Sacred Heart Cathedral School, Thorndon
Encyclopedia
Sacred Heart Cathedral School is a New Zealand
, Catholic
, primary school located in the central-city suburb of Thorndon
, Wellington
, New Zealand
. It is part of a Catholic precinct dating from 1850. It joins St Mary's College, Wellington
and Sacred Heart Cathedral, Wellington
and is located opposite the Motherhouse
of the Sisters of Mercy
in Wellington.
, first Catholic Bishop of Wellington
. From 1850 until 1861 it was staffed by the Sisters of Mary, a group of religious sisters under the direction of Bishop Viard. These four sisters had arrived with the bishop from Auckland on the establishment of the Diocese. They were: Catherin McCann (Sister M Cecelia); Mary Anne McGarvey (Sister M Joseph); Elizabeth Walsh (Sister M Teresa); and 14 year old Sarah McGarvey (Mary Anne's sister). From 1861, when they first arrived in Wellington, the Sisters of Mercy
took over the school and were on its staff until the late Twentieth Century when the staff became entirely lay
.
was completed in 1901. Later the playing area of the school expanded into the former site of Bishop Viard's residence ("Viard House") towards the Basilica, which was officially made the Wellington Cathedral in 1983. The ample size of the wooden school building enabled its later redevelopment in 1975 by building new classrooms inside the existing roof. Other substantial buildings were added in the first decade of the Twenty-First century.
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
, Catholic
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
, primary school located in the central-city suburb of Thorndon
Thorndon
Thorndon is an inner suburb of Wellington, the capital city of New Zealand. It combines residential accommodation and the home of government, and is located at the northern end of the Central Business District...
, Wellington
Wellington
Wellington is the capital city and third most populous urban area of New Zealand, although it is likely to have surpassed Christchurch due to the exodus following the Canterbury Earthquake. It is at the southwestern tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Rimutaka Range...
, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
. It is part of a Catholic precinct dating from 1850. It joins St Mary's College, Wellington
St Mary's College, Wellington
St Mary's College Wellington is situated in the suburb of Thorndon in Wellington, New Zealand. The school is an integrated all girls Catholic secondary school for years 9-13.-History:...
and Sacred Heart Cathedral, Wellington
Sacred Heart Cathedral, Wellington
The Metropolitan Cathedral of the Sacred Heart and of Saint Mary His Mother, better known as Sacred Heart Cathedral, is a Roman Catholic cathedral on Hill Street, Thorndon in Wellington, New Zealand. It is the cathedral of the Archbishop of Wellington...
and is located opposite the Motherhouse
Motherhouse
The term motherhouse is used by religious Orders and religious congregations to designate the principal house or community for that group. It can be either for the entire institute or for a region....
of the Sisters of Mercy
Sisters of Mercy
The Religious Order of the Sisters of Mercy is an order of Catholic women founded by Catherine McAuley in Dublin, Ireland, in 1831. , the order has about 10,000 members worldwide, organized into a number of independent congregations....
in Wellington.
History
The school was first established in 1850, under the name St Mary's School, by Philippe ViardPhilippe Viard
Philippe Joseph Viard was the first Roman Catholic Bishop of Wellington, New Zealand.Born to Claude and Pierette Charlotte , he attended the parish school of Saint-Nizier and then entered the minor seminary at Argentière about 1827, proceeding to the major seminary of Saint-Irénée at Lyon in 1831...
, first Catholic Bishop of Wellington
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Wellington
The Latin Rite Catholic Archdiocese of Wellington is the Metropolitan Archdiocese of New Zealand. Catholics number about 83,214 . Parishes number 47 parishes and the archdiocese extends over central New Zealand between Levin and Masterton in the north to Kaikoura to Westport in the...
. From 1850 until 1861 it was staffed by the Sisters of Mary, a group of religious sisters under the direction of Bishop Viard. These four sisters had arrived with the bishop from Auckland on the establishment of the Diocese. They were: Catherin McCann (Sister M Cecelia); Mary Anne McGarvey (Sister M Joseph); Elizabeth Walsh (Sister M Teresa); and 14 year old Sarah McGarvey (Mary Anne's sister). From 1861, when they first arrived in Wellington, the Sisters of Mercy
Sisters of Mercy
The Religious Order of the Sisters of Mercy is an order of Catholic women founded by Catherine McAuley in Dublin, Ireland, in 1831. , the order has about 10,000 members worldwide, organized into a number of independent congregations....
took over the school and were on its staff until the late Twentieth Century when the staff became entirely lay
Laity
In religious organizations, the laity comprises all people who are not in the clergy. A person who is a member of a religious order who is not ordained legitimate clergy is considered as a member of the laity, even though they are members of a religious order .In the past in Christian cultures, the...
.
Buildings
The existing main building of the school was completed in 1892 and was designed to accommodate 300 children. When St Mary's Cathedral was burnt down in 1898, that school building (St Mary's Chapel) served as the Thorndon parish church until the new Sacred Heart BasilicaSacred Heart Cathedral, Wellington
The Metropolitan Cathedral of the Sacred Heart and of Saint Mary His Mother, better known as Sacred Heart Cathedral, is a Roman Catholic cathedral on Hill Street, Thorndon in Wellington, New Zealand. It is the cathedral of the Archbishop of Wellington...
was completed in 1901. Later the playing area of the school expanded into the former site of Bishop Viard's residence ("Viard House") towards the Basilica, which was officially made the Wellington Cathedral in 1983. The ample size of the wooden school building enabled its later redevelopment in 1975 by building new classrooms inside the existing roof. Other substantial buildings were added in the first decade of the Twenty-First century.
The school today
The school became an integrated school in 1983. Its character has also changed from being a purely local school with the pupils coming from the local parish to a central-city school with the vast majority of its pupils coming from parishes other than Sacred Heart parish, Thorndon.See also
- Sacred Heart Cathedral, WellingtonSacred Heart Cathedral, WellingtonThe Metropolitan Cathedral of the Sacred Heart and of Saint Mary His Mother, better known as Sacred Heart Cathedral, is a Roman Catholic cathedral on Hill Street, Thorndon in Wellington, New Zealand. It is the cathedral of the Archbishop of Wellington...
- St Mary's College, WellingtonSt Mary's College, WellingtonSt Mary's College Wellington is situated in the suburb of Thorndon in Wellington, New Zealand. The school is an integrated all girls Catholic secondary school for years 9-13.-History:...
- Sisters of MercySisters of MercyThe Religious Order of the Sisters of Mercy is an order of Catholic women founded by Catherine McAuley in Dublin, Ireland, in 1831. , the order has about 10,000 members worldwide, organized into a number of independent congregations....
Sources
- Sister M de Porres RSM, Mercy Comes to Wellington: A History of St Mary's College, Sisters of Mercy, Wellington, 2000.
- Dan Kelly, On Golder's Hill: A History of Thorndon Parish, Daniel Kelly and the Parish of the Metropolitan Cathedral of the Sacred Heart and of Saint Mary His Mother, Wellington, 2001.
- Michael O'Meeghan SM, Steadfast in hope: The Story of the Catholic Archdiocese of Wellington 1850-2000, Dunmore Press for the Catholic Archdiocese of Wellington, 2003.