Three Brisbane schools all established by the Sisters of the Good Samaritan are gearing up for a year of celebrations in 2016 to commemorate their centenaries.
Lourdes Hill College in Hawthorne, a secondary school for girls now operated by Good Samaritan Education, will begin its centenary year celebrations on February 11, 2016, the Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes, with a Mass in the Brisbane Convention Centre.
Nearly 4,000 people are expected to participate in the Mass, which will be presided over by the Archbishop of Brisbane Mark Coleridge.
The College is keen for all past and present students, parents, staff and friends to come together for Mass at 5:00pm and then afterwards for family celebrations at Southbank.
To acknowledge this historic milestone, Brisbane’s Story Bridge will be lit up in the College’s colour, purple, on the night.
“In our centenary year, we look forward to bringing together our extended community to celebrate our wonderful history and continued commitment to shaping connected and confident girls,” said Lourdes Hill College Principal Robyn Anderson.
“The light that has existed here at Lourdes Hill College over the last century has filled our students with grace and spirit and has moved them beyond the school gates to be citizens of the world.
“In 2016, we want to celebrate the inspiring stories that our graduates bring to the world.”
The Sisters of the Good Samaritan first arrived in Brisbane in 1916 at the invitation of the then Coadjutor Bishop (later Archbishop) of Brisbane James Duhig.
Within weeks of their arrival by ship from Sydney in January 1916, a group of 14 sisters opened three schools: Lourdes Hill College (on January 24, initially at Bulimba, and two months later at Hawthorne when the school buildings were ready); St James Primary School, Coorparoo (on January 31); and Sts Peter and Paul Primary School, Bulimba (on February 7).
“To celebrate 100 years of presence and service to the local community of Bulimba and the surrounding districts is a great joy for the Sisters,” said Sister Clare Condon, Congregational Leader of the Sisters of the Good Samaritan.
“I am deeply proud of the contribution of so many sisters, principals, teachers, staff, parents and students, who have all worked together in partnership. It is indeed a time to be very joyful.”
To mark the centenary of the arrival of the Sisters in Brisbane, a special Mass will be celebrated at 8:00am on January 31, 2016, at Sts Peter and Paul Parish, Bulimba. The principal celebrant will be Auxiliary Bishop of Brisbane Brian Finnigan.
Then, a week later on February 7, Mass will be celebrated to mark 100 years since the opening of Sts Peter and Paul Primary School, Bulimba.
The community of St James Primary School, Coorparoo, will gather for their centenary Mass at St James’ Church on February 21 at 9:00am.
All three school communities are holding a series of centenary events during 2016. A list of events for Sts Peter and Paul Parish and Primary School, Bulimba, can be downloaded here. To find out about the centenary events for St James Primary School, Coorparoo, visit their Facebook page.
To keep up-to-date about Lourdes Hill College’s centenary events visit their centenary website and Facebook page.
Tickets for the Lourdes Hill College Centenary Mass are free but will need to be reserved as it is being held in the Great Hall of the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre, corner Merivale and Glenelg Streets, South Brisbane. Entry will require a ticket. Please reserve tickets via the Lourdes Hill College Centenary website.
