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The Sisters of Charity of Australia, or the Congregation of the Religious Sisters of Charity of Australia, is a congregation of religious sisters in the Catholic Church established in 1838. Sisters use the post-nominal initials of RSC.
Mother Mary Aikenhead was requested by John Bede Polding OS., the first Catholic bishop in Australia, to send some sisters to help the many female convicts who had been transported to Australia as penalty for their crimes.
Arriving in New South Wales, on the Francis Spaight on 31 December 1838, [1] [2] the five volunteer Sisters were the first Religious Sisters to set foot on the Australian continent. [3] They were led by Mother Mary John Cahill. The other sisters were Mary Lawrence Cater, Mary Baptist De Lacy, Mary Frances de Sales O'Brien and Mary Xavier Williams, who was a novice. [4]
The Sisters of Charity of Australia have operated independently of the congregation in Ireland since 1842. St Vincent's Hospital, Sydney, was founded by the Sisters in 1857. [5] In 1925, the Sisters of Charity ventured to Queensland, Australia, to open a school, Mt St Michael's College — originally known as Grantuly until 1941 — in Ashgrove. [6]
The spirituality of the Sisters of Charity derives from the life of St. Vincent de Paul and the vision of Mary Aikenhead, their foundress. In addition to the three vows of poverty, chastity and obedience, the Sisters of Charity take a fourth vow of service to the poor. For the Sisters of Charity, "Service of the Poor" denotes not only the alleviation of a present affliction by immediate action, but also includes having a "preferential option for the poor". [7]
The ministries of the Sisters of Charity of Australia have been varied in nature from the time of their founding. From ministering in prisons to managing hospitals and acting to conserve environments, they have been quick to "read the signs of the times" and move to where they have been most needed, in the greatest service to the poor. One of their most prominent ministries was the establishment of St Vincent's Hospital, Sydney in 1857. St Vincent's Hospital, Melbourne was opened in 1893.
In 2009, the stewardship of St Vincent's Health Australia was passed to Mary Aikenhead Ministries, a newly founded arm operating under the Australian division of the Sisters of Charity.
In 1957, the Sisters opened Mt Olivet Hospital as a hospice in Brisbane. It now provides a wider range of hospital services and has been renamed St Vincent's Private Hospital. [8]
Under the stewardship of Mary Aikenhead Ministries, St Vincent’s Health Australia started their first aged care facility in 1977 at Kangaroo Point under the banner of St Vincent’s Care Services. This has since expanded to 23 aged care homes as well as retirement living and in home care services across Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria.
In June 2019, the Sisters of Charity of Australia opened their Heritage Centre and Archives in Potts Point, Sydney, adjacent to St Vincent's Ladies' College, the Congregational Chapel, and the original site of St Vincent's Private Hospital Sydney. The Centre houses an exhibition space which tells the story of the Sisters of Charity since their arrival in 1838, as well as the archives and meeting spaces.
The following is a timeline of the schools which were either founded or at which the Sisters had a foundational or otherwise significant impact on the school. This timeline was authored by Danielle Achikian in her book Ministry of Love: The story of the Sister of Charity.
1858 St Vincent's Primary School, Potts Point
1871 St Vincent's High School, Potts Point
1882 amalgamated to become St Vincent's College
1879 St Mary's High School, Liverpool
1882 St Mary's Primary School, Liverpool
1920 primary and high schools amalgamate to become an intermediate school
1950 primary and high schools separate
1881 Bethlehem College, Ashfield
1882 St Charles Primary School, Ashfield later renamed St Vincent's Primary School
1883 St Mary's Primary School, Concord
1883 Sacred Heart Primary School, Darlinghurst
1883 St Mary's Cathedral School, Sydney
1883 St Thomas Becket Primary School, Lewisham
1883 St Francis' Primary School, Paddington
1884 Nazaretto School, Bega
1885 All Saints' Primary School. Bombala
1885 All Saints High School, Bombala
1886 St Michael's Parish School. Hurstville later renamed St Mary's Star of the Sea Primary School
1888 St Anne's Orphanage School, Liverpool
1892 St Canice's Primary School, Elizabeth Bay
1892 St John's Primary School, Auburn
1892 St Joseph's School, Rockdale
1893 St John's Girls High School, Auburn
1895 St Mary's Star of the Sea High School, Hurstville
