Marcellin College, Auckland
Encyclopedia
Marcellin College is an integrated, co-educational college in Royal Oak
, Auckland
, New Zealand
for students in Year 7 to Year 13. Marcellin College was founded by the Marist Brothers
in 1958 as a secondary school for boys only. The school is located on spacious grounds which were formerly part of the Pah estate
. Most of the former Pah estate contiguous with Marcellin College is now owned by the Auckland City Council
and is maintained as a park known as "Monte Cecilia Park" (largely located in the suburb of Hillsborough
).
In 1982 the proprietor of Marcellin College signed an integration Agreement with the Minister of Education and the college entered the State education system. However, it entered the state system as a co-educational secondary school because in 1980 the school had incorporated the secondary department of a school for girls, St Benedict's College, Newton, which closed in that year. St Benedict's College had its origins in 1884 when the Sisters of St Joseph of the Sacred Heart
, at the behest of their founder, Mary MacKillop
(St Mary of the Cross), arrived in Auckland from Adelaide and opened their first school in a converted shop in Karangahape Road
. They founded St Benedict's College near St Benedict's Church, Newton
in 1886, and in 1898 a large new school was built on the opposite corner from the church. From the early 1970s, population drift coinciding with, and to some extent due to, the construction of the nearby Auckland motorway system, led to a dramatic fall off in pupils. The secondary department merged with Marcellin College, and the primary department closed.
Royal Oak
The Royal Oak is the English oak tree within which King Charles II of England hid to escape the Roundheads following the Battle of Worcester in 1651. The tree was located in Boscobel Wood, which was part of the park of Boscobel House. Charles confirmed to Samuel Pepys in 1680 that while he was...
, Auckland
Auckland
The Auckland metropolitan area , in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country with residents, percent of the country's population. Auckland also has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world...
, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
for students in Year 7 to Year 13. Marcellin College was founded by the Marist Brothers
Marist Brothers
The Marist Brothers, or Little Brothers of Mary, are a Catholic religious order of brothers and affiliated lay people. The order was founded in France, at La Valla-en-Gier near Lyon in 1817 by Saint Marcellin Champagnat, a young French priest of the Society of Mary...
in 1958 as a secondary school for boys only. The school is located on spacious grounds which were formerly part of the Pah estate
Pah Homestead
The Pah Homestead is a historic stately home located in the Auckland suburb of Hillsborough in New Zealand. It is currently being restored by the Auckland City Council, which owns it, as part of its plans to develop the surrounding Monte Cecilia Park into a premier park for the city.-History:The...
. Most of the former Pah estate contiguous with Marcellin College is now owned by the Auckland City Council
Auckland City Council
Auckland City Council was the local government authority representing Auckland City, New Zealand, and was amalgamated into the Auckland Council on 1 November 2010. It was an elected body representing the 404,658 residents of the city...
and is maintained as a park known as "Monte Cecilia Park" (largely located in the suburb of Hillsborough
Hillsborough, Auckland
Hillsborough is an Auckland, New Zealand suburb.Hillsborough is under the local governance of the Auckland City Council. According to the 2001 census, Hillsborough has a population of 9912....
).
In 1982 the proprietor of Marcellin College signed an integration Agreement with the Minister of Education and the college entered the State education system. However, it entered the state system as a co-educational secondary school because in 1980 the school had incorporated the secondary department of a school for girls, St Benedict's College, Newton, which closed in that year. St Benedict's College had its origins in 1884 when the Sisters of St Joseph of the Sacred Heart
Sisters of St Joseph of the Sacred Heart
The Sisters of Saint Joseph of the Sacred Heart, often called the Josephites , were founded in Penola, South Australia in 1866 by Mary MacKillop and Father Julian Tenison Woods....
, at the behest of their founder, Mary MacKillop
Mary MacKillop
Mary Helen MacKillop , also known as Saint Mary of the Cross, was an Australian Roman Catholic nun who, together with Father Julian Tenison Woods, founded the Sisters of St Joseph of the Sacred Heart and a number of schools and welfare institutions throughout Australasia with an emphasis on...
(St Mary of the Cross), arrived in Auckland from Adelaide and opened their first school in a converted shop in Karangahape Road
Karangahape Road
Karangahape Road is one of the main streets in the central business district of Auckland, New Zealand. The massive expansion of motorways through the nearby inner city area - and subsequent flight of residents and retail into the suburbs - turned it from one of Auckland's premier shopping streets...
. They founded St Benedict's College near St Benedict's Church, Newton
Newton, New Zealand
Newton is a small suburb of Auckland City, New Zealand, under the local governance of the Auckland City Council. It had a population of 837 in the 2001 census....
in 1886, and in 1898 a large new school was built on the opposite corner from the church. From the early 1970s, population drift coinciding with, and to some extent due to, the construction of the nearby Auckland motorway system, led to a dramatic fall off in pupils. The secondary department merged with Marcellin College, and the primary department closed.
Notable alumni
- Mark HotchinMark HotchinMark Stephen Hotchin is a New Zealand property developer and financier. He was a director of the Hanover Group which owned a number of finance companies including Hanover Finance, United Finance, Nationwide Finance and FAI Finance...
(1958-), Businessman, director of Hanover Finance - Chris Lewis (1957-), Tennis professional, Mens finalist at the 1983 Wimbledon Championships1983 Wimbledon ChampionshipsThe 1983 Wimbledon Championships was a tennis tournament played on :grass courts at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in Wimbledon in London in England...
.
Sources
- Pat Gallager, The Marist Brothers in New Zealand Fiji & Samoa 1876-1976, New Zealand Marist Brothers' Trust Board, Tuakau, 1976.
- E.R. Simmons, A Brief History of the Catholic Church in New Zealand, Catholic Publication Centre, Auckland, 1978 and In Cruce Salus, A History of the Diocese of Auckland 1848 - 1980, Catholic Publication Centre, Auckland 1982.
- St. Benedict’s College : corner East St. & St. Benedicts St., Newton, Auckland, New Zealand or Souvenir magazine St. Benedict’s College, 1980, The College, Auckland, 1980.
- Michael King, God's farthest outpost : a history of Catholics in New Zealand, Viking, Auckland 1997.
- Nicholas Reid, James Michael Liston: A Life, Victoria University Press, Wellington, 2006.
- Diane Strevens, MacKillop Women: The Sisters of St Joseph of the Sacred Heart Aotearoa New Zealand 1883-2006, David Ling, Auckland, 2008.