Deputy Principal

Remembering Elizabeth Hayes

This Saturday 6 May, marks the 129th anniversary of the death of Mother Mary Ignatius (Elizabeth) Hayes, founder of the Missionary Franciscan Sisters of the Immaculate Conception. As the Missionary Franciscan Sisters founded our College sixty-seven years ago, this day is important for our College community to honour. This year is also a special year for the Missionary Franciscan Sisters as it marks 200 years since the birth of Elizabeth Hayes and 150 years since the establishment of her mission at Belle Prairie. 

As part of our celebration of Elizabeth Hayes and her extraordinary faith, vision and courage, yesterday Sister Catherine White, Australian Leader of the Missionary Franciscan Sisters, and Ms Samantha Jensen, College Principal, unveiled the Elizabeth Hayes icon. It is an illustrated account of the life and ministry of Elizabeth Hayes by American artist Jen Norton. It was commissioned by Mercy Partners, the College’s Public Juridic Person, and was published at the end of last year. 

The icon is designed as a broadsheet newspaper, with four columns; each image represents something from the life and ministry of Elizabeth Hayes. This composition symbolises Elizabeth Hayes’ status as a pioneering Franciscan journalist. 

The central image depicts Elizabeth Hayes in the habit of the Franciscan Order she founded. The quotation is taken from her diary and reveals Elizabeth Hayes commitment to the service of the poor: “An incessant longing to work for the poor dwelt in my heart and was the subject of my prayers.” (from the Diary of Elizabeth (Mother M Ignatius) Hayes, Foundress, p.3).

The students who surround her represent the children she taught and cared for, and the presence of a mother and child speaks of Elizabeth’s desire to assist women and children.

In the foreground of the icon, a young girl is sitting on a stack of suitcases. The suitcase is a symbol often associated with Elizabeth Hayes due to her religious vow to serve in foreign missions and her extensive transatlantic travel by land and sea.

This is also represented in the upper sections of the icon. The image in the top left incorporates the paddle steamer “Atrato” that was launched in 1853 and serviced the route between Southampton and the Caribbean. The image in the top right includes a train that Elizabeth used during her travels in North America and across Europe. 

The image in top left hand corner represents the port of the Channel Island of Guernsey. This was where Elizabeth Hayes was born in 1823, two hundred years ago. Her family were devout Anglicans. Education and music were highly valued in the family. Her father was a schoolmaster-clergyman and English and French were spoken in the home. In her early twenties, when Elizabeth started her adult life as a teacher, she followed in the footsteps of her father, grandfather, brother, uncle, great-uncle, and earlier forebears, who were all teachers committed to serving the Church of England. 

Following the death of her parents, Elizabeth travelled to England and began to work in shelter for poor women, then as a teacher at the Wantage school for disadvantaged children. It was here that she joined the Anglican sisterhood. Elizabeth later converted to Catholicism and entered a religious community in Greenwich. When this community adopted the Franciscan Rule, Elizabeth commenced her novitiate with the Franciscans in Glasgow, Scotland. Here she received the Franciscan habit and took the vows of poverty, chastity, obedience, and a fourth vow: to serve the foreign missions.

The image of the island with palm trees represents Elizabeth’s time in Jamaica. Her desire to teach poor children was unrealised as she was given only the daughters of wealthy plantation owners. Disillusioned, Elizabeth left Jamaica and commenced her ministry in Paris.   

The outbreak of the Franco-Prussian War in 1870 resulted in Elizabeth abandoning her ministry to become a volunteer with the Red Cross in Germany. Here she nursed wounded soldiers and cared for French prisoners of war. This is represented in the icon in the second image on the left hand side. 

In 1872, Elizabeth Hayes travelled to the USA and laid the foundations of the Missionary Franciscan Sisters and began a school in Belle Prairie, Minnesota. This is represented in the icon by the log cabin at the top of the painting. 

During the school holidays in 1873, Elizabeth Hayes travelled across north America to San Francisco, to the gold fields of California to seek financial support for her ministry. and then down to the old Franciscan Mission of Santa Barbara to seek financial support for her ministry.

The image in the top right hand corner is of the chapel at Old Mission in Santa Barbara. It was here that the friars showed her their fine school and their ministry with the Native American Peoples. It was the guardian, Fr Jose Romo, who encouraged Elizabeth in her desire to edit and publish a Franciscan journal. 

Elizabeth’s work as a pioneering Franciscan journalist is represented in the second image on the right hand side. It shows Elizabeth at work at her printing press. In 1874 Elizabeth Hayes published the first Franciscan journal in English in the world, the Annals of Our Lady of the Angels. In this image you might also notice the San Damiano Cross, a symbol to Franciscans of their mission to commit their lives and resources to renew and rebuild the Church.

The third image on the left hand side shows St Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City. Elizabeth Hayes spent time in Rome from June 1874 to August 1875. In obedience to the Pope, she returned in December 1880, to establish a Motherhouse for her Order at Villa Spada. 

The final image on the right hand side of the icon depicts the Cathedral of St John the Baptist in the Diocese of Savannah, Georgia. It was in this area in the southern states of the USA that Elizabeth and a small community of nine sisters established a vocational training school for the children of emancipated slaves. They "worked within the African American population exclusively, giving girls plain, simple English schooling, teaching them domestic duties, and visiting and nursing the sick..." (Unless the Seed Die, p. 144).

Elizabeth, like Francis, saw God in the world around her. She found God in the poor and the sick, in the wilderness of the African American peoples of the South – the most underprivileged, deprived, and humiliated inhabitants of the United States. Her deep presence to people gave her a tender heart to serve and help the poor.

As she wrote in her diary: "A mission without work for the poor and sick, doing little or nothing for the place in which we live is not a very enticing aspect."

