Station 3 – Foundation Stone

Even before he arrived in Hobart, in April 1866, Bishop Daniel Murphy had heard that the colony was in desperate need of Catholic schools. He approached his sister, Mother Xavier (Ellen) Murphy in Fermoy, Ireland who readily agreed and started preparations for four Presentation Sisters and five Postulants to travel to Hobart.

Meanwhile, Bishop Murphy began work on a building which was to become the Presentation Convent and school. In August 1866, Bishop Murphy laid the foundation stone which marked the commencement of the impressive edifice which had been designed by the colonial architect Henry Hunter.

This foundation stone was, over time, obscured by new building works and lost to time. This plaque, commemorating the original 1866 foundation stone, was unveiled exactly 150 years later, on 15 August 2016, by Sr Gabrielle Morgan, Congregation Leader of the Presentation Sisters in Tasmania. It marks the place where Presentation education in Australia began.

Plaque commemorating the Foundation Stone laid in 1866.

When the Sisters arrived in Hobart in late October 1866, their reaction to their barely-begun home was not recorded. We imagine that Mother Murphy might have had a few stern words with her brother because after only 14 months the beautiful building you see before you was completed. During that time of waiting, the Sisters were not idle; they lived in Richmond, teaching at the local Catholic school until they took possession of this building in January 1868.

The Henry Hunter designed Presentation Convent completed in 1868.

In addition to the foundation stone plaque, you can also see a sculpted bird bath surrounded by oak leaves to represent the Sisters’ connection to Ireland. Underneath this is the foundation stone of the Sacred Heart Convent in Launceston which was placed here after that Convent closed.

Reflective Questions

• Touch the sandstone at the front of the Convent building. What does it feel like?
• Can you see where the stonemasons cut the stone or chiselled its shape?
• Where do you think the original foundation stone is hidden?
• How might the first Presentation Sisters have felt when they discovered that their Convent wasn’t ready for them?

Prayer

God of light, life and love,

We give special thanks today for all those lamplighters who have gone before us, shining light into shadowy places illuminating the way forging a path.

We especially remember Nano Nagle and the pioneer Presentation Sisters who left Ireland to serve communities across our nation.

May we too light lamps for others: students, teachers and parents in our schools, people in our communities, parishes and ministries, our family, friends and colleagues.

Help us ignite in them the courage to live lives of compassion, love and service.

Amen

From the Archives

Historic Photos of St Mary’s College, Hobart