STORY - "Building on Dominican Foundations"
By Elizabeth Hellwig. Elizabeth is the Congregational Archivist for the Dominican Sisters.

Veritas is the motto of the Dominican Order. This Latin word calls all Dominicans, not just to defend Church teachings, but rather to be concerned with the very perception of truth. It is about reality, seeing to the heart of things, with the eyes of God.

The Dominican Family is nearly 800 years young. Dominic Guzman first established a community of Sisters around 1206 and the Friars in 1216, in the south of France. Today there are 32,000 Dominican Sisters in 108 countries, 6100 Friars, 5000 enclosed Nuns, hundreds of thousands of Lay Dominicans (45,000 in Vietnam alone), members of the Dominican Volunteer Movement and the International Dominican Youth Movement, and many other groups who identify with the Dominican charism.

Whatever their circumstances, members of the Order of Preachers are committed to studying, exploring and discovering, better, ever more effective and new ways to disseminate the gospel message. The first Dominicans have passed on to us the task of salting the world with the Word of God. As one Dominican put it: "How can we Dominicans preach a gospel of reconciliation, love for neighbour and justice for all - that the gospel speaks of - in the context of war, racism, powerlessness? But preach it we
must!"

It was this lofty ideal that brought the first Dominican Sisters to the new diocese of Maitland in 1867. When Dr Murray approached the Dominican Community at what is now Dun Laoghaire outside Dublin, he challenged them to consider the immigrants, predominantly Irish, who would have no access to education in the faith unless the Sisters were prepared to come to assist the Bishop and a handful of priests. It is said that all the Sisters in the community volunteered, even though it meant that they would never return to Ireland, would never see their families again. All for the sake of the Gospel ...

St Mary's Maitland, the foundation school

Maitland in 1867, according to the NSW Gazetteer of that year, was a very different place to Ireland! "Maitland...is surrounded by mountains, and is subject to devastating and dangerous floods, which submerge, not only the low lying lands, but also the greater portion of Maitland itself, and which occur at intervals from four to seven years..." It was a thriving metropolis, boasting "an excellent hospital, school of arts with a good library ... a railway station... the racecourse is considered a very good one..." The article talks of more than 37 hotels, two newspapers "The Maitland Mercury (the oldest and best provincial newspaper in the colony) and the Ensign..." There were branches of six banks and twelve insurance companies!

The eight pioneer Sisters made that first horrendous three months journey in a tiny sailing boat, and within a couple of days of arrival in Maitland began work in primary and secondary education, and taught Christian Doctrine to the Catholic people around Maitland at weekends. They were to be the only Sisters in the diocese for eight years.

In all 35 young women, averaging 25 years, made the long journey between 1867 and 1888. In fact the Irish Sisters closed down one of their own schools in Dublin because they considered the Australian need greater than theirs. They were well educated women, confident that they could make a difference. By 1890 there were 100 Sisters in the congregation, and the Australian born Sisters had clearly outnumbered their Irish founders. Furthermore, by that year, 34 pupils of St Mary's Maitland had entered other congregations in the colony.

Solomonese community with Fr Carlos Aspiroz, Master of the Dominican Order

Within 50 years the Maitland foundation had established schools and communities in Maitland, Newcastle, Tamworth, Sydney, Moss Vale and Mayfield, and set up Rosary Convent, Waratah as an Australasian Catholic School for children with impaired hearing. These were women who were driven by their gospel call. They took risks, were astute business women, and were able to engender great support from the people among whom they ministered. They believed in education for women, and delivered it with style, at a time when it was a rare commodity.

Today, after 135 years, Dominican successors of the Maitland pioneers are found ministering in the Solomon Islands, Queensland, NSW, ACT, Victoria and Tasmania. Our 130 Australian and 23 Solomon Island Sisters are involved in primary, secondary, tertiary and special education, educational counselling, administration and research; in ministry as pastoral administrators and associates; RCIA; interfaith dialogue; hospital and prison chaplaincy; in nursing and family planning; retreat centres and spiritual direction and pastoral care. They work among aboriginal and migrant communities; with the materially poor; with those who have a physical or intellectual disability, drug and alcohol dependency; with the homeless; with those in prison and their families; with asylum seekers, in detention centres and with those on temporary visas.

Currently in the Maitland diocese, nine Sisters are in community at Campbell's Hill. Most of these valiant women are retired, but still lead an active life in the wider community in a variety of ways.

Sr Karen Feldt OP with San Clemente students on walkathon day

Six Sisters live at St Martin de Porres Hostel, and three Sisters live at Warabrook. There are of course strong ties still with St Mary's Campus, All Saints College (four of our pioneers are buried there) and San Clemente, Mayfield, where Sr Karen Feldt does pastoral work, St John's Primary School Maitland, St Columban's Primary School, Mayfield and St Dominic's School for hearing-impaired children, Mayfield. These schools are involved in an overall network of schools who still identify with the Dominican Tradition. The development at what was once 'Star of the Sea' Newcastle recognises the place the Sisters held there, and in the church the Dominican crest of the Sisters still has its place.

Maitland will always have a special place in the hearts of Dominicans, as the site of the beginnings of our congregation. Over the years, the Sisters have built enduring, enriching friendships with the generous people of the diocese. These relationships continue to be much prized. The pioneer Sisters, Bishop Murray and the early Irish immigrants of Maitland would be very proud of all that has been accomplished since 10 September, 1867.

Elizabeth Hellwig OP

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