1895 St Patrick's Primary School, Mortlake
1901 St Canice's Primary School, Katoomba
1901 Mt St Mary's School, Katoomba later renamed Mt St Mary's Ladies College
1903 Mt St Patrick's High School. Paddington
1907 St Declan's Primary School, Penshurst
1912 Convent Infants, Primary and High School become Monte Oliveto College. Edgecliff
1913 St Thomas High School, Lewisham
1924 St Ambrose's Primary School, Concord West
1926 St Mary's Cathedral Commercial College, Sydney
1929 St Raphael's Church School, South Hurstville
1935 Sacred Heart Primary School, Cabramatta
1939 St Thomas More's Catholic Primary School, Brighton-Le-Sands
1939 St Gabriel's Primary School, Bexley
1952 St Peter's Primary School, Mt Pritchard later renamed Our Lady Or
1952 Mt Carmel Primary School
1958 Stella Maris Primary School Shellharbour
1964 St Joseph the Worker School, Auburn South
1982 Marion Primary School, Horsley Park
2000 Nazareth Catholic Primary School, Blackbutt
1847 St Joseph's School, Hobart (primary and secondary)
1924 St Joseph's Secondary School (also known as St Joseph's College)
1957 Secondary classes transferred to Mt Carmel College, Sandy Bay
1869 St Luke's Ragged School, South Hobart
1879 St Joseph’s Orphanage School, Hobart
1926 St Brigid's Catholic School, New Norfolk
1942 Mt Carmel Primary School, Sandy Bay later renamed Mt Carmel College
1960 St Aloysius Primary School, Kingston
1965 St Francis Xavier's Primary School. South Hobart
1111 St Patrick's Primary School, Fitzroy later renamed St Patrick's Cathedral Convent School
1890 St John's Primary School, East Melbourne
1891 St Joseph's Primary School. Collingwood
1894 St John the Baptist, Clifton Hill (primary and secondary)
1896 St Monica's School, Essendon
1897 St Patrick's Cathedral Convent School, Fitzroy demolished and relocated to East Melbourne
1902 Catholic Ladies College, East Melbourne later relocated to Eltham
1897 St Columba's College, Essendon (primary and secondary)
1897 St George's Primary School, Carlton
1923 St Therese's Primary School, Essendon
1931 St Philomena's Scholarship School, Moonee Ponds
1937 St Vincent de Paul Primary School, North Essendon (parish later renamed Strathmore)
1955 St John Bosco's Primary School, East Keilor
1955 Corpus Christi Primary School, Glenroy
1961 St Francis de Sales Primary School, Oak Park
1962 St Christopher's Primary School, Airport West
1967 Sancta Sophia College, Glenroy
1971 Our Lady Help of Christians Primary School, Eltham
1971 Sacred Heart Primary School, Diamond Creek
1974 St Leo the Great Primary School, Altona North
1983 St Charles Borromeo Catholic Primary School, Templestowe
1925 St Finbarr's Primary School, Ashgrove
1928 St Finbarr's Secondary College, Ashgrove (also referred to as Grantuly College) later renamed Mt St Michael's College
1929 St Mary's College, Kingaroy
1951 Mater Dei Catholic Primary School, St John's Wood
1972 St Peter Chanel's Primary School, The Gap
1955 Notre Dame Primary School, Coorparoo
1966 Holy Trinity Primary School, Curtin
1857 St Vincent's Hospital, Tarmons, Potts Point
1870 relocated to Darlinghurst site
1882 School of Nursing established
1886 St Joseph's Consumptive Hospital, Parramatta
1890 Sacred Heart Hospice for the Dying, Darlinghurst
1988 Sacred Heart Hospice for the Dying, Darlinghurst - new building
1892 St Joseph's Hospital, Auburn
1908 Casualty Department established at St Vincent's Hospital Sydney
1909 St Vincent's Private Hospital Sydney
1977 St Vincent's Private Hospital Sydney - new building
1920 first Orthopaedic Department in Australia established at St Vincent's Hospital Sydney
1921 St Vincent's Hospital Lismore
1922 St Vincent's Hospital Bathurst
1923 St Vincent's Hospital Sydney approved by the Senate of the University of Sydney as a teaching hospital and clinical school
1925 Sacred Heart Hospital, Cootamundra
1937 St Joseph's Hospice, Lismore
1937 Almoners (Social Work) Department established at St Vincent's Hospital Sydney
1945 Physiotherapy Department established at St Vincent's Hospital Sydney
1945 Department of Experimental Medicine established at St Vincent's Hospital Sydney
1949 Department of Neurosurgery established at St Vincent's Hospital Sydney
1952 Cardiovascular Unit established at St Vincent's Hospital Sydney
1961 Babworth House, Darling Point established as a convalescent annexe of St Vincent's Hospital Sydney
1962 Caritas Psychiatric Centre, Sydney established as a psychiatric day centre and later became an inpatient psychiatric service
1962 Rheumatology Department established at St Vincent's Hospital Sydney
1963 The Garvan Institute of Medical Research, Sydney
1984 incorporated as an autonomous., non-profit institute under the Garvan Institute of Medical Research Ad
