As part of the Catholic Archdiocese Brisbane “Graced Tradition, Spirited Future” celebrations, the Sisters of Mercy Brisbane proudly present:
A Catholic Miscellany: Treasures from 150 years
In 1915 Brisbane clergyman Jeremiah O’Leary compiled “A Catholic Miscellany” – an early, comprehensively illustrated, account of the Brisbane Archdiocese. The publication remains a significant historical reference and contains “items of interest to Queenslanders, Irishmen, and Irish Australians.” This exhibition of treasures, commemorating 150 years of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Queensland, pays tribute to O’Leary’s seminal work.
A Catholic Miscellany Lecture Series 2009
SUNDAY 3 MAY: An Afternoon with the Bishops: Quinn, Duhig and O’Donnell
Sr Anne McLay – Bishop Quinn: A Controversial Figure
Fr Tom Boland – James the Builder: Archbishop Duhig
Fr Denis Martin – Archbishop O’Donnell
SUNDAY 7 JUNE: Grave Matters: Mythologies & Necrologies
Mr Warren Oxnam - Nudgee Cemetery: Book of Memories
Ms Bernadette Turner- Mayne Mythology: Catholic Funerary Practices and Grave Symbolism
Mrs Laurel Shanley – K. M. Smith Funeral Directors
SUNDAY 5 JULY: Religious Orders: Queensland Foundations
Br Tim Scott - Christian Brothers: Following in the footsteps of Edmund Rice and being relevant today.
Sr Margaret McKenna - By Way of Experiment: Mary MacKillop and Josephites in Queensland
Sr Pauline Smoothy - Sisters of Mercy
SUNDAY 2 AUGUST: Art & Architecture: Influencing Catholic Culture
Fr Chris Hanlon – Bishop Quinn as patron of the arts
Fr Peter Grice – Object based floor talk
Fr Denis Martin – Catholic Architecture
SUNDAY 6 SEPTEMBER: Religious Orders: Queensland Foundations
Br Tim Scott - Christian Brothers: Following in the footsteps of Edmund Rice and being relevant today.
Sr Margaret McKenna - By Way of Experiment: Mary MacKillop and Josephites in Queensland
Sr Anne Hetherington - Sisters of Mercy
SUNDAY 4 OCTOBER: An Afternoon with the Bishops: Quinn, Dunne and Duhig
Sr Anne McLay – Bishop Quinn: A Controversial Figure
Fr Tom Boland – James the Builder: Archbishop Duhig
Rev. Dr. Neil Byrne – What is becoming of the people? Moderating the pace of church and school building during the Dunne episcopate.
SUNDAY 1 NOVEMBER: Grave Matters: Mythologies & Necrologies
Mr Warren Oxnam - Nudgee Cemetery: Book of Memories
Ms Bernadette Turner- Mayne Mythology: Catholic Funerary Practices and Grave Symbolism
Mrs Laurel Shanley – K. M. Smith Funeral Directors
Admission: Suggested donation $4pp - inclusive of talks, exhibition entry, and afternoon tea.
Bookings ESSENTIAL and numbers strictly limited.
Contact Mercy Heritage Centre, All Hallows’ Convent, 547 Ann Street Brisbane P (07) 3831 2252 E info@mercyheritage.com
NOTES
Parking available in the All Hallows’ School Dodge Lane carpark.
Consider visiting the Cathedral of St Stephen for Mass at 12 noon, prior to the lectures.
EXHIBITION: Sisters of Mercy shine spotlight on 150 years of Catholicism in Queensland
April 17, 2009 - January 29, 2010
The 150th anniversary of the Catholic Archdiocese of Brisbane is being commemorated in a historical exhibition open to the public from 17 April 2009 until 29 January 2010.
The exhibition, entitled A Catholic Miscellany: Treasures from 150 years, is hosted by the Mercy Heritage Centre, situated within All Hallows’ Convent in Ann St, Brisbane.
A joint initiative by the Sisters of Mercy and the Archdiocese of Brisbane, the exhibition explores the Catholic story, within the broader context of Brisbane and Queensland history, focussing on significant objects from diocesan collections.
Admission is free but donations are gratefully accepted.
Peter Connell, the Director of the Mercy Heritage Centre said the exhibition offered a unique opportunity to view long “hidden” treasures and rare artefacts from Brisbane Catholic collections.
“Many of these items have significant historical and aesthetic associations, highlighting aspects of 150 years of the Catholic story in Queensland,” Mr Connell said.
“Some interesting objects include a chalice given to Bishop Quinn in 1859 as ‘Bishop of Brisbane, New South Wales’, a Donor’s plaque and plans for the Holy Name Cathedral, a pectoral cross given to Archbishop Duhig by Pope John XXIII for the Archdiocesan Centenary in 1959, and 21 foundation trowels from across the State.”
“The exhibition features a rich diversity of objects and we are deeply grateful to the Catholic Archives, Cathedral of St Stephen, Holy Spirit Seminary, the Archbishop and Bishops of Queensland, and the Dean, St Stephen’s Cathedral for their support of this exhibition.”
