OUR STORY
Permission to build a school at Wandal was given to the Foundress of the Sisters of St Joseph, St Mary of the Cross MacKillop, by Bishop Duhig in 1909. The Sisters began teaching on the verandah of a small cottage on the site of the Convent in 1912. The School was moved to the Church at the corner of Rundle and Wilkinson Streets later in that year.
Our school has been part of the Wandal community for more than one hundred years. In 1915 construction began on the "new‟ school (the current site of the School/Parish Hall) which was officially opened by Bishop Shiel on 24 January, 1916. The school has undergone many changes, growing and adapting to its current charming collection of buildings and grounds on the corner of Herbert and Rundle Streets.
The Sisters of St Joseph
St Joseph's School Wandal was staffed by the Sisters of St Joseph from its opening through until 1990. The charism and influence of the Josephite Order is integral to the life of St Joseph's. St Mary of the Cross MacKillop founded the Congregation of the Sisters of St Joseph of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus in 1866 at Penola, South Australia. Mother Mary was professed as a Religious on 15 August 1867, and died on 8 August 1909 in Sydney. The Sisters of St Joseph continue their work today in various apostolates to spread God's message of love and peace.
The Sisters of St Joseph endeavoured to cultivate in the students:
-
a close relationship with Jesus
-
an appreciation of all aspects of their faith
-
a devotion to prayer, the Mass and the Sacraments
-
a deep concern and respect for others
-
a desire to act as Christians, giving dignity to all people
It is the desire of our school community to continue to nurture these, the values of the Sisters of St Joseph, in all within our community.
