Loreto Archives International December 2012
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1 Loreto Archives International December 2012 Fifty years since Founding in India Vatican 11 A Bit of M.Borgia Magic O Shaughnessy Archives Moving House 2 Loreto Archives International December 2012 INSIDE THIS ISSUE: Welcome Readers, We are delighted to present you with the first magazine drawn from Loreto Province Archive Collections Designing an around the world. It is hoped that it will interest ‘Loreto’ readers Archives 2 from every walk of life and that it will introduce new readers to Australia the Institute of the Blessed Virgin Mary, affectionately known as Loreto. Cross Cultural The name Loreto came from a conversation between Missioning in the 4 the first three Sisters who took possession of Loreto Abbey, early 20th Century Rathfarnham, Dublin on 4 October, 1822. One of the Sisters East Africa referred to the fact that there were three of them, like the three members of the Holy Family in their house. This led to some Reactions to sharing about the Holy House of Loreto, Ancona, Italy. That Vatican II 6 house is said to have been the original house of Jesus, Mary England and Joseph. The story is that it was moved from the Holy Land, for protection, during the Wars of the Crusades. Spanish Civil War, It was decided, there and then, to name the new Miss Nolan 7 house at Rathfarnham Loreto House. The Sisters became Spain known as Loreto Sisters and all subsequent houses were called Loreto. Bombed in Blitz, We hope that you will enjoy this magazine and that Loreto Convent 8 you will follow our periodic publications on the website Manchester www.ibvm.org and on the Province websites. England May each of you experience the Blessings of Christmas and a New Year that opens for you the deepest The Call to India, values of life. India 10 Kathleen and Áine, Loreto Central Archives, The Magic Lantern, on behalf of all Loreto Archivists Ireland 12 The Arrival of the First Loreto Sisters in 14 Crib on front cover is one made by M.Margaret Herman’s boys in 1925 in Mauritius, Kindergarten School, Loreto High School, Beaufort, Rathfarnham, Dublin Mauritius A Journey to South Africa 16 Loreto Central Archives, Phone: 01 6620158 South Africa 55 St. Stephen’s Green, Dublin 2 Archivist: The Story of [email protected] Áine McHugh Australia’s Institute 18 Tree Australia Loreto Website addresses: Beyond Figures, The First Account 20 Institute Website: www. ibvm.org England: www.ibvm.org.uk Book Ireland Ireland: www.loreto.ie India: www.loreto.in Australia: www.loreto.org.au South Africa: www.loretosisters.org.za Canada: www.ibvm.ca Spain: www.ibvm.es East Africa: www.loretoeafrica.org U.S. www. ibvm.us 3 Designing an Archives Robin Scott, Province Archivist, Loreto Australia and South-East Asia Our Australian Loreto Archives are The site was an old school house, We were fortunate to have the based in Ballarat, where the sisters originally a little two room parish building designed by architect, founded the first Australian convent primary school, later a kindergarten, Catherine Quinn, who is a past and school. Mother Gonzaga Barry and later still, a performing arts Loreto pupil and talented young and nine companions set out for the space situated at the front entrance Australian mission from of the school with a vista of the designer. Catherine interpreted Rathfarnham in May 1875 and gardens and the Chapel beyond. the necessities of archival storage moved into Loreto Convent Mary’s A 1960s extension has been and display and the sensitivities of Mount Ballarat on 23rd September. removed and a new addition, the site and combined these with As the founding house, until 1940 including repositories for school and flare and vision in a 21st century the seat of the Provincial and until Province Archives, workroom, building which pays its respects to 1956 the Novitiate, Ballarat holds a reading room, and offices, has been the past. special place in the hearts of built. The old school house is the Australia’s Loreto. display gallery at the centre of the Recently the Ballarat community of building. sisters moved away from the school The challenge was to design a site on their onward journey and the building suitable for Archives as well as people within the restrictions buildings that had been their home “The challenge was to design a of cost and a heritage listed site. and also the home of the Province The footprint of the original building suitable for Archives as Archives are to make way for a building could not be made much Performing Arts Centre for the larger and the original school house well as people within the growing school; so a new Archives had to be restored and defined by had to be designed. This gave me, the new structures. restrictions of cost and a what is a once in a lifetime The design has meant that the previously obscured old school heritage listed site. “ opportunity for most