I am who I am’.

Mr Mark Hyland

Guest Contributor