Saint Mary's College Auckland
Encyclopedia
St Mary's College is a year 7 - 13 integrated Catholic girls' high school situated at 11 New Street, Ponsonby
, Auckland
.
, in Wyndham Street by the Sisters of Mercy
, who were founded in Ireland by Catherine McAuley in 1831. The Sisters of Mercy were the first religious sisters to come to Aotearoa New Zealand, arriving in Auckland from Ireland on 9 April 1850.
A large new convent was built in Ponsonby, on a splendid site overlooking the Waitemata Harbour and the central business district of Auckland City and the school was shifted there in 1861.
St Mary’s College has always had an excellent academic record and high achievement in Music and Sport. Its musical tradition goes back to the 1860s. During the 20th Century, under the outstanding direction of the late Dame Sister Mary Leo
, the school produced many singers of international fame, notably Dame Kiri Te Kanawa
and Mina Foley
.
The school is known for its music with a compulsory music programme running from year 7-9. At St Mary's the school believes that music enhances the mind. They have a number of bands which play at festivals all around the world. In 2005 the Sinfonia was invited to play at the Beijing Arts Festival in China. In 2006 the school's band went to Palm Springs, CA for a music festival.
The Mercy character continues to be a dominant focus of the school's ethos. The college is still owned by the Sisters of Mercy who have established a Board of Directors which works in conjunction with the Board of Trustees to ensure that the Catholic character of the school is not only maintained but enhanced and promoted.
Ponsonby, New Zealand
Ponsonby is an inner-city suburb of Auckland City located 2 km west of the Auckland CBD, in the North Island of New Zealand. The suburb is oriented along a ridge running north-south, which is followed by the main street of the suburb, Ponsonby Road....
, 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...
.
History
St Mary’s College is the oldest existing secondary school for girls in Auckland and one of the oldest existing schools in New Zealand. It was established in 1850 on the site of the present St Patrick's CathedralSt Patrick's Cathedral, Auckland
The Cathedral of St Patrick and St Joseph is the Cathedral of the Catholic Bishop of Auckland.-Origins:...
, in Wyndham Street by the Sisters of Mercy
Sisters of Mercy
The Religious Order of the Sisters of Mercy is an order of Catholic women founded by Catherine McAuley in Dublin, Ireland, in 1831. , the order has about 10,000 members worldwide, organized into a number of independent congregations....
, who were founded in Ireland by Catherine McAuley in 1831. The Sisters of Mercy were the first religious sisters to come to Aotearoa New Zealand, arriving in Auckland from Ireland on 9 April 1850.
A large new convent was built in Ponsonby, on a splendid site overlooking the Waitemata Harbour and the central business district of Auckland City and the school was shifted there in 1861.
St Mary’s College has always had an excellent academic record and high achievement in Music and Sport. Its musical tradition goes back to the 1860s. During the 20th Century, under the outstanding direction of the late Dame Sister Mary Leo
Sister Mary Leo
Dame Sister Mary Leo, DBE, RSM was a New Zealand nun who is best known for training some of the world's finest sopranos, including Dames Malvina Major, Kiri Te Kanawa and Heather Begg....
, the school produced many singers of international fame, notably Dame Kiri Te Kanawa
Kiri Te Kanawa
Dame Kiri Jeanette Te Kanawa, ONZ, DBE, AC is a New Zealand / Māori soprano who has had a highly successful international opera career since 1968. Acclaimed as one of the most beloved sopranos in both the United States and Britain she possesses a warm full lyric soprano voice, singing a wide array...
and Mina Foley
Mina Foley
Mina Foley was a New Zealand coloratura soprano, who rose to prominence in the 1950s. She was the first of many to study under the acclaimed singing teacher Dame Sister Mary Leo...
.
The school is known for its music with a compulsory music programme running from year 7-9. At St Mary's the school believes that music enhances the mind. They have a number of bands which play at festivals all around the world. In 2005 the Sinfonia was invited to play at the Beijing Arts Festival in China. In 2006 the school's band went to Palm Springs, CA for a music festival.
The Mercy character continues to be a dominant focus of the school's ethos. The college is still owned by the Sisters of Mercy who have established a Board of Directors which works in conjunction with the Board of Trustees to ensure that the Catholic character of the school is not only maintained but enhanced and promoted.
External links
- Official Site
- http://www.mercyworld.org/countries/aotearoa/index.asp