Elizabeth Hayes died at Villa Spada in 1894 but her pioneering spirit continued through the expansion of the Order throughout the world. This mission continues today including here in Australia and in Papua New Guinea.

A Tribute to Sister Catherine White 

Yesterday, Sister Catherine White spoke to students about the ministry of the Sisters in PNG and the Elizabeth Hayes Early Childhood Centre, one of the causes that we support through our annual fundraising events. It was an opportunity for us to also recognise Sr Catherine’s leadership as she commences a new role of Community Coordinator later this month. 

Sister Catherine is the longest serving leader of the Missionary Franciscan Sisters in Australia. First elected to the role from 2002 to 2006, Sister Catherine was elected leader again in 2014 and 2018. This is a total of thirteen years of service to the Sisters in this role and in various ministries in which the Sisters have been involved including Delamore Retirement Community, Franciscan Schools Australia, Saint Anthony’s School and Mount Alvernia College. 

Sister Catherine knows Mount Alvernia College all too well having been a student here from 1967 to 1971. At our celebration of the College’s 65th Anniversary in 2021, Sister Catherine shared with us an old photo and reminisced how she would often wear a jumper to school so that she could conceal her pet guinea pig in its sleeves. Such is Sister Catherine’s deep respect for creation and advocacy for the welfare of animals, especially dogs for which she has a great love. 

Sister Catherine entered the Missionary Franciscan Sisters a couple of years after finishing school. It is a vocation that has taken her to Papua New Guinea and Egypt where she worked in schools. Sister Catherine gained qualifications in Theology at Brisbane College of Theology and specialised in Liturgy at the Catholic University of America in Washington DC. On her return to Australia, she worked in the Toowoomba Diocese for a number of years as Director of Liturgy. Sister Catherine also served as Regional Director of the Asia Pacific Region with Franciscans International in Thailand. Such varied roles attest to how Sister Catherine lives her missionary call where she is. She seeks opportunities to go beyond borders to where the need is. 

Through her leadership of the Missionary Franciscan Sisters, Sister Catherine has demonstrated her ability to be adaptable to the circumstances of the times and to respond authentically to them. She accepts change and can drive change. This has been most evident in three significant decisions that Sister Catherine has implemented: in 2017, the transfer of the governance of Mount Alvernia College to Mercy Partners; in 2022, the transfer of ownership of Delamore Retirement Community to Ozcare; and through her engagement of the Emerging Futures Collaborative to support the Australian branch of the Missionary Franciscan Sisters as they approach completion. As part of this process, Sister Catherine will soon conclude her term as Leader and take on her new role as Community Coordinator. Sister Catherine will continue in her role as Steward Representative of the Missionary Franciscan Sisters with Mercy Partners and on the Executive of Franciscan Schools Australia. Thankfully for us also, Sister Catherine will still come to visit us for our significant events and celebrations. 

We recognise Sister Catherine’s significant service to the Missionary Franciscan Sisters and her support and generosity to our College community over the years. We are most grateful for her leadership, her presence, her words of wisdom and her good humour. 

Please hold Sister Catherine and all the Missionary Franciscan Sisters in your prayers. 

Collection for Vinnies, Rosies & West End Community House

To mark Elizabeth Hayes Week, all students are invited to contribute to the Winter Appeal and the pantry at Rosies and the West End Community House. As you know, especially given the current circumstances, so many people are doing it tough. To respond to this need, Vinnies, Rosies and the Community House are seeking donations of blankets, warm clothing and non-perishable food. Donations can be delivered to the Carceri until Friday 19th May.

Winter Items: Blankets. Jackets, jumpers, beanies, scarves, gloves 

Non-perishable Items: Cereal, pasta, rice, noodles/soup pack, tinned items (tuna, baked beans, spaghetti, tomatoes, beans/legumes, vegetables, fruit, etc), dried fruits (sultanas), nuts (trail mix packs), sandwich spreads (peanut butter, Vegemite, honey, jam), cheese & cracker packs, fruit cups (in juice or jelly), bottled water, energy drinks, teabags, coffee, sugar, long-life milk, juice (popper); treats (chips/sharepacks/biscuits); toilet paper; toiletries; wet wipes; sandwich seal bags (in all sizes); plastic knives, forks, spoons.

In the spirit of Elizabeth Hayes, let’s extend God’s compassion to the people in our community in need of a hand up. 

Do It For Dolly Day

Do It For Dolly Day is a day dedicated to bringing the community together, spreading kindness and helping to break the silence around bullying. To mark this day, all students are invited to a shared brunch during homeroom time on Friday 12 May. Homeroom teachers will use homeroom time next week to plan arrangements for their Homeroom. Together, let us share the Dolly’s Dream message - Be kind and speak even if your voice shakes - and build a kinder and safer world for Australia’s kids and communities.

Laudato si’ Week

Laudato si’ Week is celebrated annually in the month of May: from 16-24 May in Australia and from 21 – 28 May for the universal Church. During this time the College will join the Church in celebrating the eighth anniversary of the publication of Pope Francis’ encyclical Laudato si’: On Care for Our Common Home. The theme for 2023 is Hope for the Earth, Hope for Humanity, a celebration of the progress we have made in bringing Laudato si’ to life. This year, Pope Francis invites you to view the film The Letter. This film tells the story of a journey to Rome of frontline leaders to discuss the encyclical letter Laudato si’ with Pope Francis. The exclusive dialogue with the Pope, included in the film, offers a revealing insight into the personal history of Pope Francis and stories never seen since he became the Bishop of Rome. The film can be accessed for free at http://www.theletterfilm.org/watch/. 

In the coming week, prayer resources should also be accessible via the Social Justice Office of the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference, https://socialjustice.catholic.org.au/resources/.