Celebrating 115 Years

Celebrating 115 Years of education in the Brigidine Tradition

On Thursday 8 August, we celebrated 115 years of education in the Brigidine Tradition at the College.  To acknowledge this momentous occasion we gathered as a school community to celebrate the Eucharist.  It was wonderful that special friends of our College, such as Sister Anne Hill – Leader of the Victorian Brigidine Community, Brigidine Sisters, Father Peter Matheson, Mrs Marcella Reiter – chair of the Kilbreda College Stewardship Council, Mrs Denise Leonard – chair of the Past Pupils’ Network Committee, as well as four past Principals of the College – Sister Angela Ryan, Sister Helen Toohey, Ms Mary Stack and Mrs Teresa Lincoln, could be present with us to reflect on the spirit that is Kilbreda.

The following are some excerpts taken from the Opening Address:

‘It is indeed a great joy to see all of us gathered here today, to thank God for God’s blessing on our school community and to pray for God’s continued favour on us in years to come.  Today provides us with the opportunity to celebrate 115 years in the life of our school, to reflect and ponder on the people and events that have formed part of the rich tapestry of the Kilbreda story and look forward to the future with confidence.

Our story is littered with inspiring, strong and understanding individuals who worked tirelessly in a spirit of love to bring to fruition the Brigidine vision of creating a just world through education.  We give thanks with a grateful heart to the pioneering band of Brigidine Sisters who responded to Father Michael Gough’s call to open a secondary school in Mentone.  We give thanks to the dedicated and collective efforts of staff to be champions for the education of women in an era when the education of girls was not considered to be of great importance and their ability to continue to adapt and respond to the educational needs of the time.  We give thanks to the faith shown by Mr James McGuffie who assisted with the purchasing of the Coffee Palace and by generations of parents in Kilbreda’s vision to educate its students and prepare them to take their place in their own times as women of Strength and Kindliness. 

We give thanks to the hardworking and dynamic group that is the Past Pupils Association who have contributed greatly to the wellbeing of the College since 1918.  We give thanks to all of our students who have lived their lives with integrity, willingly shared their gifts and talents and served others with a deep sense of passion, compassion and courage.  Daniel Delany, the Founder of the Brigidine Sisters, encouraged his followers to ‘Do ordinary things, extraordinarily well.’  This simple, yet profound Gospel act, captures the spirit of Kilbreda. 

All the students, staff, parents and friends who have created, shaped and enriched Kilbreda College over the past 115 years have read into the ordinary aspects of life and spoken into them, with commitment, energy, hope and freedom.  In doing so, they have transformed our community.  They have left us with an extraordinary legacy to be a sign of love and justice in our world.’

The Mass was a wonderful celebration of our community.  Symbols that reflected both our past and present were used to reinforce the Brigidine ideals that, as a community, we value, such as inclusiveness, hope, love and justice.  Current staff member and past pupil of the College, Ms Denise Dunne, delivered a beautiful reflection on her experiences, migrating to Australia in Year 8 and being embraced by the Kilbreda College community.  She recalled how Sister Mary Dalton and the Brigidine Sisters welcomed her and her family with open and generous hearts and she reminded us of the love, strength and kindliness that resides in the walls of our red brick school and defines us as Kilbreda girls. 

Mr Bill Fitzsimons ensured this celebration of the Eucharist was a joyous one and tapped into our spirituality through his wonderful unpacking and contextualising of the concept of the Eucharist.

Father Peter Matheson, in his homily, highlighted the correlation between the great woman of the church, St Mary MacKillop, whose feast day it was that day, and the Brigidine Sisters.  Father Peter took a few moments to acknowledge the courage, faith and strength shown by the Brigidine Sisters in the early days of our College and the enduring legacy they left for future generations of Kilbreda students.

Sincere thanks must go to Mr Stephen Nash for the preparation of the liturgy, to Ms Jo-Anne Hilliard and our brilliant choir, to all readers, symbol bearers and Eucharistic ministers and to all who assisted in some way to ensure that the gift of faith was nourished in each of us.

‘The foundation members of Kilbreda sowed in pioneer fashion what we, their successors reap abundantly in grateful recognition.  Let us continue working with each other, in the spirit of Kilbreda, to do ordinary things, extraordinarily well, to express love through action, to stand out as a voice for the poor, the helpless and the marginalised in society and as stewards of creation to care for the environment, so that generations to come can continue to enjoy the fruits of the earth.’

8 August 1904  –  August 8 2019

Stephanie Smyth

Assistant Principal:

Wellbeing and Engagement