“The works of the Dominican Sisters was never about themselves but about enabling others to discover their gifts, realise their potential, and flourish in faith and life,” Bishop of Geraldton, Michael Morrissey said recently.
Delivering the homily at the Mass at which the Dominican Sisters of Western Australia gathered for their last formal Chapter before embarking on a renewed leadership structure, Bishop Michael said the change would allow the sisters to continue their legacy of courage, faith, service and community that dates back to 1899 when Mother Gabriel Gill, five pioneer Sisters and one postulant arrived in Geraldton on the invitation of Bishop William Bernard Kelly.
Joining Bishop Michael as concelebrant was Emeritus Bishop of Geraldton, Justin Bianchini.
In her welcoming address at the start of Mass, Prioress Sr Mary Ryan OP thanked everyone who had contributed to the “tapestry” of the Dominican Sisters in Western Australia.
She said the sisters would continue their mission among the people as they had done over the last 127 years – spreading the Word of God and educating generations of children in the Geraldton Diocese and the Perth Archdiocese.
The Dominican Sisters, she added, have imitated Jesus who never acted for Himself alone but in relationship with the Father and the Holy Spirit.
During his homily, Bishop Michael reflected on the sisters’ motto, To contemplate and give to others the fruits of your contemplation, which was the foundation of their decision-making, including the decision to leave the familiar surroundings of Ireland, and the green fields of Dunedin, New Zealand to journey to Western Australia.
“One might say that the mission of the sisters is now complete, and in many ways it is. Yet, that mission has now been entrusted to others (all the baptised and all who seek to follow Jesus Christ),” Bishop Michael suggested.
“There is memory recalling the past, and there is always hope for the future. May you continue to be people of hope, joy and peace in a world that is in such desperate need of all three,” he concluded.
As part of the celebration, Sr Margaret Scharf OP, who led the music for the Liturgy, invited each sister present to select a scarf – symbolising a stole, a sign of service. The colourful stoles would later be woven together into a tapestry during the first session of the Chapter.
This tapestry serves as a reminder of the individual sisters, with their unique gifts and talents, who, throughout their years of ministry in WA, came together to weave a tapestry of their lives. That tapestry is now handed on to all who continue to live the Dominican spirit in the former schools and places where the sisters served the Church.
The Sisters’ Chapter took place over two days, with the facilitation and support of Sr Judith Lawson OP and Sr Mary-Clare Holland OP, both of the Congregation of Dominican Sisters of Eastern Australia and Solomon Islands.
A lasting legacy
The legacy of the Dominican Sisters of Western Australia is closely connected to Catholic education and pastoral ministry in the State’s Midwest, Goldfields and, later, metropolitan Perth.
At the invitation of Bishop William Kelly, the first Bishop of Geraldton, Mother Gabriel and five other sisters travelled from New Zealand to Western Australia, arriving in Geraldton on 7 June 1899 and welcomed at Greenough the following day, where they assumed responsibility for Catholic education, including St Joseph’s School.
The newly established Diocese of Geraldton covered an enormous and sparsely populated territory, and Catholic families were scattered through farming settlements, mining communities and the Goldfields.
In 1901 the sisters established themselves at Dongara, which became the centre of their Western Australian congregation. The following year they purchased the former Dongara Hotel, added a second storey and converted the building into St Dominic’s Priory, which became their Mother House and an important centre of Catholic education.
From Dongara, the Dominican mission spread widely throughout the diocese including Cue, Mt Magnet, Day Dawn, Leonora and Gwalia, Meekatharra, Three Springs, Yalgoo, Mingenew, Reedy, Morawa and Perenjori. Their vocation was predominantly educational, although their presence also provided pastoral and practical support to Catholic families in their religious education and sacramental preparation of their children through their Motor Missions based at Morawa and Three Springs.
In 1942, the sisters were invited to extend their ministry into the Perth Archdiocese, eventually establishing what became St Peter’s Primary School in Bedford Park.
Their educational ministry subsequently became associated with a large number of Perth schools, including Santa Clara in Bentley, Infant Jesus in Morley, Our Lady of Assumption in Dianella, St John’s in Scarborough, St Therese’s in Gwelup, Our Lady of Grace in North Beach, Holy Spirit in City Beach, St Dominic’s in Innaloo and Holy Rosary and Newman Siena College in Doubleview. In 1955 they established the girls’ secondary school St Thomas Aquinas, which later became part of Chisholm Catholic College when St Thomas Aquinas College and the Christian Brothers’ St Mark’s College amalgamated in 1989.
In March 1971, severe flooding inundated the Priory and St Dominic’s Ladies’ College at Dongara. The school closed and the sisters’ long association with Dongara as their congregational home came to an end, and the community relocated to Perth.
Beyond the classroom, the sisters over the years have lived among isolated communities, visited families, provided companionship and pastoral support, and adapted their ministry as local needs changed – a mission that will continue into the future.