THE COMING OF THE SACRED HEART NUNS TO AUSTRALIA.

New Zealand Tablet, 10 July 1919, Page 29

THE COMING OF THE SACRED HEART NUNS TO AUSTRALIA.

His Grace Archbishop Duhig,' speaking 'recently at ■'-blessing of the foundation stone of the Sacred Heart Convent, Stuartholme, the first ! permanent ! home of the Sisters of the Sacred Heart in the Brisbane archdiocese, related an interesting story told to him by the Rev. Mother Gabriel Raynard of how the Sisters first came to Sydney. A foundation in Sydney had been asked for as early as 1847 by Archbishop Polding, but Madame Barat was obliged to decline. Time after time the requests were renewed, until in 1880 a little Australian girl, seven years old (I wonder what her name was?— said his Grace), who was travelling with her parents, was put up for a few months in the Convent of the Sacred Heart at Confleur, near Paris. When returning to her native country she begged her parents to bringsome of her nuns to Sydney. 'We are seeing the Pope,"

they answered; "you may ask him!" The little girl did as she •was 'told, I '-arid lief -first words to Leo XIII. were: "Please send the Sacred Heart Nuns to Australia.','.>, Pope acceded to the: request, and the promise; was fulfilled in 1881, when Archbishop Vaughan, helped by the parents of-the little .girl, made all i arrangements and a Mother Superior l from Belgium, accompanied by four English-speaking nuns, > arrived', in 1882, after passing Pome and receiving the < Pope's blessing. . „.;- .:.,.•.■-■-. ,-i- 1 <.>■■'''it&i^&tpm-iW*