Whilst the exhibit is on display until early 2010 a special series of monthly lectures will be presented by noted Catholic scholars and historians.
These lectures are to be held on the first Sunday of the month (May – November 2009) in conjunction with special open days (9am - 4pm). More detail on the lecture series below.
Expansion Progress: Planning and Development
August 1, 2008 - January 1, 2010
By way of introduction, our aims for the redeveloped and expanded Mercy Heritage Centre are:
1. Interpret the layers of history through a series of themed displays i.e. Beginnings; Health; Education; Welfare; Religious Life; and Building History.
2. Provide a tangible, and meaningful, connection to the Mercy Story e.g. exhibitions looking at the historical development of ministries, but also the modern initiatives – to give a sense of the on-going Mercy work; personal, and human, stories of the Sisters of Mercy.
3. Build audiences through targeted programs, education kits and other initiatives.
Most of the “cosmetic” building works are complete in the section of All Hallows’ Convent given over to the MHC (ground floor of Adderton, level 1 of building). For example, a number of non-original walls have been removed, internal painting (and/or repainting) is finished, and the floors have been polished/waxed, including the ground floor Parlours.
Work has been as minimal as possible to avoid any impact on the integrity of the heritage values of the building i.e. all work has been done with the appropriate Cultural Heritage (Environmental Protection Agency) approvals.
We’re now working towards the development of the new exhibition spaces – a mammoth task. Central to this process is to decide on the key messages of the MHC, develop exhibition themes to respond to these, select relevant objects and stories, and design specific room layouts.
At this stage we are still some months away from the installation of all the new exhibitions, but we are continuing to run internal tours of this significant historic building. Feel free to contact us to organise your visit. Ph (07) 3831 2252.
Looking to the Future: Mercy Heritage Centre Expansion
November 27, 2007 - January 1, 2010
The core of All Hallows’ Convent is one of the oldest surviving houses in Brisbane, Adderton, built in 1858 by John Petrie. The building became the first permanent home for the Sisters of Mercy in Queensland in 1863, and for 144 years served as the Mother house of the Brisbane Congregation. On 28 June 2007 All Hallows’ Convent ceased to be a residence, and works have begun to convert the building into other uses. The Mercy Heritage Centre will take over a significant portion of the Convent.
This is exciting news for us as we will be relocating to the first floor of the building, and expanding into a space over 6 times our current size – including two complete floors of the original 1858 building. We believe this will be the largest Mercy museum in the world.
The Mercy Heritage Centre explores the life and work of the Sisters of Mercy and associated social history. We hope to explore themes relating to the growth of healthcare (Mater Hospitals), education (Mercy schools), social welfare, and Catholicism in Queensland, as well as covering the layers of history on the site and in the building.
We will be staging our expansion over the next 2 years and hope many of you will come to visit as we grow and develop.
Mercy Heritage Centre, All Hallows’ Convent, 547 Ann Street, Brisbane QLD 4000
Ph (07) 3831 2252
Tour: All Hallows' Convent Guided Internal Tours
September 30, 2007 - October 28, 2007
NOW COMPLETELY BOOKED OUT!! UNFORTUNATELY NO EXTENSION IS POSSIBLE.
TOURS OF THE RELOCATED MERCY HERITAGE CENTRE (LEVEL 1 ALL HALLOWS' CONVENT) WILL BE AVAILABLE FROM FEBRUARY 2008.
For the first and only time in its 149 year history All Hallows’ Convent, including the original 1858 home Adderton, will be open for guided internal tours from 9.30am to 12.30pm on the following four Sundays: 30 September, 14 October, 21 October, 28 October.
Key features:
All Hallows’ Convent was the first permanent home for the Sisters of Mercy in Queensland.
The core of the Convent is one of the oldest surviving houses in Brisbane – Adderton.
Architects involved were: John Petrie (1858); Henry Hunter and Leslie Gordon Corrie (1891); Thomas Ramsay Hall and George Gray Prentice (1919).
Georgian, Victorian, and early-Renaissance architectural styles are evident in the building.
Cost:
$30pp including gala morning tea, guided historical tour, presentation, and exhibition entry.
Bookings are essential and numbers are strictly limited.
Bookings:
Mercy Heritage Centre, All Hallows' Convent, 547 Ann Street, Brisbane QLD 4000
(07) 3831 2252 or peter@mercyheritage.com
Fundraising:
Proceeds from the tours will be used for these important projects – the three “R’s”:
Relocation: expansion of the Mercy Heritage Centre.
Refurbishment: of selected areas of the historic building.
Restoration: of the 1905 Whitehouse & Co. Pipe Organ.
Patrons will be able to support us through a silent auction (of a number of antique cast iron beds) and the sale of merchandise. Please note credit card facilities are not available.
We regret that, due to heritage issues relating to the building, the tour is not suitable for people with limited mobility or children under 10. However, small group tours are available upon request.
About MHC
