8 - Honouring the Pioneer Religious
Honouring The Pioneer Religious 1838 - 1938
This chapel opened on December 12, 1938, and is dedicated to the memory of Mother Mary Clare Dunphy and the Pioneer Religious of Parramatta.
Stones from the foundations of the first Convent in Australia, built for the Sisters of Charity who arrived in Australia in December 1838, were buried beneath the Chapel nave.
Image: Chapel nave
From the Annals – 1938
An account of the opening of the chapel is recorded in the annals (or Records) of the Sisters. The entry closes as follows:
The Community thus entered on the second half-century of its existence. The Convent buildings had been completed; the old had been replaced.
One interesting link was preserved, however. To make way for extensions in 1916, Australia’s first Convent had been demolished, but part of the old foundation remained accessible: this was unearthed – the process being described by the workmen as “tough” – and formed part of the packing beneath the parquetry flooring of the nave of the Memorial Chapel.
This incorporation of the old in the new is expressive of the desire of the members of the Community to maintain the spirit of the pioneers, while at the same time adapting themselves to the changing world in which they are working for the love of God.
Source: Annals of the Congregation of the Sisters of Mercy Parramatta, 1888 -1961, pp 106,110)
Image: Chapel exterior
Extracts from the sermon preached by the Rev. M. J. O’Reilly cm in St Patrick’s Church, Parramatta (Sunday Dec 13) on the occasion of the centenary of the foundation of the Sisters of Mercy in Dublin, 1831.