1966 St Brigid's Infirmary, Potts Point
1981 named St Brigid's Nursing Home
1967 Coronary Care Unit established at St Vincent's Hospital Sydney
1981 Diabetic Day Care Centre established at St Vincent's Hospital Sydney
1982 Gorman House, Detoxification Unit, Sydney
1984 Rankin Court Alcohol and Drug Service
1983 Centre for Immunology. Sydney
2008 becomes part of St Vincent's Centre for Applied Medical Research
1989 The Centre for or Immunology established at St Vincent's Hospital Sydney
1990 St Vincent's Clinic
1991 Tarmons, St Joseph's Village and Sr. Maria Cunningham Centre Auburn
1994 Victor Chang Cardiac Research Unit, Sydney
2001 rehabilitation Unit established at St Vincent's Hospital Sydney
2001 Mater Hospital North Sydney is acquired from the Sisters of Mercy, North Sydney and merged with St Vincent's Hospital Sydney, Darlinghurst campus
2002 Xavier Building opens at St Vincent's Hospital Sydney providing 360 new beds
2003 Stroke Unit established at St Vincent's Hospital Sydney
2008 Lowy Packer Building opens as St Vincent's Centre for Applied Medical Research
2008 Cunningham Centre established for research and clinical practice into palliative care
2016 St Vincent's Care Services Aged Care Bronte
1893 St Vincent's Hospital, Fitzroy
1906 St Evin's Private Hospital, Fitzroy
1915 renamed Mt St Evin's Private Hospital
1968 demolished and new St Vincent's Private Hospital built on site
1910 St Vincent's Hospital Clinical School established. It is the first school to have a formal agreement with the University of Melbourne regarding the appointment of teaching staff
1937 St Vincent's Maternity Hospital, Melbourne
1972 merged with St Vincent's Private Hospital Melbourne
1938 Caritas Christi Hospice, Kew
1958 St Vincent's School of Medical Research, Melbourne
1984 St Vincent's at Home at St Vincent's Hospital Melbourne
1984 renamed St Vincent's Institute of Medical Research
1959 Home Care Extension Service established and later renamed
1960 Aikenhead Nurses Home and Daly Wing at St Vincent's Hospital Melbourne
1961 Intensive Care Unit established at St Vincent’s Hospital Melbourne the first in Australia
1964 Australia's first clinic for the care of alcoholics and the study of alcohol established at St Vincent's Hospital Melbourne
1970 The O’Brien Institute
1972 St Vincent's Private Hospital Melbourne
1998 merged with Mercy Private Hospital to form St Vincent's & Mercy Private Hospital
2008 Acquisition of Vimy Private Hospital. All three facilities merged to become known as St Vincent's Private Hospital Melbourne
1976 Microsurgery Research Unit established at St Vincent's Hospital Melbourne
1976 Prague House, Kew established offering residential health services for homeless people
1979 St Augustine's Ward established at St Vincent's Hospital Melbourne provide inpatient health services for prison inmates
1988 de Paul House, Fitzroy opens as a detoxification unit
1997 Briar Terrace support service opened in Fitzroy
2001 St George's Health Service Kew transferred by the State Government to be part of St Vincent's Hospital Melbourne
2006 St Vincent's Clinical Education and Simulation Centre established at St Vincent's Hospital Melbourne
1922 St Vincent's Private Hospital Toowoomba
1952 St Vincent's Maternity Hospital Toowoomba
1957 Mt Olivet Hospital, Kangaroo Point
1977 Marycrest Retirement Centre/Lilian Cooper Nursing Home Kangaroo Point
1987 Villa La Salle Nursing Home Southport
2000 Acquisition of aged care services in Queensland: St Paul's Villa; Magdalene Court; St Patrick's Villa; St John the Baptist Retirement Community; Oxford Park Retirement Community; St Joseph's Villa Hostel; Madonna Villa Nursing Home
2000 St Vincent's Hospital Robina
2002 transferred operations to Queensland Health
2001 The Holy Spirit Northside Private Hospital, Chermside established as a partnership with the Holy Spirit Sisters
2002 Intensive Care Unit established at St Vincent's Private Hospital Toowoomba, the first private unit in Australia
2006 Lourdes Home for the Aged Toowoomba (Purchased)
2007 St Vincent's Care Services Aged Care Maroochydore
2019 St Vincent's Care Services Aged Care Carseldine (aka Holy Spirit Home) (Purchased)
2019 St Vincent's Care Services Aged Care Boondall (aka Holy Spirit Home) (Purchased)
1944 acquired St Margaret's Hospital and renamed it St Vincent's Hospital Launceston
2005 ownership transferred to Calvary Health Care
The Sisters of Mercy is a religious institute for women in the Roman Catholic Church. It was founded in 1831 in Dublin, Ireland, by Catherine McAuley. As of 2019, the institute has about 6200 sisters worldwide, organized into a number of independent congregations. They also started many education and health care facilities around the world.
