When I came to Loreto Normanhurst as its first lay Principal in 1994, I had already been the Principal of a large co-educational school. What inspired me to go to Loreto was the spirit of Mary Ward, reflected not only in stories and her writings but in the women who followed - women like Teresa Ball, Gonzaga Barry, and the Loreto Sisters I met and have come to know and respect.
Mary Ward’s deep faith nurtured my own. Her passion for girls’ education aligned with mine, as did her emphasis on relationships and social justice. These elements guided my work as a school leader, as I aimed to translate Mary Ward’s vision and values into a totally different context.
It has been many years since I left Loreto Normanhurst. Still, I am privileged to continue supporting the work of the Loreto Sisters through my role on the Board of Mary Ward International Australia. Our purpose is ‘creating just and sustainable change with women, children and communities, primarily through education’.
It is profoundly humbling to work alongside the Sisters and other partners across the world, listening to and learning from women whose external circumstances are often challenging and who have much to teach us.
A recent trip to Timor-Leste brought this home to me. While there is material poverty, the people wholeheartedly celebrate life, family, and connectedness. The women I met there know what they need. Supporting them in achieving their goals is fulfilling, whether it be through the construction of communal laundries to create a social gathering place and eliminate the long walks to wash laundry in a stream, providing seed funding to help a group of local women grow their small business, or funding the building of a simple meeting place where women can share nourishing food and knowledge on early childhood nutrition.
My colleagues on the MWIA Board often hear me say, ‘No money, no mission.’ Resources enable us to continue the work. I am happy to support MWIA financially as a regular donor and through a bequest to MWIA in my will.
Thank you to the generous donors who already support the work of MWIA. I encourage others to join them. Your support helps us achieve our vision of ‘a just world where women share leadership, children thrive, and communities live in harmony with each other and the Earth’.
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