Loreto Sisters
---
Author Mary Ryllis Clark's book on the Loreto sisters, Loreto in Australia, chronicling the founding and development of the order in the country, has been launched.
The book follows the tale of the small band of Irish nuns who arrived in Ballarat in 1875, with their charismatic leader Mother Gonzaga Barry. It explores the women's influence on Catholic education in Australia and follows the growth of the order's work, which has now expanded into indigenous and other disadvantaged communities, as well as into tertiary institutions and other positions in public life.
"Its original founder, the seventeenth century Yorkshire woman Mary Ward, links them to one of the bloodiest periods in British history when being Catholic was tantamount to treachery," according to a media release.
"Mary Ward established a community of women in Europe who followed a rule based on that of the Jesuits. They did not observe enclosure or wear habits and governed themselves, which was unacceptable to the Church at the time. Ward was eventually imprisoned for heresy and her work suppressed, but her Institute survived."
"Loreto in Australia is the story of women of great strength, charm and deep spirituality fulfilling Mary Ward's prediction that 'women in time to come will do great matters'."
SOURCE
Loreto In Australia (Media release)
LINK
Loreto Sisters Australia