Josephite Education

These Are the Children I Love

Mary MacKillop’s heartfelt words, ‘Ah, Sister, these are the children I love’ provide the title of a new exhibition planned for a 2010 opening in the schoolroom. Its focus is 19th century Josephite education in Penola.

The exhibition will cover Mary’s own educational and religious experiences prior to her co-founding the Sisters of St Joseph in 1866 at Penola where, as she put it, ‘The work of our dear Institute began’.

Mary was an exceptional teacher and the unique method she devised to imbue a first-rate Australian secular education with the universal spirituality of Catholicism will be highlighted. The people involved – pupils, families, Sisters and clergy – will also feature, and a working space planned for part of the schoolroom will enable visiting school groups to enjoy a 19th century Josephite educational experience.

Currently, there is much to interest visitors in all three rooms of the schoolhouse. It is a very special place where Mary’s youthful presence can still be felt: her commitment to God through a life devoted to others, her vulnerability and self-doubt, her strength of character, her humanity and compassion, her gifts as a teacher, her vitality, her sense of humour, her serenity.

For further information, please see 19th Century Newspaper Articles.