The Australian Catholic Church or Catholic Church in Australia is part of the worldwide Catholic Church under the spiritual and administrative leadership of the Holy See. From origins as a suppressed, mainly Irish minority in early colonial times, the church has grown to be the largest Christian denomination in Australia, with a culturally diverse membership of around 5,075,907 people, representing about 20% of the overall population of Australia according to the 2021 ABS Census data.
St Vincent's Hospital is a major hospital in Fitzroy, Melbourne, Australia.
St. Vincent's Hospital is a teaching hospital located at Elm Park, south of the city of Dublin, Ireland. It is at the junction of Merrion Road and Nutley Lane opposite the Merrion Centre and adjacent to Elm Park Golf Club. It is managed by Ireland East Hospital Group.
St Vincent's Hospital, St. Vincent Hospital or St. Vincent's Medical Center may refer to:
St Vincent's College, is an independent Roman Catholic single-sex secondary day and boarding school for girls, located in Victoria Street, Potts Point, an inner-city suburb of Sydney, Australia.
St Vincent's Hospital, Sydney is a leading tertiary referral hospital and research facility located in Darlinghurst, Sydney. Though funded and integrated into the New South Wales state public health system, it is operated by St Vincent's Health Australia. It is affiliated with the University of Tasmania College of Health and Medicine and the University of New South Wales Medical School.
St Columba's College is an all-female Roman Catholic secondary school in Essendon, a suburb of Melbourne, Australia. It is one of four Sisters of Charity of Australia educational establishments, with St Vincent's College, Potts Point, Mt St Michael's College, Brisbane, and Catholic Ladies College, Eltham.
All Saints Catholic College, Liverpool is an independent Roman Catholic co-educational secondary day school located in the south-western Sydney suburb of Liverpool, in New South Wales, Australia. The college was created in 2016 through the merger of the All Saints Catholic Boys' College and the All Saints Catholic Girls College and provides religious and general education for students in Year 7 to Year 10. The boys' school was originally called Patrician Brothers College, Liverpool. One of the feeder schools in the All Saints Catholic Primary School, located adjacent to the College. Some students progress to the All Saints Catholic Senior College, located in the adjacent suburb of Casula.
The Religious Sisters of Charity or Irish Sisters of Charity is a Roman Catholic religious institute founded by Mary Aikenhead in Ireland on 15 January 1815. Its motto is Caritas Christi urget nos.
Catholic education in Australia refers to the education services provided by the Catholic Church in Australia within the Australian education system. From 18th century foundations, the Catholic education system has grown to be the second biggest provider of school-based education in Australia, after government schools. The Catholic Church has established primary, secondary and tertiary educational institutions in Australia. As of 2018, one in five Australian students attend Catholic schools. There are 1,755 Catholic schools in Australia with more than 777,000 students enrolled, employing almost 100,000 staff.
Mt St Michael's College is an independent Catholic secondary school for girls located in Ashgrove, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It was established in 1925 by the Sisters of Charity at the invitation of James Duhig the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Brisbane.
Alice Nolan Elphick,, probably better known as Sister Mary Bernice Elphick, was a nun of the Sisters of Charity of Australia with a long and prestigious record of service to health.
Amy Vera Ackman, known as Mother Giovanni was an Australian hospital administrator and one of the Sisters of Charity.
Anne Daly or Mother Mary Berchmans was an Irish-Australian superior general of the Sisters of Charity of Australia and founded numerous hospitals in Australia, as well as being active in education.
Mary Dunstan Wilson was an Australian educator and member of the Sisters of Charity of Australia.
Brigid Mary Magdalen McGuigan (1842–1923), known by her religious name Sister Mary Francis, was an Australian nun, school teacher and principal who became superior general of the Sisters of Charity of Australia. She made a significant contribution to education and nursing in Australia, establishing and staffing schools and hospitals throughout New South Wales, Victoria and Tasmania.
Ellen O'Doherty (1894–1983), known by her religious name as Sister Mary Alphonsus, was an Australian religious who became the superior general of the Sisters of Charity of Australia. She was a skilled nurse and hospital administrator, and worked in many of the order's hospitals, contributing to the growth and successful operations of these facilities.
Mary Healy, better known as Mother Gertrude, was a member of the Sisters of Charity of Australia and hospital administrator. She made significant contributions to the development of St Vincent's Hospital, Sydney and St Vincent's Hospital, Melbourne.
Mary John Baptist De Lacy, was an Irish-born Sister of Charity, and one of the first religious sisters to come to Australia. She was one of five Sisters of Charity who arrived in Sydney in 1838 to serve poor women convicts. She founded and managed the St. Vincent Hospital in Woolloomooloo. She lived in Australia until 1859, when she returned to Ireland, spending her final years in the Sisters of Charity Mother House in Dublin.