archivists, the house is revealed with glass foyer opportunity to participate in the and glass connecting skylights in the design of the building to house our passages connecting the new rooms collection. Still to be on the school at either side. The new wings are site in Ballarat, the new Archives sleek, low and simple and do not was to be a combination of old and compete with the old. Similarly the new as is appropriate for a 21st interior is designed to provide a protective cocoon for our treasures As I write this I am racing back century repository for memories of but also a light airy space for the the past. people working and visiting the and forth between new and old building. We wanted to break the making sure everything finds its stereotype of archivists working in place. Unfortunately the once in a dark dusty cellars, so floor to ceiling lifetime opportunity to participate glass, albeit double glazed with in the design of a new archives ultraviolet filters, also comes with the, hopefully, are features of the offices, foyer, once in a lifetime horror of having corridors and to move the entire collection! reading room. So, we will be working surrounded by garden, which on this spring day in Ballarat is a very attractive prospect. 4 Cross Cultural Missioning in the early 20th Century Stephanie O Brien IBVM, East African Province Today we receive challenges from all sides to be ready for Inter-Province movement; to ‘think Institute’; ‘we belong to the Body’; ‘we are forming for the Institute’. Is this something new? The story of the beginning of the Province of Eastern Africa, carefully preserved in the Archives of the Province of Eastern Africa shows it not to be! Cross Cultural Missioning from The story of the East African mission began on 22nd October 1903. Mother Australia, India, Irish, Gibraltar Borgia O’Shaughnessy and Mother Catherine Curtin missioned in South Africa, responded to a request to establish a new mission in Eastern Africa. and South Africa They left Pretoria with hopes of establishing ‘a high class boarding school’ in Eastern Africa. In spite of their hard work and efforts, the mission did not flourish as desired, and the Sisters remained only two years. Mother Borgia and Mother Catherine left with heavy hearts in January 1905, believing that the time was not yet ripe for the foundation of such a school. 5 Msongari Convent, 1946 Many continued to hope that a mission Mother Raphael had also been recalled from the would be established in Eastern Africa, and Australian mission and taught in Shillong while she this wish was finally realised sixteen years waited on the other members of the mission to arrive. later. This second attempt at founding a Mother Dolores(30) had previously worked in mission began in 1920, when Superior Gibraltar and in India. The youngest member of the General Mother Raphael Deasy received a new mission, Mother Teresa Murphy(29) had just request for Sisters to open a school in made Final Vows in Darjeeling having gone to India Nairobi. Mother Patrick Brophy and as a novice from England. Mother Dolorosa Murphy from the Pretoria mission were sent on a fact finding mission in Eastern Africa. Recognising the need The five missionaries set out from Loreto House and potential that lay in the proposed th mission, arrangements were made for the Calcutta on 27 September 1921 and were joined in new mission, which was to be entrusted to Bombay by Mother Sixtus Norton who was just the Indian Province. arriving from Ireland. The team was complete and the journey to Kenya began on October 8th 1921! The success of this cross cultural mission drawing on the Mother Borgia O’Shaughnessy, now aged experience of the Australian, Indian, Irish, 57 and fulfilling her apostolic mission in Gibraltarian and South African provinces can be seen Australia, was recalled to assist in this new foundation. She readily accepted what was in the thriving Loreto community and schools that asked of her, and left Australia for India. continue to flourish in Kenya, just over 91 years On arrival she was met by the familiar face later. of Mother Rosario Dicher, Indian Provincial, who had also, in the past, been on mission to Australia. Over the next four days, Mother Borgia was joined by her new community, each bringing their own wealth of personal experience. Mother Catherine (Special acknowledgement of Sr Paula Doolin’s life Beauvais(53) arrived from Simla, Mother of Mother Borgia) Raphael Gordon and Mother Dolores Stafford arrived from Shillong. 6 Reactions to Vatican II from a yet-to-be-convinced Annalist! From the Annals Loreto Convent Altrincham 1966 Magdalen O’Neill IBVM English Province Archives th 25 May 1966 courses, held in places far and near, has grown into ordinary A second open letter from Mother General was practice – this weekend, for example, saw four on Saturday and displayed giving the text of an address of Cardinal six on Sunday course-bound.